Last weekend I took a day trip to Damyang with some friends. Damyang is a city that is located about 40 minutes northeast of Gwangju by bus. It’s the ideal day trip location not only because the bus tickets were super cheap (about $2.25), but also because there are a lot of things to do there. The population of Damyang is around 50,000 so it has a small town feel or at least it did for me after living in Gwangju with a population of 1.5 million.
We arrived in Damyang around 11:30 and immediately headed to our first destination: Juknokwon Bamboo Forest. Juknokwon is one of Korea’s most popular bamboo forests and I’m really grateful that it’s only a short bus ride away from me. This was my second time visiting the forest as my co-teacher had taken me there a few months earlier, but I was ecstatic to return.
Entry into Juknokwon is only 3,000 won ($2.50) and you can spend the whole day in the forest. There are several walking trails and sights to see along the way. The bamboo is incredible to see; I never realized how tall bamboo tees could grow! It’s such a cool (literally and figuratively) feeling to be completely surrounded by bamboo as it’s something that I’ve never experienced before. Walking through the bamboo brings about a sense of peace and happiness and I could’ve spent countless hours there. The various bamboo seating options such as hammocks, lounge chairs, and benches added to the relaxing experience as well. There’s also a café where you can get all sorts of bamboo drinks. The last time I was there I ordered a bamboo tea and this time I got a bamboo latte; both were delicious! They tasted almost similar to how matcha tastes.
After walking around the bamboo forest, we were hungry so we walked across the river to possibly the best street in the entire world: Noodle Street. This is a street along the river that is known for its noodle restaurants. Basically, the only thing these restaurants sell are noodles and side dishes like pajeon (Korean pancake) and hard-boiled eggs. It is awesome!
We sat along the river to eat. For only 5,000 won ($4.18), you get a huge bowl of noodles and we couldn’t even finish it all. We also ate pajeon which is almost like an omelet with asparagus and squid as well as some hard-boiled eggs. It was delicious:)
Following lunch we decided to walk along the river to get to Meta Provence. I loved the river walk because there were so many people there walking, biking, and enjoying the day. After a 30 minute walk we made it to Meta Provence which is a French-inspired restaurant and shopping center. It truly felt like I was in France! The buildings were white with rust-colored roofs and lights draping over the street. They even had a lock wall similar to the lock bridge in Paris. We made it to the main square where we were greeted by a man playing the saxophone and giant plastic macarons. We got some churros from a nearby café, then sat outside to enjoy the music for a bit. It was the perfect way to end our day in Damyang.
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