Log-Rafting at Jeollanamdo Gurye

A weekend of farming: bean-curd (tofu) making and more!

At the “Jiri-san Bioland,” established by the Gurye farming community and farming related business, one can experience a variety of folk culture.

The Bioland provides unique experiences and amusement with a variety of weekly themes including mud-dyeing, relic exploration, bean-curd making, bread baking, knife-cut noodle tasting, and log-rafting along with “weekend farming” programs that let guests harvest organic wrapping vegetables, Sansooyu fruits, sweet potatoes, and natural honey. With the added feature of kindly reception by the residents, Gurye Bioland has become the talk of the town while more and more people pay a visit to Gurye.

The most favored activity is bean-curd making. After enjoying a generous portion of dinner, the journey begins with grinding the beans with a millstone. The next morning, salt water is added to the bean juice that was made the night before. When it curdles, it is put into a sack and squeezed to be made into a steamy bean-curd. The visitors are always welcome to lend a hand to the bean-curd makers at any point.

You do not have to make the bean-curd yourself. You can just lay yourself in bed with the sound of the millstones and wake up to the tasty smell of the fresh bean-curd and then enjoy it at the breakfast table.

There is also a volunteer program at the farm. One can work for four to five hours per day and the farm will provide food and shelter for the volunteers. You can also make friends with the many foreigners that participate in this program. Another famous attraction is the shopping mall of produce and food that range from cucumbers, a local specialty of Gurye, bean-paste, wheat, persimmons, chestnuts, to Sansooyu fruits and more.

Riding on a Log-Raft Through the Wind-

You can enjoy log-rafting all year around at the Gumanje reservoir which is next to the Sumjin River, but rafting during the winter and the early spring seems to be most thrilling. The reservoir is 150 thousand-pyong with the length of 3 kilometers looking more like a river at the first glance. It is exhilarating to glide across the smooth surface of the water with the ice-cold wind brushing over the face. When the weather turns colder, you can enjoy breaking the thin ice to get the raft through. It is most unique experience only available at this reservoir.

The raft is 2 meters wide and 5 meters long and can accommodate up to 20 passengers at once. It is safely constructed with bamboo branches linked over a broad piece of Styrofoam. With the bamboo branches, you do not have to worry about getting your clothes wet.

The rectangular raft receives more resistance from the water because the front and back of the raft is not streamline like other boats. The raft will start gliding only after paddling with all your might when there are only three or four people on board. Also, it won’t move correctly if the rowing is not done in harmony. Therefore it is ideal in building cooperation with family members. Also, some might find the speed of the raft irritatingly slow, but it provides ample time to enjoy the surroundings.

You can raft as long as you want, but usually, an hour of rowing will tire out your arms. Luckily there is the Jiri-san hot-spring nearby ready to relieve the tensed up muscles.

Jiri-san Bioland posts the weekly theme on the web at www.jirisanbioland.com (or one can call 061-781-9009) to have people sign-up for the events of their choice. Individual visitors or couples are also welcome to take part in the event, but a weekend trip is recommended for the rafting. Customized courses are available for group visitations along with early registration for specifying the theme of your choice.