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.

The Road Less Traveled: Gwangju

South Korea is a country that has been close to my heart ever since I had a Korean best friend. The fusion of the old and the new never fails to amaze me. And coming from a tropical country, the gush of cold air fills my heart with joy. For my second trip to the country, I wanted to have a more authentic experience, so I added a 3 day adventure to Jeollanam-do (South Jeolla province) to my itinerary. Though choosing the best province to explore has been difficult, after days of research, I was convinced to go to Jeollanam-do because of the delectable cuisine and the alluring sights it has to offer.

How to get there: KTX

The day before our trip to Gwangju, a city in Jeollanam-do, my friend and I went to Gapyeong riding the ITX Cheongchun in Yongsan station. We bought our ITX tickets as well as our economy KTX tickets (Yongsan to Gwangju Songjeong station; costs W46,800/$46) for the next day in Yongsan station. You can buy the tickets online if you have a credit card. Tickets can be purchased up to one month in advance. There is also an option to travel to Gwangju by bus from Seoul Express Bus Terminal. It is about $20 cheaper but will take 3 hours and 20 minutes to reach Gwangju.

Trains and buses follow their schedule promptly so make sure to be on the platform 15 to 30 minutes before the time of departure. The train ride to Gwangju Songjeong station was smooth and convenient and took less than 2 hours (9:50 to 11:43). There was also free wifi on board. Upon arriving at Gwangju Songjeong station, we had to ride the subway to our hostel. It was easy navigating the station because there were a lot of signs in English. But if you are confused, fret not, there are many tourist information booths [red i signs] in most areas and people manning them can usually speak a bit of English so just ask away. Also, ALL Koreans I met and interacted with were warm and always ready to give a hand, even at time when language barrier is apparent.

Gwangju Songjeong subway station. There were only a few people at the time we rode the subway, a big difference when compared  to a busy Seoul subway ride.

Where we stayed: Oxbloodk Hostel

A few months back, I searched booking.com for places to stay in Gwangju and found a budget place with a high rating, that is, Oxbloodk hostel. I checked their website, emailed the owner directly for reservation and eventually booked a double room with private bathroom for 2 nights for W36,000 or $36/night, more than $10 cheaper compared to Seoul hostels located in the central area! The owner was very responsive to my queries from the directions to the hostel to going around Gwangju and the nearby cities and towns.

The hostel is a 3 minute walk from the nearest subway station. From the exit 6 of the Nongseong station, walk to your right until you see an SK self gas station. Turn right on that street and take a left on the first street. After a few buildings, you will see the hostel on your left.

At about 1 pm, we were welcomed by the manager/owner Jae Hyeon oppa who toured us around the facilities of the 6-storey building which included a laundry room, lounge with TV and a kitchen with unlimited supplies of coffee, juice, milk, bread, rice, seaweeds, korean noodles, eggs and hash brown which you can cook at any time of day. A water dispenser was available in the first floor.

Our room was small but there was enough space for my friend and I. It was clean and well equipped with TV, refrigerator, mirror, hairdryer, flat iron, clean combs and brushes, floor and bed heater, clothes rack and a safe deposit box. We were also provided a set of toiletries per person.

Jae Hyeon oppa then asked our plans for the day and we told him we were thinking of going to Damyang. He offered to walk with us to the Gwangju U-square bus terminal (10 to 15 minute walk; directions to also in hostel's home page) and instructed us which bus to take. And so our Jeolla adventure begins.... :)