Korea Trip 2022: In Peaceful Suncheon
I originally planned to arrive in Suncheon in the early to mid-afternoon. Since the only bus making the journey from Tongyeong left at 6:00pm, it meant that I arrived at 순천종합버스터미널 (Suncheon Inter City Bus Terminal) | Naver link in the evening, past 8:00pm. The first impression I had about Suncheon was that it was very quiet. There was no indication of a night life, and in the area around the bus terminal, I saw only a couple people walking on the sidewalk. I took a bus to the closest stop near my Airbnb, and then I walked the remaining distance. After checking in, it was time for (a late) dinner. I first tried my luck at a Chinese restaurant near by the Airbnb, but they said they had just closed the kitchen for service. Just my luck.
After wandering around a bit, a familiar golden “M”, standing proudly and tall, beckoned me. This was 맥도날드 순천덕암DT점 (McDonald’s Suncheon Deogam DT Branch) | Naver link. I had eaten at a couple American fast food joints during my time in Korea, so why not give McDonald’s a try? I used a self-service kiosk to put in an order for a 슈비버거 (shrimp beef burger) set meal - which included fries and a drink - as well as a four-piece McNuggets (with Cajun sauce), which cost ₩9,600 ($6.77). One thing that surprised (and disappointed) me about this meal was how similar everything tasted to their counterparts in the U.S; the fries, the McNuggets, even the burger’s meat patties and buns tasted the same as they did back home. The shrimp patty was okay, but it didn’t elevate the burger like I hoped it would. The only thing I did like was the Cajun sauce. If I were to rank Lotteria, Burger King, and McDonald’s in Korea, I’d put Burger King first, Lotteria second, and McDonald’s third. A McDonald’s overseas is still a McDonald’s, I suppose.
Suncheon is perhaps best known for 순천만 (Suncheon Bay), a coastal wetland located in the city’s south. My plan was to head to 순천만습지 (Suncheon Bay Wetland Reserve) | Naver link, so the next morning, I went to the nearest bus stop. When I saw the bus approaching, I stood up - only for the bus to continue past the stop. This befuddled me, especially since that bus sure didn’t look empty. After seeing that the next bus wouldn’t arrive for at least about another 20 minutes, I used the app Kakao T to book a taxi.
First things first, breakfast (or brunch). Right across from the Reserve is a collection of restaurants, cafes, and dessert shops, and 순천만정문식당 (Jeongmun Restaurant) | Naver link was the place I entered into. I sat down at a large table, but then the host apologetically asked me to relocate to another table, as a large group was due to arrive soon, and they had booked all the large tables. Not a problem, so I complied and looked at the menu. This restaurant offers a local delicacy called 짱둥어탕 (mudskipper stew), which incorporates the wetlands’ mudskippers - an amphibious fish that can jump and survive outside of water. I had been wanting to try it ever since I read about Suncheon, so I ordered one for ₩12,000 ($8.49). The banchan arrived first, which included soy sauce-marinated quail eggs, lotus root in a thick sesame sauce, 꼬막전 (cockle pancake), and 꼬막무침 (cockle salad). The host told me that they added the cockle salad because they felt bad about asking me to move tables, which was quite kind of them! The stew arrived shortly after, and taste-wise, it’s very similar to 추어탕 (loach soup), with heavy hints of perilla. While it certainly didn’t enter my pantheon of favorite dishes, I still enjoyed it. The banchan was absolutely delicious - probably the best I had in Korea thus far.
As I was eating, no less than 80 middle schoolers arrived at the restaurant; presumably, they were here on a school trip to the Reserve. As they passed by me, a number of them actually bowed to me! Bewildered, I wondered if I had already become an 아저씨 (ahjussi) - a term used to refer to an older man, typically middle aged or older - already at the age of 31…
After eating, I sought a cafe where I could sit down and join my church gathering virtually. 순천만487카페 (Suncheon Bay 487) | Naver link - a grand-looking two-story cafe - caught my eye when I was walking around, so I headed there. The cafe’s aesthetic choices sure were something to behold. On the first floor, there was a wall just filled with (fake) gold bars, with a chair right in front so that patrons could take photos of themselves with it. On the second floor, they have a children’s area with several large teddy bears. Otherwise, the cafe was well-maintained and pristine. I ordered a 딸기파이 (strawberry pastry) and 백향과차 (passion fruit tea) for ₩11,500 ($8.14) and took them up to the second floor, which had opened up to the outside. The pastry was quite good, and the tea was nice to sip on as I tuned into my gathering and reconnected with some familiar faces back home.
