The Road Less Traveled: Boseong Green Tea Plantation

To wrap up our Jeolla adventure, we went to Boseong, the major hub of the green tea culture in Korea, on our last day. Tickets to Boseong (₩8,900 or $9) are available at the green or Inter-City bus counter of the Gwangju U-square bus terminal. It was an hour and 40 minute curvy ride. Upon arrival in Boseong bus terminal, wait for the bus going to Nok Cha Pat or look for the sign that says 녹차밭 at the end opposite that of the Gwangju bus you've alighted from. The Nok Cha Pat bus schedule is posted on that side of the wall and the schedule of the bus back to Gwangju is posted in the small room in front of the Gwangju bus. If you want to make sure, just ask the ajusshi in the small room.

When riding the bus, tell the driver that your destination is Nok Cha Pat. The bus ride was ₩1200 or $1 per person. After about 10 to 15 minutes, the driver will stop at the Nok Cha Pat bus stop where you'll see a big parking lot. Walk to the slope on the left of the parking lot and you'll see stalls of green tea ice cream go straight for about 5 minutes until you see the pine tree lined road on the way to the first green tea plantation, the "Daehan Dawon Tourist Tea Plantation".

view on the right side of the parking lot

view on the right side of the parking lot

pine trees lining the road leading to the green tea plantation

green tea goodness

traces of autumn in sight

view from the top

My friend and I left the green tea plantation at 1:40 pm to ride the 2 pm bus. To reach the bus stop going back to the Boseong bus terminal, you should cross the road from the first bus stop where you alighted from the bus going to the plantation, go into the tunnel shown below then cross the road again to reach the bus stop going back.

tunnel

bus stop for buses bound to Boseong bus terminal

cool Boseong ahjummas :)

without the tteokgalbi

full meal

After that wonderful last meal, we went to the Gwangju Songjeong KTX station with full stomachs and heavy hearts. We couldn't believe that our days in Jeolla came to an end like a blink of an eye. Looking back, we were more than satisfied of our Jeolla trip. The warm and hospitable people who broke the wall and reached out to us even though we were foreigners, the astonishing and breathtaking sights, the convenient and timely modes of transportation, the luscious meals we had, and the thought of simply being away from the city brought comforts to our hearts even for that short period of time.

The entrance ticket to the green tea plantation costs ₩4000 or $4. You will be given a map and you're free to explore the plantation. There is a part of the plantation filled with Cherry Blossom trees; however, they bloom only during the end of March to early April. The green the bushes seem to emit a gush of fresh air. Going around the place will give you the feeling that you're part of a Korean drama or that you're shooting your very own tea or skin care product commercial. There are green tea goodies and food items you can avail and enjoy inside. Just be mindful of the bus schedules and make it fit your own time table. If not for the KTX train that we wouldn't want to miss, we could have stayed there longer, had a cup of green tea paired with green tea noodles.

After 10 minutes, we were at the Boseong bus terminal. We then booked the 2:40 bus bound to Gwangju and reached Gwangju a little over 4 pm. We went to our hostel to get some of our things and went straight to the Nongseong train station to ride a train to the Gwangju-Songjeong station for our 6:15pm KTX train to Seoul.

Good thing time was on our side. We still had more than an hour to spare that we asked the tourist information center where the Tteokgalbi (Korean Short Rib Patties) street was. We battled through the cold drizzling rain and chose one restaurant in the street. It was definitely worth the hype! For just ₩12000 or $12 per person, you will be served with this sumptuous and delectable meal which includes a variety of side dishes, a warm pork bone soup and of course, the main dish, the Tteokgalbi (sweet, tasty and chewy beef patty which you wrap in lettuce and/or perilla leaves with banchan, somewhat like samgyeopsal). The soup and the side dishes were refillable. Bias aside, I would say that this has been my favorite meal of our 9 day Korean trip. It was very filling, affordable and the banchan of Jeolla province stood out.

The Road Less Traveled: Suncheon Open Film Set

Located 20 minutes from the Suncheon train station, the Suncheon Drama/Open Film Set is the first stop of the Downtown Circular Course. It is the biggest open film set in South Korea and it illustrates the country during 1950s to 1970s. It has been used as filming location for hundreds of dramas, variety shows and movies like Baker King: Kim Tak Gu, East of Eden, Running Man, Werewolf Boy and Gangnam Blues. The entrance fee was ₩3,000 or $3 per person.

Beondegi (번데기) or boiled silkworm pupae at $1 a cup

Classroom

Bus stop

Bar

Dumpling store

Aside from simply strolling around the old streets of Suncheon, people can eat snacks that people enjoy during the past and rent high school uniforms at ₩2,000 or $2 (only if you have a Korean number available) to blend in. It was great to revisit the past and compare it to the huge leap of progress the Korea has accomplished and it left me with high hopes that one day, the Philippines could do the same.

