My last trip to Seoul was back in Dec 2021, where I had my first VTL trip to South Korea. Time really flies as it has been almost one and a half years ago since my last visit.
This time round, I will be visiting 2 new places in South Korea, namely Mokpo and Gwangju. Both are located at the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula.
Thankfully, South Korea has recently announced the temporary removal of the need for K-ETA for 22 countries from 1 Apr 2023 onwards till 31 Dec 2024 and Singapore is one of them. Yay!
I will be travelling via KTX in South Korea for this trip instead of self-drive. Thus, it is highly recommended to make reservations for the train tickets in advance, and you can easily do so via the Korail website. I proceeded to purchase for my required train tickets from Seoul to Mokpo, Mokpo to Gwangju-Songjeong, and Gwangju-Songjeong to Seoul. With the logistical affair taken care of, I am now ready to embark on my trip. 😃
Note : After you made your reservation for the train tickets, please remember to take a screenshot on the confirmation page with the ticket number as you will be required to present them at the station to exchange for the printout tickets when you are in South Korea.
Always feel good to depart from Terminal 3. That’s where the adventure begins.
Chilling, relaxing, and pampering myself for dinner at SilverKris Lounge.
Enjoying a good selection of starters and mains.
Not forgetting the desserts, snacks and beverages too.
Bye for now and Seoul you soon. ☺️
Cheers to good health!
With mint oil, seasonal vegetables and mashed potato. Pretty darn good with the lamb meat tenderness.
Enjoying a nice cup of Latte prior to arrival at Incheon Airport.
Safe arrival to Incheon Airport at the expected scheduled time at 07:30 hrs.
Happen to be in time to catch the next train at 08:08 hrs, so proceeded with the purchase for the express non-stop ticket to Seoul Station.
Here I am waiting patiently for the train arrival.
Arrived in Seoul Station uneventfully after a good 45 mins ride. I have decided to stay over one night in Seoul instead of rushing to Mokpo immediately upon arrival so as to give me time to settle in. 🙂
I am staying at Seoul Station R Guesthouse which is conveniently about 350m away from Seoul Station Exit 15.
Being early, I proceeded to the guesthouse to store my luggage first. Thanks to the detailed instruction provided by the host to make life easy. 👍
This is the entrance to the guesthouse.
Savouring my ritual ramyeon meal at Seoul Station food court. Starting my food warm up. ☺️
Next up, pay a visit to Bukchon Hanok Village, surrounded by Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace and Jongmyo Shrine.
Bukchon Hanok Village is home to hundreds of traditional houses, called hanok, that date back to the Joseon dynasty.
The name Bukchon, which literally translates to “northern village” came about as the neighbourhood lies north of two significant Seoul landmarks, Cheonggyecheon Stream and Jongno.
Today, many of these hanoks operate as cultural centers, guesthouses, restaurants and tea houses, providing visitors with an opportunity to experience, learn and immerse themselves in traditional Korean culture.
As Bukchon Hanok Village is an actual neighbourhood with people’s homes, visitors are advised to be respectful at all times while looking around.
Picturesque view taken from Bukchon Observatory.
Look at those steep stair steps! Definitely not for the faint-hearted. 😱
There are many such beautiful street lane alleys that you will come across and one can easily spend half a day walking within the hanok village.
So happy to find Osulloc Tea House in Bukchon as this is their only store in Seoul as the Myeongdong & Insadong outlet have closed for good.
Osulloc’s main tea flavoured tea cake with mascarpone cream. All-time favourite must-eat roll cake.
Tteok (rice cake) with signature sauce, recreating beautiful Korean Saekdong (Sauce / Honey ginseng cheong, green tangerine & jocheong, Green tea & kaya spread, Korean red pepper jam). Oh mine, I love the rice cake, chewily delicious.
The beautiful flavour of a vegan latte made with a shot of strong matcha, oat milk and Irish syrup.
There is now a new multi-storey shopping mall, Anyoung Insadong located in Insadong.
Caught hold of Namsan Tonkatsu, serving Original Korean Cutlet on Level 2 of Anyoung Insadong. It has been a long while since I last had its king-size pork cutlet at the foot of Namsam Seoul Tower.
There is no second guess on what happen next. 😃
Oh yeah, look at the gigantic portion being served! Literally value for money.