After my gathering wrapped up, I went over to the Reserve. The Reserve features a reed field that covers two regions and three villages in Suncheon. Not only is this field the largest colony of reeds in the country, it’s a natural habitat for over 100 species of birds. I paid the entrance fee of ₩8,000 (estimated $5.66) and made a beeline directly for the field, to which there is a bridge crossing over a stream. After I crossed over, I could walk on a network of wooden walkways that branch out and sprawl over a considerable distance. Following the wayfinding signs, I started to head toward the far end of the field. Whenever the walkways went over a decently muddy area, I peered over the side to see crabs and small mudskippers, which I would have missed had they not been jumping around occasionally. Under sunlight, the reeds take on an almost golden color that it’s breathtaking to behold. Despite there being a ton of visitors in the Reserve, its serenity never felt disturbed.
The walkway I was on led toward a small mountain, where visitors could access an observatory called 용산전망대 (Yongsan Observatory) | Naver link. As I started ascending the mountain, the wooden walkway transitioned to a trail. It took about 25 minutes for me to reach the observatory, and the first 15 minutes were all incline, with the trail eventually levelling out. At the observatory, I was treated to a panoramic and stunning view of Suncheon Bay. I could see where the stream I crossed earlier connects to the ocean in the distance, and where the reed field ends and gives way to muddier terrain. Everyone who reached the observatory would first exclaim in amazement at the views and observe (at least for a moment) in silence.
After I descended from the mountain, it was mid-afternoon. I crossed the reed field, returned to the Reserve’s entrance, and found an area near the restaurants where buses and taxis come to drop off and pick up passengers. Luckily for me, a taxi arrived to drop off someone, and I asked the driver if he could take me to my next destination. He said yes, so off we went.
My next stop was 순천만국가정원 (Suncheon Bay National Garden) | Naver link. This place is one of Suncheon’s major attractions, and for good reason. For one, it’s home to over 790,000 trees (accounting for over 505 species) and 3.15 million flowers (accounting for 113 species). Secondly, this place is massive - it’s essentially divided into two areas, and each contains a ton of things to see. After I paid the admission fee of ₩8,000 (estimated $5.66) at the east gate, I stepped inside, looked at the map I picked up at the entrance, and realized there was no way I was going to see everything here. I figured the best place to start was the 순천호수정원 (Suncheon Lake Garden), which was the area right in front of me when I entered. Right in the middle of the lake was 봉화언덕 (Bonghwa Hill), which had a spiraled path going around it to the top. I crossed a wavy bridge to get to it and began the slow but steady climb up. At the top, there was a flattened area with trees and an art installation. From here, I could look around the garden and just appreciate how pristine everything looked, from the adjacent hills and lawn across the lake. I walked over to and climbed up one of the other hills, and the views from up top were just as nice.
After spending some time at the hills, I realized I only had about an hour and a half before I should go and grab dinner. Near the hills are a collection of themed gardens, and there are some representing and stylized after certain nations, including the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, Italy, and Thailand. It was fun just walking through these and seeing the quirks in each one. There was a path lined with metasequoia trees, and there was even an art installation modeled after the inter-Korean border line where then-South Korean president 문재인 (Moon Jae-in) and North Korea’s 김정은 (Kim Jong-un) met and crossed over into each other’s countries back in 2018. Finally, with just 20 minutes to spare, I decided to check out the Garden’s west side. To get there, I had to cross the 꿈의다리 (Bridge of Dreams), which was covered in colorful tiles, many of which were hand-drawn by children. Admittedly, I didn’t get to see much on the west side apart from a pond full of flamingos and an elaborately decorated and flowered trees. As I mentioned before, the Garden is massive, and I reckoned it would take a full afternoon to properly explore it. Unfortunately, I didn’t have that kind of time in my hands that day.
