Road Trip!
Last weekend, my friends and I decided to go on a road trip towards the south part of South Korea. I was pretty excited because this was my first road trip ever! Please note that in order to rent a car, the driver must have a international license. Posted below is our itinerary, but not everything followed through. On Friday night, we picked up our rented car around 7pm and headed towards Daejeon. The first night we stayed at a Jjimjilbang (찜질방) which is a korean sauna/spa that is quite common in Korea. We paid around 10,000 won to stay there overnight. This was definitely a must do in Korea! Basically there are several floors, with some floors with mixed genders and some that are segregated. The segregated floors are the baths, which is a place to shower, use the bathroom, lockers, etc. However, to go in the spa/hot tub, you must be completely naked. It was uncomfortable and awkward in the beginning but at the end, I had a lot of fun. After that, we found a spot on the floor, and slept.
The next morning, we headed out around 9am towards the Suspension bridge in Daedunsan. However, because it was so crowded and the wait was long, we decided to skip this spot and go towards our next location: Baekyangsa Temple, located in Naejangsan. However, just like Daedunsan, it was just as crowded. Despite the crowd, this place was really beautiful and worth the trip. We departed around 6pm and headed towards Gwangju towards our guesthouse. This guesthouse was amazing! It was 20,000 won a night and the owner was really kind and helpful. Although there was a language barrier, we communicated effectively. In the morning, he even made us a korean breakfast which is consisted of 10 different side dishes and some main dishes.
Our last day, we drove towards Boseong Green Tea Farm. This place was filled with tea leaves and green everywhere, leaving me in absolute awe. I wouldn't know how to describe it so I will post a few pictures in my gallery. The place is quite famous due the amount of Korean dramas filmed at this location. They had a delicious green tea soft serve ice cream (3,500 won) which is a must get. Next, we started to head towards Suncheon Bay Sunset Hike. On the outside, I wasn't too excited because this place was crowded. However, once you go inside, the view is amazing. This is one of my favorite places so far during this road trip. The hike was moderately easy with about an hour long roundtrip of walking. We got there in time for the sunset, and it was beautiful. Although there was a lot of people, it didn't affect how nice this place was. This place was a great ending to my weekend roadtrip. I definitely recommend anyone who is going to South Korea to go on a road trip. Other parts of Korea are a lot different than Seoul, and a lot more beautiful.