Complimentary accompaniment comprising of kadugi banchan and cream of corn soup.
Ever wonder what’s the difference between Japanese & Korean Cutlet?
Well, the difference lies in the way the cutlet is being served. Japanese Cutlet is often thicker and served sliced up whereas Korean Cutlet is thin and served unsliced. 😉
Look at the ever crowded Ssamzigil which is located right across the new Anyoung Insadong.
Enjoying fried prawn dumpling in one of the lane alley in Insadong before heading back to the guesthouse for the check-in.
This is my first time staying in a guesthouse in Seoul. Room space is good, clean but toilet is kind of small as the door cannot be opened fully. 😔
After checking-in, I decided to spend the remaining evening checking out Myeongdong by taking a leisure stroll there.
Sungnuemun Gate was one of the main gates of the Seoul City Hall which the public often refers to Namdaemum meaning “South Gate” because it was the southern entrance of the capital.
Hooray, we do not need to save Myeongdong anymore already. The street is now as vibrant as before. 😉
My all-time favourite street snack.
Korea sweet rice punch. Cool & refreshing. 👍
Came upon this value for money family restaurant, Ye Hwa Dang and decided to settle in for a simple dinner.
Day 2 morning, leaving Seoul for Mokpo via KTX.
Had a quick breakfast at a standing street snack shop inside Seoul Station.
A Korean fish cake enjoyed widely by the locals especially good during cold weather.
There are many different kinds of varieties for the fish cake, some wrapped in vegetables, while some with cheese, rice cakes or seaweed.
Simple yet comforting. 👍
It’s time now to depart Seoul for Mokpo at the scheduled time of 10:32 hrs.
Arrived into Mokpo Station after a good 2.5 hrs.
Mokpo is a city in South Jeolla province, located at the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula, close to Yudal mountain. It is designated as a special tourist zone for marine culture tourism. One of the main attractions is Yudalsan Mountain, on top of which one can get a panoramic view of the entire city of Mokpo. The mountain’s walking trails are known to both locals and tourists alike as a place for forest bathing.
A small but pretty crowded station. However, the navigation from the station to the guesthouse that I am staying with wasn’t a good experience. 😔
Google map doesn’t seem to work well here and I had to switch to using Naver map for navigation and the experience wasn’t great as well because the navigation experience is different from Google.
After much struggle on the road, I still manage to get to my destination somehow. 🤣
This is the Jo Eun Jip guesthouse that I will be staying in for the next 2 nights. Though the building is indicated as “Good” but unfortunately it just doesn’t seem to go down well with me with the negative experience which I just went through. Guess I am not a guesthouse person. Haiz. 🤣
Thankfully, the room is not too bad and definitely a timely saver for me, at least. It’s much better and more spacious than the last guesthouse.
With the long distance travelling time coupled with the time spent in locating the guesthouse, I had to settle for a quick late lunch fix at Lotteria nearby.
A nice meal comprising of bulgogi burger, chicken nuggets, fried chicken, fries and a glass of coke zero. Heavenly! 😋😋😋
Made a visit to Yudalsan Mountain next.
Yudalsan Mountain, located in Mokpo, Jeollanam-do, is the last mountain of the Noryeong Mountain Range. Despite its low height of only 228 meters, the mountain boasts a panoramic view of the entire city of Mokpo and the sea.
While enroute, came across a sculpture in front of the Former Japanese Consulate, Mokpo.
Various scenic points while scaling Yudalsan Mountain.
Enjoy panoramic views from the observatory that allow you to capture the entire City of Mokpo.
Chanced upon this unique striking yellow cafe joint, Compose Coffee that is quite unusual.
Went in for a coffee break and had a glass of blue lemon ade and a cup of Dutch coffee.
By chance at the café, we happen to get acquainted with a lady patron who sat across us. She was surprised to see foreign tourist visiting Mokpo as this city is not one that is well associated with foreigners.
We got to chat and she is extremely kind to extend her hospitality to the extent of driving us around town in her car.
Thanks to her, she brought us to Mokpo Skywalk. A nice and scenic attraction spot.
Mesmerising view taken from the skywalk.
I love this. Uniquely interesting. 👍
Thereafter, she dropped us off at Bukhang Station for the Mokpo Marine Cable Car ride.
