My Korean Life #59: 여수

At first I thought I could squeeze both Yeosu and Suncheon into one post but it turns out I have too many pictures and it would be too long as one blog post. So, I will be splitting them up. First will be Yeosu located in the South Jeolla Province of Korea. I will be pointing out some of the highlights as well as embedding maps so you can see exactly where I went! If you have a free weekend, I definitely recommend checking out Yeosu.

YEOSU

Yeosu Expo Station

While there are buses as well as slower trains to Yeosu, I recommend taking the KTX train. It is a fast albeit expensive option. The trip from Seoul to Yeosu will take you less than three hours via KTX.

Yeosu Expo Grounds

Yeosu was host to Expo 2012 - a world expo consisting of many different countries exhibiting around the theme of "The Living Ocean and Coast". The grounds and some of the building are still open to the public.

Grim Garden Guest House

The Grim Garden Guest House is located only a short walk away from the Expo grounds and looks to have been constructed very recently. It is locally owned and operated with many different room types. I stayed in a double room but there are also dormitories, triple rooms, and traditional Korean style rooms where you sleep on the floor. The rooftop has a large garden and reading room. A free continental breakfast is offered in the morning as well as free Internet throughout.

Yeosu Railbike

The Yeosu Railbike runs along a cliff on the coast of Yeosu and is a great way to take in the views of the sea. The track goes through a tunnel as well with a turn table at the end of the track to let you pedal back to where you started. The bikes are geared to allow easy pedaling even uphill.

Approximate Beach Location

Very close to the railbike area is a small beach. It's within walking distance from the railbike station and also has some restaurants and cafes near it.

After riding the railbike I enjoyed the local Yeosu specialty of Soy Sauce Crab (간장게장). There was also 양념게장 served in the set menu. It was all very reasonably priced and delicious.

 

Cable Car Location

The cable car is has two stations. One located near Odongdo and another located near Dolsan Park. Both stations have a variety of facilities including convenience stores, restaurants, and cafes. The cable car is suspended over water and provides good photo opportunities during the ride. Most people buy round trip tickets although one-way tickets are available. The attractions near the cable car stations are free of charge while a ride on the cable car is KRW 13,000 for a round trip ticket. There are cars that have a glass bottom and you can enjoy those for slightly more.

Stay tuned for the next post about Suncheon (순천)

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Fall Vacation Trip: Fukuoka Day 3

My third and final day in Fukuoka!

Ohori Park a great place to relax and enjoy the lake and see the local wildlife. There are paths for biking, jogging, and walking around the lake. Bridges on either end of the islands in the middle of the lake allow access to even more paths to explore. Fukuoka Castle and the Fukuoka Art Museum are located near the park and you can walk to both from the park grounds. If you'd like to enjoy time on the water, there are paddle boats available for rent.

After the park, I headed to a famous ramen restaurant called 一蘭 本社総本店 (Ichiran) for lunch. While there are tables for larger groups on the first floor, a lot of the dining is done at individual booths on the upper floors. You can also buy ramen kits to enjoy their ramen in the comfort of your own home. The restaurant itself is open 24 hours and prices are reasonable. Below are pictures of the ramen and a soft boiled egg - both were delicious!

That afternoon was spent strolling around the large shopping complex called Canal City, however I didn't take any pictures. There are many different shops and restaurants and in one of the stores there were a ton of the capsule toy machines (ガシャポン). Check out the capsule toy cats below!

Overall, the trip was really enjoable. Fukuoka is very convenient to get to from Korea and flights are normally reasonably priced. Low cost carriers such as Jin Air, Jeju Air, Eastar Jet, and T'way Air have daily flights. For hotels, check out agoda.com.

Thanks for reading! More to come soon!

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Fall Vacation Trip: Fukuoka Day 2

Just a short train ride from Fukuoka is Dazaifu, home to the Kyushu National Museum and a number of different temples and shrines. The main walk out of the train station towards Dazaifu Tenman-gū has many different shops selling souvenirs and places selling umegae mochi.

Platform and train at Dazaifu Station

Starbucks has a very interesting design

Store selling the local mochi

Totoro :)

There were tons of tourists at the shrine that day. The grounds are heavily wooded and there are plenty of paths to explore the shrine and surrounding areas. 

After walking around the shrine, I took a lunch break before heading to the Kyushu National Museum. Lunch was at a small restaurant near the train station. A cold noodle appetizer was served before the meal of donburi and udon. It all tasted great! The menu had pictures from what I remember. Unfortunately, I can't read much Japanese but judging from the large amount of tourists, I'm sure many restaurants and cafes in the area have either pictures on their menu or menus in languages other than Japanese.

After lunch I headed to the Kyushu National Museum. Photography was prohibited in the Kyushu National Museum but the building's architecture is still cool. The main lobby houses the ticket window, a gift shop, and an area where you can experience different Asian cultures through an interactive exhibit. General admission is JPY 430 with discounts for college students and groups. Lockers are available onsite as well.

Located near the water is Fukuoka Tower, a great spot to check out views of the city. Admission is JPY 800 and there are discounts for groups, children, and students. The exterior lighting of the tower changes depending on the time of year. It seems most people either take a bus or take the subway and then walk the rest of the way. You can also take a taxi or drive to the tower.

I did walk along the beach near the tower but the pictures I took weren't very good unfortunately.

Dinner was at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant called 玄海丸 天神店! It's located near Tenjin Station and was reasonably priced. I ate a ton!

Tuna is my favorite!

The stack of plates

Stay tuned for my final post about Fukuoka soon! ~