In Korea, there are days called “red days”. It sounds ominous but actually, red days are great because red days are national holidays! Which also means days off. Even better, the Korean government recently passed a law stating that any red days that fall on a weekend, will carry over onto Monday. This year has been one of those years where every holiday seems to fall on a weekend. And what better way to use a long weekend than exploring more of my amazing province?
The place my friends and I decided on next was Mokpo. Mokpo is the second-largest city in Jeollanamdo (third if you include Gwangju) and is a port city on the west coast. From the Gwangju bus terminal, it is only a 50-minute bus ride.
After arriving at the bus terminal, we took a bus for about 20 minutes to our hotel. We stayed at Hotel Mondavi which is located in the older downtown of Mokpo. The biggest con of this hotel was its proximity to a large fish market did make the smell quite intense when walking around outside but besides that it was great! The staff let us drop off our bags before check-in and even helped us order delivery food later that night. The location was also in the older downtown of Mokpo which made getting around easy.
After dropping our bags off we headed to the main tourist attraction of Mokpo, the cable car. The Mokpo Marine Cable Car stretches over the main station, to Yudalsan mountain, and finally stops on a nearby island. It is 22,000 won for a round-trip ticket in the economy cabin. You can also do the “crystal” cabin for 27,000 won. This cabin has a glass floor which might be exciting for some but I have heard that the floor is scratched up and hard to see through plus the wait time is much longer. But overall, it’s up to you what you buy. Also, make sure to buy round-trip and not one-way unless you want to taxi back from the island.
The view from the cable car was spectacular. We went at night so the lights in the city made for a breathtaking view. After about 10 minutes, we made it to the island station. From there, we took a small hike on the island to Cafe Panaswe. It was less about wanting coffee and more about seeing this amazing architectural site in person. At 6 stories, this wacky-shaped building gives the history of fishing in Mokpo (although all in Korean so a translator will be your best friend).
The line back to the main cable car station was quite long and all of us were running on fumes from the many coffees of the day. So, we ended the day with delivery pizza (again, thank you to the hotel staff), kimchi dumplings, and somaek (soju and beer) in our hotel room.
Day two started by visiting Colombang Bakery, ranked one of the best bakeries in Korea. With seemingly endless amounts of bread, cake, and mochi to choose from, it definitely lived up to its fame. I had a sugar twist pastry and a sort of breakfast burrito, both of which I happily finished.
After clearing our plates we went to a shop called Made in Mokpo. It was a simple souvenir shop but everything was made by local artists. I bought a macrame wall hanging and adorable scrunchie. The best part about this shop, however, was the owner. The owner, Yeongja, immediately brightened at 5 foreigners entering. She insisted on giving us a tour of the building which was still an original building from the Japanese Occupation period and had us all try on matching skirts. We then proceeded to have a photo shoot and some other locals wanted to join as well. Unfortunately, we had to stop the spectacle early to go check out of our hotel.
The last thing we did before heading back to Gwangju was taking a walk around the sculpture park. Atop a large hill in the center of Mokpo, the park winds around and features dozens of sculptures made by Mokpo artists. The theme was to capture the essence of being connected to the sea as a citizen of Mokpo. Luckily, each sculpture had an English description as well so I could read about these amazing works of art. I was moved by how all these artists felt so attached to their hometown. As I looked out over the amazing view at the top of the hill, I understood how it is so easy for these artists to fall in love with their hometown, it was a beautiful city indeed.
While my heart is in Gwangju, I did also grow to love Mokpo quite a bit in a short time. Gwangju is a fast-paced city with fast-moving people. This is in direct contrast to the seemingly slower pace of life in Mokpo. There were several times where kids on bikes would wave as we walked by and people walking would stop to say hi. If anything, the kindness of Mokpo made me even more excited to return in the future.
“It is the once-in-a-lifetime interactions that stay in my heart”
Over the past 2 months, I have seen amazing sights I never knew would be possible for me to see. Every day I am reminded of my privilege to be here. But when I talk to my family and friends back home, the stories I want to share are less about the places and more about the people. When it comes down to it, sights will fade in your memory no matter how hard you try to remember. But it’s people like Yeongja that will stay in my memory for a long time. It is the once-in-a-lifetime interactions that stay in my heart. And you know the best part about that? You could be anywhere in the world to have these wonderful interactions, even right in your home. Being in a beautiful country is simply an extra perk. 😉
Carly in Korea 
Carly, I am so happy you are getting out to see the province. Isn’t the countryside beautiful? You are right, I was there in 1982 and the wonderful guide I had was named Suzie. Probably a name she chose because it was easier for me. She never stopped smiling and she held my hand when we went to the shops.
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