Jeolla: Bamboo and Bathhouses

Jeollanam-do (전라남도), or South  Jeolla, is a province in southern Korea known for its warm weather and flourishing agriculture.  It's colored pink in the picture to the right.  Which is ironic, because the slogan of the province is "Green Jeonnam."  It can be reached via very comfy - yet sporadically timed (check the schedule) - 17,100 won buses that leave from Seoul Express Bus terminal, travel approximately 4 hours, and deposit you in the small, ramshackle bus terminal of Damyang. (Despite what the woman behind the information counter may say/mime initially, they do have English maps!  The English maps, however, have no names in Korean, so it's best to get a Korean map and an English map to compare.)  And this is exactly what Vroni and I did on Friday, November 12th. 

Damyang (담양) attracted our attention because it is home to the famous Damyang bamboo forest Juknokwon (죽녹원).  2,000 won gains you access to the many acres of stunningly tall bamboo, and free lockers are provided at the entrance.  Once in the park, you can chose among several trails (or take all of them, like we did!) that sport names like The Way of Good Luck, The Way of Old Friend, The Way of Endless Love, The Go Up Way of Sengin Mountain, and the Byway of Recollection.  Vroni and I had lots of fun on the Way of Endless Love!

A noodly dinner (3,500 won!) eaten on an outdoor, open platform next to the river revived and warmed us.  We then raced the setting sun to make it to the Bamboo Museum on the outskirts of town.  We made it with only 10 minutes to spare, and the kind people let us in for free.  Ten minutes was plenty of time to look around, and the exhibits displayed a gorgeous and impressive array of bamboo products! 

An evening bus took us to Gwanju (광주), where we spent the spend the night before heading to the tea plantations the next day.  We shared part of the ride with a group of English teachers from Canada who were leaving their school districts for the night to celebrate a birthday in a big(er) town. Our hotel, right next to the bus terminal and Lonely Planet recommended, was a lovely, classy love motel.  We had a bit too much fun laughing about the brocade bedcovers, splashing around in the jacuzzi tub, and trying out the complementary face mask - I'd hate to know what the neighbors thought!

The Boseong (보성) Green Tea Plantation, or nok cha bot (green  tea = 녹차), was beautiful.  We wandered around the fields, climbed a short but steep hill for a lovely view of the fields and the sea, and tried green tea ice cream.  All the food served was green tea themed, too - I had green tea noodles!  The Tea Museum, although a bit of a walk from the fields, was a hit.  Not only is it chock full of really cool information about tea, there's a traditional style teahouse on the 3rd floor that served us two types of tea - for free!

From the tea plantation we headed to the seaside town of Yulpo for a very Korean experience.  We joined Korean women of all ages (from infants in arms to elderly women who were unable to walk unassisted) is taking our clothes off and climbing into tubs of water.  Ohhh, the wonders of a Korean bathhouse!  This was, supposedly, the only place in Korea to enjoy a green tea and a seawater bath, and we took advantage of both.  From a ~110 degree F tub filled with green tea, we watched the sun set over the ocean and enjoyed feeling like teabags.  There were 4 tubs: one really hot green tea, one really hot seawater, one lukewarm seawater, and one freezing cold seawater.  We circulated between the four, getting outright stares and points at first, but they and we soon became accustomed to the experience.  

After a good hour of soaking, we went to rinse off in the showers in the middle of the room where the others were vigorously scrubbing each other - all parts of each other.  Vroni and I passed on the team scrubbing experience, but we were approached by an older Korean woman who offered us her scrub cloth, body soap, shampoo, and conditioner - which she offered us in turn only after we had used the previous one to her approval.  She stood there, supervising our cleaning until she approved and we were clean.  Then she smiled, said goodbye, and left.  And all of this occurred while I was as naked as a jaybird!  Afterward, though, I felt cleansed, calm, and refreshed, so I'm inclined to approve of the whole experience! 

An employee at the bathhouse offered to drive us to the bus station, so I had a 10-minute drive during which I could practice my Korean, as he knew no English.  When he dropped us off, though, he had decided that we were good chingu (friends!), so I guess my Korean wasn't that bad!

We began to explore Yeosu (여수) early Sunday morning. Yeosu will host the 2012 World Expo, so large parts of the city are under construction.  We saw Jinnamgwan, the oldest existing single-story wooden building in Korea. 

From there we caught a bus to Hyangiram, an all-women hermitage of monks perched on the side of a mountain overlooking the sea.  A short but steep climb (like most climbs in Korea, I've noticed) leads up to the temple complex which is scattered among the rocks and boulders of the cliff.  Women monks were chanting away and you could feel the sea breeze.  I like how, out of all the temples I've visited, the female monks get the most beautiful place.  And I can totally understand how being in a place that gorgeous and peaceful can encourage enlightenment.

Hundreds and hundreds of stone turtles line every available surface - fences, railings, statue bases, and walkways.  Every turtle faces the sea, and I couldn't help but be jealous of the beautiful view to which they were always privy.  Leaving the hermitage, we tried some of the special mustard-flavored kimchi from this region.  Totally different from all other kimchi I've tried, it was delicious!

Our final stop was Odong-do, a tiny, botanical garden of an island that is reachable by a footbridge from the mainland.  With a lighthouse, many loudly twittering birds (I thought the bird songs had to be coming from a recording, until a thorough inspection of the area revealed no speakers and a plethora of avian friends), a dragon cave, and a musical fountain, it was the perfect place to relax before having to board another bus and endure the 7-hour ride (thank you, Korean traffic!) back to bustling Seoul.