The Road Less Traveled: Suncheon City Tour Bus

For our second day in Jeolla province, we headed to Suncheon, dubbed as Korea's Ecological Capital or the "Green City". It was an early start for us because Suncheon is roughly 1 hour and 15 minutes away from Gwangju and I read from a website that the organized city tour we were eyeing will leave at 9:50 am from the Suncheon Train Station (순천역), a 15 minute walk from the Suncheon bus terminal according to our hostel manager. We opted to try an organized tour so we could somehow be enlightened about the places we visit.

Bus trips from Gwangju to Suncheon run at 15 minute intervals. We booked the 8:25 am bus trip from Gwangju to Suncheon at the Inter-City or the green counter of the U-square bus terminal and arrived at the Suncheon Bus Terminal at about 9:42 am. Unsure if we would reach our destination on time, we quickly rode a taxi, asked the driver to go to "Suncheon yok" (train station) and we were at the train station at 9:48 am. We paid the base fare of ₩2800 or a little less than $3. Although time has been our ally, and there has been a "Suncheon City Tour Bus" still parked in front of the train station, turns out that the organized City Tour Bus that we intended to ride leaves every 9:30 am and the bus parked is that of the Downtown Circular Course.

Gwangju U-square Bus Terminal

According to the Visit Korea website, there are 3 courses one can take in touring Suncheon. The 2 are organized and the other is Do-It-Yourself. The organized ones are the: Seonamsa Temple Course (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday; ₩15, 700 for adults) and Songgwangsa Temple Course (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; ₩16,500 for adults) departing at Suncheon train station at 9:30 am and ends at 5:30 pm at the station. Other blogs I encountered said that the fees include the bus ride, a tour guide who speak a minimal English and the entrance fees for the attractions which include: Seonamsa OR Songgwangsa Temple, Naganeupseong Folk Village, Suncheon Bay National Garden and Suncheon Bay Ecological Park. 

The different courses of the Suncheon City Tour.

Lastly, the DIY or the Downtown Circular Course (Tuesday to Sunday; ₩5000 for the unlimited bus rides as long as you keep the ticket), which we took. For those, who have tried the Gapyeong Tour Bus, the concept of the circular course is similar. The course loops around and covers: Suncheon Train Station > Suncheon Drama/Open Film Set > Suncheon Bay National Garden (West Gate) > Suncheon Bay Ecological Park > Suncheon Bay National Garden (East Gate) > Traditional Market > Culture Street or Suncheon's very own Insadong > Suncheon Bus Terminal > Suncheon train station. Take note that it does NOT include the two temples and the folk village. The time intervals differ and are posted in the bus. The bus driver will ask you to take a picture or better yet, ask the Suncheon Tourist Information Center located in front of the Suncheon train station for a copy.

Downtown Circular Course Timetable

Suncheon City Tour Bus

In my opinion, the City Tour Bus is the more convenient way to go around Suncheon at an affordable cost as it covers the renowned sceneries the city boasts of. You need not search or ask which bus to take nor transfer to different modes of transportation.

The Road Less Traveled: Damyang

After a few minutes of rest in our room, we found ourselves walking to the U-square bus terminal just beside the Gwangju branch of Shinsegae department store at 1:45 pm. Outside Gate 4 of the terminal, we waited for and rode Bus No. 311 and paid $3 to $4 fare using our T money to Damyang, a city known for its bamboo forests and crafts. Just say your destination ('Damyang Juknokwon') to the driver then he/she will drop you in the road just opposite the bamboo garden.

Damyang Juknokwon  (죽녹원; Bamboo Garden)

There were food stalls and a mini cafe near the bus stop and the Damyang Tourist Information Center was also in the vicinity. The Juknokwon was located across the bus stop and along convenience stores and restaurants as well as the bus stop for the Bus No. 311 going back to Gwangju. The ticket to the bamboo garden costs ₩3,000 or $3 per person.

Entrance to Juknokwon

The bamboo garden was a place of peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It is not a place many tourists go to. Most other visitors were Korean elderly who enjoyed hiking the forest trails. The garden houses a gallery, an observatory, cafes and some hanok (traditional houses) which were shooting sites of the variety show 1 day 2 nights. We walked around it for a good 2 hours. I recommend it for people who take pleasure in a tranquil yet charming environment as well as hiking.

View from the Observatory

Lover's Road

Cute Pandas that are hard to resist

Your stamina will be tested by the steep trails ahead.

1 night 2 days filming location

As we haven't had our lunch that time, we were famished, and ordered the famous Damyang bamboo rice in the nearest restaurant we found. A meal costs $10 per person and includes bamboo rice, grilled fish and lots and lots of banchan (side dishes). With just the first bite, the flavors of Jeolla province burst into my mouth. 

Bamboo rice Hanjeongsik

After the filling meal, we planned to go to Gwanbangjerim or the riverbanks, however, we lost our battle with the 4 degree Celsius temperature so we decided to return to Gwangju and call it a day.