Overnight trip to Tongyeong with Kids
After a night in the countryside at the Grandparents’ house, we set off for an overnight trip to Tongyeong on our way to Busan. The kids and I struggle with long car trips, so it’s always better to break up trips into smaller sections. The port city of Tongyeong seemed like a perfect stopover for beauty, culture, sea, and history! We chose a smallish hotel with pretty average reviews but a very decent price and views across the bay. It turned out to be clean, comfortable and waking up to watch the fishing boats come into the port was good fun. Tongyeong Samdo Sugun Tongjeyeong Naval Station During Joseon times,…
Hongjecheon Stream, Walking and Cycling Trail in Seoul
There are so many fantastic walking and cycling trails in Seoul. Hongjecheon stands out due to it’s ease – you can easily walk or cycle here with children – and also the number of unique stops along the way. You can start and finish wherever you wish, but this tour begins at Sangmyung University (or at least the bus stop at the bottom of the hill to Sangmyung University) and ends at the Han River. You could take it the opposite direction, or jump in anywhere in between. Palseongsaeng Chinese Restaurant On the corner of the street leading up to Sangmyung University is this fantastic restaurant. If you start or…
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…
Oedaldo, Island Trip in Korea
Around this time last year, we spent a weekend on Oedaldo. Oedaldo is an island off the south-west coast of Korea. You can get there by ferry from Mokpo in Jeollanamdo. The ferry takes cars but we decided to save money and leave our car in Mokpo. It’s a small island and you don’t need a car. The ferry ride was an adventure in itself. There are no chairs, just floor space for people to sit, lie, laze about. Outside, birds were circling the boat. Likely waiting for people to throw them snack foods for entertainment. Not sure how good it is for the birds. Blue skies and beautiful green…
Bungye Haebyeon, Sandy Beach in South Korea
Bungye Beach, sandy island beach in South Korea
Wolchulsan Hiking and Camping in Korea
Hiking Wolchulsan Wolchulsan is a spectacular mountain with amazing views. Wolchulsan National Park is the smallest national park in South Korea, but it makes up for it in beauty. It also offers a bit of peace and quiet from the usual hiking crowds. It also happens to be our family’s ‘local’ mountain, on the doorstep of Appa’s family home. The first time I hiked Wolchulsan was with my now in-laws, before kids, and before marriage. Grand memories from that day! It’s a challenging hike up to Gureumdari (Cloud Bridge), but it’s totally worth the sweat. On a clear day, the view is great, but when the peaks are shrouded by…
Yulpo Beach, Camping in Korea
If you want to go beach camping in the south of South Korea, Yulpo Beach is a great beginner option. It’s close to Gwangju, there are toilets, you can park nearby and there are plenty of shops and restaurants nearby. Maybe not peaceful, isolated camping, but easy camping! We were there on Children’s day eve, so probably one of the busier days to camp, and it was still not too hectic. We chose a quiet spot at the western end of the beach, far from other campers but also far from facilities. Since we were arriving latish this time, we gave up on the fire and went out for dinner.…
Gosapo Beach, Camping in Korea
Around an hour and a half northeast of Gwangju is Byeongsanbando National Park. It’s a gem! The park boasts luscious mountains, temples, sandy beaches, rocky cliffs, salt farms, fishing villages, and tons of camping opportunities. Gosapo beach was the perfect spot for our first venture into the area, and we’re already planning the next one. There are several enticing beaches along the coast here, but most were already overcrowded this weekend, and it’s not even June. We had planned to stay at Mohang beach, just 3km south, but it was packed. Less than 15 minutes down the road, we discovered Gosapo beach – a beautiful, long stretch of sand and…
Gwangju National Science Museum
With its futuristic exterior and expansive grounds, the Gwangju National Science Museum is worth the visit before you even enter the building. Make use of the picnic areas and outdoor play spaces before or after your visit and you could easily spend the day here. Unfortunately on our rainy visit we had to stick to the indoor area. Although the interactive exhibits are more suited to older children our preschoolers still found plenty to explore. The permanent hands-on exhibitions include Light, Science, and Art, Science in Living and Science for the Future. There is plenty of inspiration for children and young people to get curious about science. On our next…