I had read that 한정식 (hanjeongsik - Korean table d'hôte) was the best meal I could get in Suncheon, so I decided to make that my last dinner in the city. This essentially refers to a full course progressive Korean meal in which you receive starters, main dishes, and banchan. For many visitors, such a meal could be the very best you have in Korea. I had bookmarked a few restaurants offering it, and I started calling them to see if they were willing to accommodate one person. My first choice wasn’t, but my second choice was.
I stepped inside 신화정 (Shinhwajeong) | Naver link some time later, and it took a few minutes before a staff member saw me and indicated that I sit in one of the rooms. This restaurant offers several kinds of hanjeongsik, with each one featuring a different “highlight main course”. After perusing through the menu, I ordered the 순천만 반반떡갈비 반상 (Suncheon Bay Half-Half Grilled Short Rib Patties Board), which cost ₩38,000 ($26.89).
Two starters arrived first: a bowl of 명태껍질부각 (deep fried pollack skin) and a single scoop of 찰기장밥 (glutinous rice). The deep fried pollack skin was more of a salad, as it was mixed with raw vegetables and a soy-sesame vinaigrette. Fried fish skin is a trend that I’ve been seeing more of lately, but this dish was excellent, offering a good mix of texture and freshness, not to mention a welcome bit of familiarity from the sauce. I liked the glutinous rice as well, and it acted like a palate cleanser after the pollack skin dish. These two starters got me very excited for what was to come.
The rest of the meal arrived soon after. The first among them was a unusual trio of dishes: 건강 토마토샐러드 (healthy tomato salad), 들깨 수제 도토리묵 (perilla handmade acorn jelly), and a bowl of 뽕잎나물 (mulberry leaf sprouts). The tomato salad (which was really just a peeled and presumably stewed whole tomato) was divine, and the pool of juice it came in had a subtle tartness. Acorn jelly is one of my favorite banchan, and this one arrived in a pool of what tasted similar to soy milk and whole perilla seeds; this too was a winner in my book. I ate the mulberry leaf sprouts at various points during the meal, and like the glutinous rice, they acted like palate cleansers. Then there were the short rib patties, topped with ground nuts and dried dates and featuring two sauces on the side: 칠게쌈장 (sentinel crab ssamjang) and 청양크림소스 (Cheongyang cream sauce). The patties were accompanied by a wondrous spread of food that included 순천만S칠게튀김 (fried Suncheon Bay sentinel crabs), 순천 토마토장아찌 (Suncheon pickled tomato), 잡채 (japchae - stir-fried glass noodles), grilled fish, soy sauce marinated crabs, and so much more. The short rib patties burst with tremendous flavor, especially when dipped into the sauces, both of which were so good. The fried sentinel crabs tasted terrific, and I made sure to get every bit of the sauce that accompanied them. The japchae surprised me the most; it appeared to be meatless, but it tasted so strongly of the marinade used in bulgogi or galbi (Korean short ribs). The only dish I didn’t enjoy was the grilled fish - I thought they used a fish that I was never really a fan of in the first place, so I pushed it away after taking a few bites. Everything else I tasted was tremendous, and as much I wanted to finish everything, I just couldn’t - the only bowls and plates left not bare contained the fish and some banchan. I left the restaurant feeling full and absolutely content, and I ended up walking back to my Airbnb - which was about a 20-minute walk away - to start walking off what I ate.
The next morning, I quickly packed my luggage, as I would be leaving later that day for Gwangju. I arrived back at the bus terminal, where I purchased one direct route bus ticket for ₩10,000 (estimated $7.04) and paid ₩6,000 (estimated $4.22) to store my luggage in a locker. My bus wouldn’t be leaving until the early afternoon, so I had time to explore Suncheon a bit further.