Bought myself a return trip ticket and I am ready to go now. The cable car ride closes at 20:30 hrs and round trip will take around 40 mins.
You may purchase either the normal (red car) or glass cabin (white car) for the ride.
You are allowed to disembark at Yudalsan Station on the ride back if you wish, but you will be required to disembark at Gohado Station and re-queue for the ride back if needed.
Mokpo Marine Cable Car offers visitors an amazing view of the old downtown area of Mokpo, and the surrounding natural scenery, including Yudalsan Mountain and the southern sea.
Crossing a length of 3.23 kilometres at a height of 155 metres, it is the longest and highest cable car in Korea and was established to become the main attraction to represent Mokpo’s cultural tourism.
Took a pit stop break at the P Snack shop at Gohado Station to await the nightfall so as to capture the night view. ☺️
Enjoying the stunning night views of the city skyline, especially that of Mokpo Bridge.
Look at their street lights up in the city. Isn’t this beautiful?
As today is a Sunday, most of the eateries are either closed or end early. Fortunately, I have Lotteria to turn to for my hunger fix.
Had a satisfying meal that comes with Square Shrimp Double Burger, Fried Squid Ring and Fried Chicket Fillet. Yum yum….
Well, that brings me to the end of Day 2.
Starting Day 3 morning with a good breakfast at Colombang Bakery.
Colombang Bakery is one of the top five bakeries in the nation, and has been operating for nearly 70 years at the same location in Mokpo.
Look at the selections of confectioneries offered here. Leaving you spoilt for choice.
This is what carefree life should be all about. Enjoying life to its fullest. 👍
After a satisfying breakfast, proceeded straight to Gatbawi Rock attraction.
Gatbawi in Mokpo was named after a rock figure that looks like wearing a Satgat.
This rock figure is the result of seawater and salt changing the shape of the volcanic ash-turned tuff created by volcanic activity about 80 million years ago, along with the impact of waves. The dent in the bottom of the Satgat shape was broken by constant waves and salts, resulting in a hole which expanded further as it broke more easily since it was always wet by the shade. The top part of the Satgat shape was formed by some of the mineral components decomposed from the rock by waves and seawater, which were resistant to weathering, being pushed up to the top. Since then, the upper part has repeated dried and hardened in the sun, forming the current shape of Satgat. Therefore, Gatbawi in Mokpo illustrates the process in which a rock changes geologically as a result of a combination of waves, salts, and sunlight.
The legends of Gatbawi Rock unfolds.
Managed to capture the flight of birds flying in a straight line across the sea. Amazingly beautiful sight, isn’t it?
Lovely colourful fish sculpture at the entrance of Gatbawi Rock entrance.
While enroute to the Peace Square, saw this makeshift store selling fresh fruits and vegetables produce.
This punnet of strawberries is extremely fresh, sweet, value for money, and best of all, it only costs ₩5,000. 😱 No where can I find such quality stuff at a fraction of the price. 👍👍👍
Have been told that this is great stuff. Waiting to try eagerly. 😋
Continuing my leisure relaxing stroll along the boardwalk coastline and taking in the great view at the same time.
With water shooting up to its peak at 70 meters and a 150-meter water basin, the Dancing Sea Fountain is the biggest sea fountain in the world. The fountain puts on various shows such as music, video, and laser to entertain spectators as they look out to the ocean. Unfortunately, they are closed on Mondays, which is my last night here in Mokpo. No choice. I will have to take a rain check on this attraction for now. 🤣
Peace Square is located on the stretch of roads along the sea.
It’s a place filled with lots of love and definitely a place for lovey-dovey couples to be seen.
Certainly great for selfies and wefies. 🥰🥰🥰
Photospot here will be better at night with the night views.
Like this interesting structure and for sure a good place for photo stop too. 😉
Caught hold of this huge GS25 convenience store and decided to check it out as usual.
Couldn’t resist but to eat something there. 😃
Enjoying my own concorted kimchi ramyeon. 😋😋😋
Thereafter, headed next to Lotte Mart Maxx around the corner. This Maxx Mart is super huge and items sold are in bulk orders and prices are much more economical than Lotte Mart in Seoul.
My resulting loot from there. 🤦
Chilling out at Take Mokpo café. There are a lot of nice cafés in Mokpo City.
