This UNESCO World Heritage site certainly lives up to its name. Hahoe Village is such a pretty lovely village that is isolated from the hustles of the cities. If you need a scenic serenity, this is the place to be at. 

And if you are there at the right time as I had in mid April, you will be enveloped in cherry blossoms. 

Hahoe Village belongs to the forefathers of the Ryu clan, who have lived there for over 600 years. The village got its name from the Nakdong River that flows through the village in an 'S' shape.

Directions

Getting to Andong was a fairly tedious journey.

There are 2 ways:

1. Via train. As I had the KTX pass, I had to utilize it fully and so I chose this method to Andong. 

As I had mentioned previously, with trains at the suburbs ( outside Seoul), the schedules are not frequent and you have to take note of the timings. 

2. Via bus. As I heard from a Thai couple I met while in the hostel, there is a straight bus from Dongdaegu Bus Terminal station to Andong, you have to ask the locals on which bus to take. It takes about 1 or 2 hours plus.

Upon reaching Andong Train station/ Bus Terminal, take an inter-city bus no. 46 to Hahoe Village. See Below.

 The bus stop to take bus no. 46? See the map below. It's just opposite of Andong Train Station, with the symbol of the village. This map below proves to be very useful.. 

Upon reaching the village, you have to take another 'internal' village bus in. 

 The bus terminal, was in fact,  just lines of buses piled up on both sides of the streets.
Do not expect a sheltered terminal/building for buses. 

So... back to Hahoe Village!

 ( It was way too cold... hands were permanently stuck in pockets.)

Pretty White blossoms greeted us!~~

 Love the cherry blossoms everywhere~~!!!

 There were even traditional games' props for everyone to play.

Tile-Roofed

In the centre of the village, you will spot tiled-roofed houses belong to the Ryu clan, while thatched-roofed houses surround them.

Inside one of the residences of the Ryu clan.


Empty walkways.
Really serene at the village, not much visitors or perhaps we were too early.


The contast between the centre and the perimeter housings with the thatched-roofs.


Wishing tree

Children on excursions, looking very adorable and happy.

This village is still inhabited

Like the hanok villages in downtown Seoul, the village is still occupied by locals. Many of the houses were also offered as 'MinBak' translated as 'Minsu' in mandarin, akin to homestay or Airbnb. There were not many things to do in the village though, other than the sightseeing and exploring the village on foot. Perhaps it will be more interesting if there are festivals around.
If you are however, stuck for a night, you may can consider such accommodations.

On the perimeter- Thatched-roofed MinBak 

Hahoe Village is famous for it's mask dance. Too bad on the day we went there were no public performances.

Masks of all expressions dorned the village. 

Spot them!

 Andong’s International Mask festival gathers cultural groups from all over the world in celebration from end September to early October every year.

Boat Ride

You can also choose to take a boat ride at the pier, to the opposite facing Buyongdae Cliff for a panoramic view of the village. Unfortunately, the boat ride was not in operation when we were there. 
Tickets can be bought on the spot at the information counter.

Pray

Friends, families, lovers gathered round.... pretty sight

 If you are in Andong, having Andong Jjimdak (Chicken and Vegetables Steamed in Soy Sauce Seasoning) is a must. I didn't take note of the store's name, but if you head back to Andong town area ( which you have to for the trains anyway), you will be able to find a whole street selling Jjimdak in the market. 
From there take your pick.

Anyway it gets hotter and hotter the more you eat so beware!! ^_^ but overall I love this dish.

BIG TV for watching shows and this eatery with practically no other customers. Perhaps we were too early. The ahjumma and ahjussi were really friendly though and they welcomed customers to stay there for as long as you liked.

PIN FOR LATER!!