From the terminal, I walked over to 순천 건봉국밥 (Geonbong Soup with Rice) | Naver link, a pretty popular place for people seeking soup for breakfast. Sure enough, there was already a bunch of customers inside when I arrived, though the hostess seated me very quickly. On the wall, I saw a special called 1인 인기 세트 (1 person popular set), which consisted of the titular Geonbong soup with rice, 수육 (suyuk - boiled pork), and soondae for ₩14,000 ($9.85). It sounded great to me, so I ordered that. The Geonbong soup contains meat from the cow’s head as well as its intestines. I added some rice to it, and after taking a few bites, I couldn’t help but think of it as cozy. As for the suyuk and soondae, they were prepared very well, and I liked how they came topped with chives, which I dipped into some chili paste. I understand that to some, none of the food here may sound appetizing, but I love this stuff.
After eating, I took a bus over to the area where 순천드라마촬영장 (Suncheon Drama Filming Site) | Naver link was located. What makes this place special is that it features sets that are recreations of Korea from the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. A ton of period Korean dramas and movies have been filmed at these sets, and visitors come here to experience a blast to the past. The admission fee cost me ₩3,000 (estimated $2.11).
Shortly after I entered, I turned to the right and walked until I reached an old-looking alleyway; I had entered a Suncheon town in the ‘60s. I peeked into homes, a barbershop, a comic book shop, and other buildings to see the items - both household and not - that were commonplace sights back in the day. As someone who loves to cook, I particularly enjoyed looking into kitchens to see what kitchenware they used back in the day and seeing how much it has evolved since. The town’s biggest feature was the life built around the (mostly dry, save for one section of) stream that ran through it. Shops had been built alongside it to show off whatever goods were being sold, and there were even wooden platforms on the stream, showing past Koreans’ reliance on it to do things like presumably washing clothes. I did see some traces of the present, such as some charms that were clearly made decades later as well as plastic stools and modern-looking refrigerators in an outdoor dining area, but I figured they were there for events and such.
As I headed to the other side of “town”, I was transported to a commercial part of Seoul in the ‘80s. The buildings here had certainly improved from the ‘60s, though most of them sure looked grayer. The buildings included an apparel store, music shop, medical center, bakery, karaoke lounge, and even a movie theater! Not all the buildings were open for people to walk into, but a fair amount of them were. I went inside the theater and discovered that back then, people sat on benches, meaning they didn’t have the back support that movie theater seats have now. A lot of older folks were heading into a classroom and reminiscing about school life back then. I saw black-and-white political posters featuring political leaders (including three eventual presidents!) on the walls as well as the diagram for the 오징어게임 (squid game) on the ground, clearly popularized by the Korean drama of the same name.
There’s an inclining path leading up to a hill next to the ‘80s set. I climbed this to encounter a recreation of Seoul’s 봉천동 달동네 (Bongcheondong’s Moon Neighborhood) in the ‘70s. Bongcheondong is a district in the southern part of Seoul, and much of the Moon Neighborhood was built into a hillside. Compared to the other two other sets, this one didn’t have as much “exciting” content, but I did think it was the most impressive because it was literally built into a hill and thus the most faithful to its inspiration. Visitors can walk through the neighborhood on any of the paths available, and a good number of the homes were accessible, even though almost all of them were empty. I would advise caution when climbing the stairs here, as they can be either steep or seemingly dilapidated, as much of this neighborhood was. I thought it was interesting how some of the homes have hanok-style rooftops yet have tin awnings, reflecting how Korea was evolving back then. There was a chapel at the top of the hill, and two chapel-shaped small homes named 언약의집 (Covenant’s Home) and (Hope’s House) off to the right of the neighborhood. I saw plenty of people head into the latter two, and I figured they were good spots for taking cute photos.
About an hour before my bus to Gwangju was scheduled to leave, I left the Filming Site and walked a good 15 minutes to get to a bus stop that would take me back to the terminal. While on the local bus, I couldn’t help but look out at the city passing by and reflect on what I’d seen here in the past two days. Suncheon had a beauty to almost everything it had (I’m not counting McDonald’s, sorry) - some of it natural, some of manipulated by human hand. But that which involved human craft - from the gardens and film sets to especially the food - demonstrated a quiet confidence and skill. As someone who had never heard of this city almost five years ago, I’m glad I was able to come here, and I hope to return again someday.
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