Cool Places to go #10 MOKPO

Mokpo (Mokpo-si) is a city in the South Jeolla Province, on the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula Wikipedia

 But Mokpo is far more than just the above quotation. Surrounded by The Yellow Sea, this charming coastal city is full of interesting nooks and crannies to explore.

We arrived in Mokpo by bus from Gwanjyu (a mere 50 minutes and W5 300 later) only to be welcomed by rain and humidity (oh and the very friendly, English speaking lady at the Information booth inside the bus terminal). She suggested 3 areas where we could find accommodation easily; the areas surround Mokpo Station, Mokpo Fish Market and the Ferry Terminal. Seeing as we didn't really want to wake up to the smells of a fish market and the fact that we were on our way to Jeju Island 2 days later, we chose to head to the area surrounding the Ferry Terminal.




The city bus #1 winds its way through Mokpo (going past the train station, fish market and ending up near the ferry terminal) and costs a mere W1 100. So on we hopped and the got off in front of the nearest, descent looking motel. We found one right opposite the ferry terminal, within easy walking distance of the station and main streets all for price of W50 000 per room, per night (including internet and air con). Not bad hey :) The following Mokpo City Buses go right past the Motel: #1, 2, 60, 112, 130, 1-1, 1-2.

 We had 2 days in Mokpo before we headed off to Jeju. Here is a breakdown of the great (and not so great) places we saw:

Street of light

These are an interweaving network of streets all lit up with pretty light. This is where all the main shops are located, as well as lots of restaurants. Very cool to see at night!

Mount Yudalson Temple

All the up Mount Yudalson are pagoda's of varying sizes, in total 5 of them lead you up to the topmost peak of the 'mountain'. The path is mostly steps, and took about 45 mins to reach top. But the view is magnificent. You can see all the way to Japan (on a clear day), and at night (when we went up) each pagoda is lit up, as well as a number of Buddhist statues at the top.

The House filled with Happiness
This restaurant was a diamond in the rough among the many we looked through.

How elegant :)

Seafood Pasta with a *Very fancy name I cant remember*

Beef and rice *yummy*

An old traditional Korean house that has been converted into an elegant restaurant (a bit on the expensive side) but utterly charming! Bus number 7 and 12 goes straight past (Its about a 7 minute walk from the Ferry Terminal, near the base of Mt Yudalsan).

Oedaldo Island
Apparantly there is only one swimming beach in Mokpo, and it is on Oedaldo Island, reached by a 15 minute ride on one of Mokpo's ferry's. So, in the sauna that was outside, we headed straight for sea's of Oedaldo Love Island.

According to the brochures, this Island

 "is frequented by those in love due to it's scenic view and beautiful sunset. It preserves a crystal clear sea...and aside from the natural beaches, this island is also home to a top-of-the-line sea water pool just like an exotic overseas tourist resort"

Now I am going to save you the trouble of booking the ferry, paying the W9 000 ferry ticket, trudging along with millions of tourists and then being truely and utterly D*I*S*A*P*P*O*I*N*T*E*D...basically, the sea was filthy and black and full of sharp rocks, the so called love garden was over-grown with weeds, and the "top-of-the-line sea water pool"~ a filthy, full pool filled to the brim with screaming Korean kids on holiday. Don't do it to yourself, it's not worth the hassle...

2F Restaurant

2F is located opposite the "Hazzy" & "Pringle" stores

This fabulous little hidden treasure was an amazing find while browsing the streets of light. Although it does say restaurant and therefore serves food, it served the most delicious iced tea and coffee!

Really cool interior

How the tea was served! With a timer :)

Next......JEJU ISLAND!!!