The croffle is really super tasty without a doubt and goes extremely well with the caramel sauce.
Mokpo ferry port in South Korea connects you with Jeju in South Korea with a choice of up to 12 ferry crossings per week. The duration of the Mokpo to Jeju crossing is from 4 hours 30 minutes and the crossing is operated by Seaworld Express Ferry. This is where you can cross to Jeju via Sea route.
Went for early dinner at Magia Resto, an extremely popular Italian restaurant in Mokpo frequented by the locals. Imagine, it was already running full-house when I reached at their opening time at 5pm. 😱
Bread, fig jam & butter and non-spicy white kimchi. The bread is well toasted with the softness in the bread dough.
With Parmesan cheese & extra virgin olive oil. Something different but uniquely tasty. It’s really good.
Seasonal clam, shrimp, Pollack roe, tomatoes, garlic, Arugulaspaghetti noodles & lime. It has a unique Pollack taste, which is an acquired taste. Either you love or hate it. For me, I love it. 🙂
Striploin steak with whole grain mustard, red wine sauce with toppings; carrot puree, Rucola corn puree, tomato salsa sauce & grilled vegetables. Awesome meat done in medium rare. Mama Mia.
Warming up my tummy with Eomuk on a cold night couldn’t be better before calling it a night.
Will be retiring early for tonight and prepare to head up to Gwangju tomorrow.
Waking up to a wet Day 4 morning. It’s forecasted to be raining the whole of today.
Settled for my traditional Korean breakfast at the station while waiting for my train ride from Mokpo to Gwangjusongjeong.
Simple, tasty comfort food, especially on rainy weather.
Time to depart Mokpo for Gwangjusongjeong at 09:23 hrs.
Departing thoughts for Mokpo. Mokpo is a beautiful small and quiet city. It is a great place for relaxation and chilling as it is quite laid back. I will be back again for sure at some point in time as I simply love the vibes here.
Arrived into Gwangjusongjeong Station after an hour local train ride.
Gwangju is a city in the southwest corner of South Korea. It’s known for a pro-democracy uprising in 1980. The event is commemorated by the 5·18 Memorial Park, with tree-lined paths and dramatic bronze sculptures, and the 5·18 National Cemetery.
I will be staying over at Gwangju Aura Hotel which is conveniently located across the station.
The room size is huge and by far this is one of the better hotels that I have had. The room is very clean, neat, and comes with state of the art appliance like the LG Styler, a steam closet clothing care system. I am really impressed.
Look what I saw, Mom’s Touch. They used to have outlets in Singapore but have since been retracted and closed down.
I enjoy feasting on their chicken. Crispy on the outside with the moist meat tenderness on the inside. Really power!
Songjeong Station Market was opened in 1913 in connection with the opening of Gwangju-Songjeong Station.
For many years, the market was the go-to-place for necessary items and produce, but with the increase of large marts in the 1990s, people began to visit traditional markets less and less. In order to increase the liveliness of Songjeong Station Market and showcase the difference between large marts and a traditional market, the entire space was redesigned around the theme of time.
The newly redesigned 1913 Songjeong Station Market, located just across the street from Gwangju-Songjeong KTX Station, has a bright appearance with modern-styled architecture and signboards detailing the history of the various shops. Visitors can enjoy all the classic market foods here, such as hotteok (hot griddle cakes), gyeran bap (rice with egg), and eomuk (fisk cake).
Visited Gwangju Yangdong Market next.
Yangdong Market started in the 1910s as a traditional market held on dates ending in 2nd and 7th of every month on the white sand beach under Gwangjugyo Bridge.
Here you will all kinds of fresh produce for your shopping haven.
From there, I ventured off to Cheongchun Balsan Village, which is about 20 mins walk away.
The colourful Cheongchun Balsan Village also known as The Radiating Youthfulness Village is slowly reviving its vitality. To those who came to this strange land in search of dreams, twinkling stars above the shanty town of Balsan Village were the symbols of hope and the reminder of their much missed home town. This gave them the strength to overcome extreme fatigue. Time passed by, and one day young artists came into Balsan Village where time had long ago stopped.
It is a place transformed into a village full of colours through the colour art project. Murals at the village entrance, vegetable gardens in abandoned plots, and sculptural works scattered here and there make the entire village a living gallery.
