Good morning Gangnam! The weather here looks similar to yesterday, but it doesn't matter because I will be leaving for Gwangju! There, the temperature will rise to a hot 35°C (95°F). I will bring a bottle of water for my outdoor activities.
Tip: Use Kakao Map or Naver Map to get around South Korea because Google Maps is broken in many places (for national security reasons).
Today's Activities
Today we will be saying goodbye to the Seoul metropolitan area and traveling South to Gwangju. It will take a few hours to get there, but the trip will be enjoyable and the city will be memorable. I have some fun activities in mind.
- Visit the Asia Culture Center. (inspiration)
- Ride the Mudeung mountain monorail to the top of the mountain. (inspiration)
- See Hyelin's hand impression on K-pop Star Street. (inspiration)
- Eat at 관지리. (inspiration)
Today's Experiences
Today did not go very smoothly, but I wouldn't call it a failure. Despite most of my plans failing and encountering several challenges, today was still meaningful. I will return to Gwangju another day for my missed plans and be more prepared.
Travel to Gwangju
I woke up late. My phone was almost dead, so I had to charge it and be even later to leave. I started to become stressed but reminded myself that stress is not allowed on this vacation. If I can't do everything, then that's okay. I left as soon as my phone had what I thought would be enough charge.
I took the KTX, a high speed train that can reach speeds of over 350 km/h (217 mph). These trains radiate out from Seoul to the other major cities across the country, making traveling cross-country a breeze.
Instead of using my transit card, I had to purchase a ticket for the train. In Seoul, any method of payment is accepted even oversea credit cards. In the other cities, payment is not so flexible, so buying a round trip ticket or carrying 100,000원 for a return ticket is a good idea. The tickets are going to be around 50,000원.
Most of the trip was underground, but the train peeked out of the ground from time to time, and I got some really great views of the more rural areas of South Korea.
It's interesting to me that the fields are divided into small sections. In the USA where I live, fields are huge instead. I suppose it makes sense to have smaller fields here with the mountainous terrain. I think this difference in farm design is very cool.
Walking in Gwangju
I immediately liked Gwangju. It isn't as pristine and fancy as Seoul with the pretty facades. This city seemed more lived-in and a more open representation of life in South Korea.
If I lived in South Korea, I think that I would like to have a home in Gwangju.
The Top of Mudeung Mountain
After arriving in Gwangju, I decided that my first stop should be Mudeung Mountain. This destination was inspired by the WattaTV episode with Hyelin and Sojin <described here>.
The plan was to ride the lift to the top of the mountain then ride the monorail to the pavilion. The pavilion would offer a great view of the city of Gwangju.
It took me a long time to find the entrance to the lift. I took many wrong turns along the road until I eventually found it. If I had taken the time to read the signs, I would have arrived much more easily, but my Korean reading skills are too low to read every sign to find the ones that are helpful to me. :)
I finally found the ticket booth for the lift and bought the ticket. I only bought the ticket to the lift, assuming that I would buy the monorail ticket at the top. (This was incorrect, but it didn't matter.)
I got on the boarding platform, and up I went!
After arriving at the top of the mountain, it was a short walk to the monorail that traveled to another peak.
The info center to the monorail was closed, so I went upstairs to the boarding platform and asked where to buy the ticket. The guy seemed immediately impatient with me and demanded my ticket. I explained again that I needed to buy one. He once again asked for my ticket. I gave him my lift ticket and receipt to better explain that I didn't have a ticket for the monorail. He quickly accepted the ticket without reading it and ushered me onboard.
Do you know those people who pretend to be mean but are actually being really nice? I think the boarding director for the monorail is one of those guys. And I'm grateful that he took my invalid ticket.
I forgot to snap a picture of the pavilion at the end of the monorail, but the view from the top was amazing!
I stayed for a while. I felt some emotions as I stood where Hyelin stood. (She is one of the five muses for my trip.) There was awe from the amazing view, accomplishment from standing there after the long trip, empathy towards the park staff, and love for the moment.
As I'm standing there oblivious to the blistering sun because I'm absorbed in my meditative thoughts as I gaze out over the city, someone approaches me with a gift. A mother with her family at the park wanted to give me a bottle of ice water. It was just what I needed.
From the taste, it was frozen tap water. Somehow it was more special coming from someone's home.
Eventually I had to go because my next destination has a closing time.
The trip down the mountain went by too quickly. I was still absorbed in my thoughts.
I am glad that I came here.
My Plans Fall Apart
When I reached the bottom of the mountain, my phone battery level was starting to worry me. I knew that it wouldn't last for the duration of my stay in Gwangju. I decided to skip the Asia Culture Center and instead go to see Hyelin's hand impression.
I traveled to K-Pop Star Street to see Hyelin's hand impression, but it wasn't there. I walked the surrounding three blocks in all directions and didn't see it there either. My friends that I messaged didn't know where it was either. After a while searching, I had to give up.
The last stop on my list was the restaurant. I found the restaurant, but it was closed. I think that it was only closed for the day, but I couldn't find a list of open hours to confirm that it will be open another day.
After not accomplishing anything else, I decided to go back home to Gangnam.
My phone died while I was still in Gwangju, 268 km (167 mi) from home. Somehow this did not make me nervous at all, and I felt confident that I could get back home without the use of my phone's directions. I was only upset because I could not take more pictures.
I will try a trip to Gwangju again, and next time I will be more prepared. Though, despite the broken plans, I feel like it was a very good trip.
These pictures are absolutely breathtaking!
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