Last weekend I had the opportunity to take a day-long trip to Yeoju courtesy of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), as a member of the "Global Group on Cultural and Tourism Festivals" - what an awesome day I had! The itinerary consisted of a visit to the Hwanghaksan Arboretum, lunch at a Han-jeongsik restaurant, a few hours at the Yeoju Ogok Naru Festival, and a tour of the grounds of the Silleuksa Temple. It was a very full day, and I took many, many pictures! Sit back, relax, enjoy a beverage, and enjoy your virtual tour! (remember to click on the pictures to make them larger)
As usual, the wonderful staff of the KTO offered us a treat to start our day - it was a light breakfast of coffee and toast from Joe's Sandwich. The toast had yellow cheese and honey on it. I have never been a fan of cheese sandwiches (ask my Mom), but the addition of honey has completely changed my mind - loved it and it may be the way I go from now on!
Our trip took a good two hours by tour bus and the fall scenery was stunning. As we left the city of Seoul behind, we passed a number of hay fields and rice paddies on our way to Yeoju.
Our first stop was the Hwanghaksan Arboretum, which had some impressive sculptures at the entrance. Due to the time of year, I was hoping for some great fall foliage shots and I was not disappointed.
The grounds are pretty extensive, as you can see from the following map, with a variety of themed gardens, greenhouse buildings, and a museum. It would be great for a leisurely day with the family or friends - hiking the grounds and exploring the different plants on display.
Our very knowledgable tour guide took us first to the research greenhouse, where various plants were growing for study.
Here are a few of the plants growing inside - vibrant with color, even in the fall:
As we walked to the museum, I noticed this fun little sign on the side of the walkway - good to know!
The Forest Museum is a large, multi-level structure that has interactive displays for adults and children, a cafe, event rooms, and art displays.
These fun little guys represented the varieties of oak tree you can find here.
And this display was a "touch and feel" exhibit.
The special exhibit during our visit was a woodcraft art display - I love the detailed animal portraits and included the obligatory Elsa picture for all the "Frozen" fans out there. :)
The roof-top seating area afforded a great view - it was a bit cloudy this day,
but you can still see the beauty.
Especially with this close-up shot - I so love fall colors!
Our guide pointed out this lovely purple flower peeking up from the brown leaves all around the park - back in the US, we know this type of flower as an Aster. Here it is called 단양쑥부쟁이 (dan-yang-ssug-bu-jaeng-i), is only found growing wild in Yeoju, and is considered an endangered plant.
Another area of the park was the Pot Garden, where I snapped a picture of the neighborhood bees visiting the chrysanthemums.
We explored the evergreen area and then came upon some tree sculptures - fun photo time!
I was also thrilled to find they have a tree labyrinth - it made me "pine" for the corn and hay bale mazes back home. ;) By using the tried and true method of always following the same side wall (seriously, always touch only the right or left wall - it works!), I made it out pretty quickly.
Two roads diverge...
Next came the climb up to a pavilion along the far end of the garden.
Where we saw this:
What a great view!
Last on our visit was the edible garden. We found radishes, cabbage, squash, tomatoes and our guide pulled out a fresh carrot.
The next stop on our tour of Yeoju was lunch (which I seriously needed after all of the walking at the arboretum!), and we stopped off at a Han-jeongsik restaurant for a Korean Table d'hote meal.
The table was crammed full of main and side dishes! The meal centered around a steaming bowl of Yeoju rice, which required you to add some broth to the hot pot to get every yummy morsel.
In addition to the expected kimchi, red bean pancake, bulgogi, and assorted vegetables, there were whole-cooked fish, sting rays, crabs in red pepper sauce, and some octopus to try. I was brave and tried a bit of everything (okay, everything except for the fish).
After we ate our fill, we hopped back on the bus to go to the festival. Along the way, we passed a statue of King Sejong the Great in the center of town. After looking through a pamphlet about Yeoju attractions, I realized that his royal tomb is in Yeoju!
This means the Bruns clan will be headed back for a trip in the future!
I was excited to wander the festival and see what it had to offer. Looking at the map, there was quite a large area to explore, with a variety of activities: live performances, a petting zoo, vendors selling food and crafts, displays, and interactive events.
There was a large field full of festively decorated scarecrows...
...right next to a live performance area. This form of open-air theater is called Madanggeuk and involves musicians, dancers, actors, and various other performers.
Here is a quick video clip of the ribbon dance and plate spinner.
Not far from the stage area, I ran into what I first thought was a large hand warmer, but I soon realized it was a large outdoor oven for cooking sweet potatoes. YUM!
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There were merchants selling items made of gourds, fresh produce, sweet treats, and plants.
Down near the river, there was a rowdy sounding crowd gathered and I soon found out why - there was a wrestling competition of sorts going on - here is a quick clip:
There was a very impressive petting zoo area for children of all ages (including me!) which had bunnies, puppies, pigs, ducks, sheep, and cows. Sooo cute!
(The pigs were just playing - I promise!)
Along the walkway around the festival were these great photographs from the 1970s - I loved seeing what the day-to-day life was like in Korea at that time.
Taking a break from the festival crowds, I went inside the nearby pavilion to see the Chrysanthemum Bonsai show - many beautiful, flowering bonsai trees in whimsical shapes.
And a display of the region's native product.
Lots and lots of yummy rice!
In the same area was the Yeoju Dojasesang - an area dedicated to local pottery and ceramics, as well as some live performances.
I ventured inside and found a treasure trove of ceramics to pick from!
Back at the festival, I found the giant cauldrons filled with rice...
...and a pot-shaped restroom!
Our final stop on this very full day (have your finished your beverage yet?) was a tour of the Silleuksa Temple. You can visit the grounds for just around 2,000 won ($2).
The entrance and gate had beautiful (and scary) decorations.
There were a few people taking the tour with us who were visiting the temple as part of the "temple stay" program, dressed in the simple clothes required of them.
As the temple is along the Namhangang River, we were able to get a great view of the Hwangpo Dotbae (a traditional sailboat), giving tours for the festival.
Buildings on the grounds included a water fountain, a music building with a giant drum and bell inside, various pavilions, and the temple building itself.
There are also two immense and beautiful trees on the grounds that are each over 600 years old - a ginko tree and a juniper tree - amazing that they have withstood the trials of time and war.
The entire area was perfumed by this large, outdoor incense burner, located next to a smaller shrine.
I snapped a quick picture of these musicians in one of the outer buildings - and later found out that they are in a building dedicated to hell....of course.
We passed by numerous mounds of carefully stacked stones - prayers given up by the devout.
These were very close to a large Jeontop (a tower made from bricks)
and a Daejanggak (a large tablet).
I couldn't resist a few more photos by the river before the trip home.
I managed to bring home a nice pile of goodies from the day - enough to tide me over
until the next trip, I think!
This visit to Yeoju was a WONDERFUL trip and I highly recommend it if you live in or visit Korea. Thanks, KTO, for the opportunity and the fun!
How to get to Yeoju:
- By Bus
- Gangnam Express Bus Terminal (every 30 minutes) ↔ Yeoju Bus Terminal
- East -Seoul Express Bus Terminal (every 30 minutes) ↔ Yeoju Bus Terminal
- Icheon Bus Terminal (every 30 minutes, Bus No.111) ↔ Yeoju Bus Terminal
- By Car
- From Seoul: Jungbu Expressway → Hobeop I.C →Yeongdong Expressway →Yeoju I.C → Yeoju City Hall
- From Janghowon, Yangpyeong: Take the #37 national road → Yeoju City Hall
- From Icheon: Take #42 national road → Yeoju City Hall
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