The Asia Culture Center (ACC) is an international arts and cultural exchange organization aimed to promote Gwangju as Asia’s central hub through the integration of past and present-day cultural arts as well as the development of futuristic and progressive arts. The center consists of ACC Culture Exchange, ACC Children, ACC Archive & Research, ACC Theater, and other facilities to support and foster innovation.
Gwangju’s largest downtown with its shopping spots, fashionable shops and nice restaurants. Chungjang-ro is right beside Asia Culture Centre.
Taking a light snack break at Mr Paik’s Yokjeon Udon.
Nearby, there is a Dongmyeong-dong café street. Dongmyeong-dong was originally home to the city’s well-to-do but many moved out as the apartment became the way of life for many Koreans. For a while the area was lifeless, and later, it was filled with academic institutions, followed by cafés for moms who were busy with their children’s education.
To attract more customers, cafés began to differentiate their exterior and interior designs as well as the flavors of various drinks. The opening of the Asia Culture Center in 2015 furthered the younger generation’s interest in the café industry, making the street more unique and interesting.
Ending the day with a nice supper at Puradak Chicken near the hotel I am in.
Before I knew it, I am already on Day 5, halfway through my trip. Today will be my last day in Gwangju.
Enjoying complimentary breakfast from the hotel.
Will be doing a couple of sightseeing attractions in Gwangju. First is the May 18th National Cemetery.
How to go from Gwangjusongjeong Station?
Take a subway and alight at Geumnamro 5-ga Station.
Look for Exit #1 and follow the signage. Immediately, walk straight after Exit #1 for about 100m and you will see the bus stop in front.
Take Bus #518 from this bus stop to the destination. The only challenge is that the bus only runs at an interval of 30 to 40 mins. 😱
While waiting for the bus arrival, pop in to Tous Les Jours and have a quick bite to break away from the cold outside.
Their bread is just power for all I can say. 💪
The bus journey will take about an hour and a half, and you will alight at May 18th Cemetery Stop, which is right outside the entrance.
Walk about 50m, you will see the prominent signage to the entrance.
From the entrance, walk about 400m, and it will bring you to the May 18th National Cemetery.
How the Gwangju Democratization Movement happened?
Pro-democracy movement against autocracy that the citizens and the students in Gwangju resisted unfair government power for 10 days from May 18th to 27th 1980 in connection with the military armed crackdown taken in Gwangju and Jeonnam as the emergency martial law were expanded to the whole country on May 17th 1980.
The process of Gwangju Democratization Movement
May 17th 1980 – The emergency martial law was expanded to the whole country
May 18th 1980 – The students came into conflict with the army in the front gate of Chonnam National University
May 20th 1980 – The citizens in Gwangju actively resisted it by taking the car demonstration opportunity
May 21st 1980 – The army launched an operation against the citizens of Geumnam-ro. Gwangju was cut entirely from the outside world. The army opened fire randomly at an unarmed crowd. The citizen militia of the citizen and student struggle committee was made up and it put forth the multilateral effort into solving the situation peacefully
May 27th 1980 – The military seized Jeonnam Provincial Hall forcefully. Many citizens were killed on this, the last day of the conflict
May 1994 – The May 18 People’s uprising Union lodged the complaint with Seoul District Public Prosecutors’ Office with about 35 persons in charge of suppressing the citizens in Gwangju and started court struggle
Dec 21st 1995 – The special act on the Gwangju Democratization Movement was legislated
Jan 26th 2002 – The law on respectful treatment of the democratic persons in merit in Gwangju
History of May 18th National Cemetery
May 13th 1993 – Announced creation of the cemetery in the President’s special statement
May 13th 1997 – May 18th National Cemetery was completed
Jul 27th 2002 – Was raised to the national cemetery
Jan 30th 2006 – The name was changed to May 18th National Cemetery
The door that worshippers first entered to meet the souls of May.
Crossing into the sacred place.
It gives the impression of the ultimate sacrifice of the souls of May using the two hands to support it.
The grand stone tower which is 40m. The egg-shaped structure which is the sculpture in the central tower includes the wish that the spirits of the victims of Gwangju Democratization Movement will revive as new life.
It gives the impression of the citizen militia who protests against injustice.
It gives the impression of the “Korean world” that overcomes sorrow and sings victory.
