2 Days in Andong: Rain, Masks, and Quiet Kindness
(Part of my 30-day backpacking journey in South Korea) Day 1: Rain, Masks, and a Kind Host After a beautiful morning in Gyeongju, I boarded the 11:40 AM bus to Andong. A few hours later, I arrived, ready for a new chapter of the trip. And Andong didn’t disappoint. My Couchsurfing host, Shin DK, works at the Andong Hanok Village and kindly toured me around Hahoe Village. Walking through it felt like stepping into a living museum. Centuries-old homes, tiled roofs, gravel paths, and a sense of history hanging heavy in the misty air. While wandering alone, the rain came. Hard. I had to look for shelter quickly and found myself at Biyeon Jeongsa, a historic pavilion built by scholar Ryu Seong-ryong for study and reflection. Despite the pouring rain, the place felt calm and grounding. I stood under the wooden eaves, watching raindrops fall beside a massive 600-year-old tree, its bark deeply grooved, ancient, and unmoved by time. Roamed around again when the rain stopped. Inside one of the ol...
