Gwangju’s Mudeungsan Monorail
Living in and exploring Gwangju for two years, I only just discovered that Mudeungsan has a monorail. Oh yes! A chairlift and a monorail and an obesrvatory. All the stunning views without the sweaty hiking! Jisan Recreation Area used to be an amusement park back in the 70s. Faded waterslides snake eerily out of the overgrown forest and into a concrete car park. First, you take the chairlift. Purchase tickets from the convenience store at the entrance, hiding behind Mudesung Park Hotel. Tickets are 9,000won (Adult) / 7,000won (Child) for the lift and 7,000won (Adult) / 6,000won (Child) for the monorail. Children over two years are allowed on the chairlift.…
Winter Camping in Korea at Hampyeong Dolmeori Beach
It was the year that all events got scratched out of my diary. Our travel plans got cancelled, my visit home got put on hold, and all the friends we had planned to catch up with are still waiting. 2020 also, unintentionally, become our year of camping in Korea. Or, the year of camping in our little corner of Korea. We do try to avoid accumulating too much stuff and try to keep things simple. Simplicity (laziness?) is important to us. So we purchased a simple, pop-up tent. That’s it. We jammed our spare floor mattress and our pillows and blankets straight from our beds into the car and headed…
Bungye Haebyeon, Sandy Beach in South Korea
Bungye Beach, sandy island beach in South Korea
Gwangju Lake Eco Park
Are you looking for some fresh air, beautiful views and a bit of nature? Get yourselves to Gwangju Lake Eco Park! After weeks of trying to practice social distancing, we decided it was time to get out of the house and out of the city. Not wanting to go somewhere too far away or too touristy we headed out to Gwangju Lake Eco Park. Entry is a bit strict these days. No food, no bikes or scooters. They are also checking temperatures and applying hand sanitizer at the entrance. Thankfully, we passed the temp test and they let us in. We started the day with a snack. Hot dogs. Korean…
Hong Gildong Theme Park; some Korean literary history
We wanted to get out of the city, and Hong Gildong Theme Park in Jangsoeng-gun, Jeollanamdo, was an excuse to get some nature and a bit of South Korean literary history – well, in a theme parky kind of way – very South Korea! There is plenty of room for kids to run about and many families had bought scooters, bikes, balls and frisbees to make the most of the open space. The sky was so blue – not usual for spring – and the blossoms were just starting to bloom. But, back to Hong Gildong, Korea’s famous ‘steal from the rich and give to the poor’ character – a…