The place to put the portraits of the deceased May 18 democratic persons of merit.
The resting space of the traditional Korean-style house building. There is the experience learning centre in the basement.
It’s the memorial hall of two floors above ground and one underground. It consists of the exhibition hall, the theatre and the data room . It was opened to pay tribute to the spirit of the victims in the Gwangju Democratization Movement and develop descendants’ right historical consciousness in 2007.
Had a late lunch at Another Kitchen Family Restaurant at Chungjang-ro.
Generous appetizer that comes with the set meal.
Food is really delicious and certainly value for money.
After a sumptuous meal, it’s time to head over to the next attraction for the day, Jisan Recreation Area.
Jisan Recreation Area reopened around December 2016, resuming monorail operation after 11 years.
You will need to take a chair lift up to the top of the mountain to change over to the monorail ride.
The unique rattle of a monorail running on one rail gives passengers a thrill. The monorail starts on the mountainside, 50m away from the end point of the chair lift along the forest road and runs to and from the top of the mountain in Jisan Recreation Area.
If you ride the monorail, you can see the panoramic view of Gwangju and the top of Mudeungsan Mountain at a glance.
You will reach the midpoint where the octagonal pavilion is located.
Breath taking views of Gwangju….
and beautiful views of Mudeungsan Mountain.
After spending a fun time, it’s now time to head back down the mountain via the return trip chair lift.
After reopening, Jisan Recreation Area became popular among the younger generation through social media and word of mouth as a unique amusement facility where you can enjoy thrills on Mudeungsan Mountain in Gwangju.
One for the road dinner at Tudari near the hotel.
Spicy stirred fried chicken in gochujang-based sauce with onions, carrots, tteok, cabbage & cheese. Super delicious. 😋😋😋
Ending the final night in Gwangju by chilling out at Lala Bread café. Insta worthy for sure.
Sipping hot beverages in cold weather is just so comforting and feels so warm at heart.
Interesting merchandise find. Their tube jams are amazingly good. You can sample prior to purchase. 🙂
Waking up to a bright and sunny Day 6 morning.
Had another simple breakfast prior to checking out. This morning, I will be making my way back to Seoul where I will spend the last 3 nights before home coming.
Taking things easy at Mega Croffle café.
The sugar powdered croffle and Americano are really mega in size and hence its name. 真的不是浪得虚名哦! 😲
Importantly, it is croffliciously tasty. 😋
Taking a quick snack break at Isaac Toast while waiting for my train departure. This is my first time trying out Isaac Toast, though I have heard so much hype over it.
Well, the toast bread leans on the sweeter side instead of savoury as I would expect it. It’s still nice as the bread is soft.
It’s time now to leave Gwangju for Seoul. Departing thoughts about Gwangju City, its another nice and beautiful city with lots of attractions as well. There is not much tourist just like Mokpo as it is further outskirts from Seoul. Not conjested at all.
Bye Gwangju for now and I hope to be back again too. Seoul you soon in 2 hours’ time. 💜
Proceeded to check-in at Days Hotel by Wyndham Seoul Myeongdong thereafter.
This will be my abode for the last 3 nights.
Room size is decent and clean as expected of a hotel and it is conveniently located beside the main Myeongdong shopping street. Afterwhich made a trip down to Garosugil in Gangnam area.
Catching up on gimbap at Mari King right outside Sinsa Station.
Garosu-gil is an area in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam, Seoul. The name Garosu-gil, meaning “tree-lined street,” refers to the ginkgo trees planted along the streets in the area.
Garosu-gil is known for upscale boutiques, galleries, restaurants, and cafes, among others.
The street (also known as ‘artists’ street) has an eccentric flair thanks to its variety of charmingly decorated coffee shops and designer stores.
Garosu-gil is particularly popular in autumn when the golden ginkgo leaves begin to fall.
Going for a super late lunch at Mongle Curry in Garosugil.
Very soft egg roll and eggliciously tasty.
Oh mine, the assorted mushrooms curry is superb and heavenly is all I can say. Power!
Pit stop recharging at C27 Cheesecake & Coffee at Garosugil.
I love this. So apt!
A real premium cheesecake with deep taste and flavour by blending fragrant and flavourful French cheese with savoury Australian cheese.
Life is all about choices. Agree?