Yeosu- What to See and Do

I have been living in Yeosu for two years now and I know I still haven’t experienced everything this city has to offer.  What I have found though is there is more to do here than some people would imagine.  While Yeosu is considered a small city in South Korea there are many people who live here and and so much to see and do, unless you are into clubbing that is.

So here are some things to check out in Yeosu.

Yeosu Expo

The Yesou Expo is the site where the 2012 World Expo was held.  While I wasn’t here for that event the site remains and is one of the bigger tourist attractions in Yeosu.  The main even hall is mostly used for special events but you can go there to view different sculptures and sometimes performances that are held there.

One of the main events to see is the Big O Show.  As you can see in the picture there is a large ring in the water.  This is where they do a water and light display show that is quite pretty.

Yeosu Aquarium

The Yeosu Expo area is also home to the Yeosu Aquarium.  There are many different sea life creatures to see there and while I wish some to the exhibits were larger especially for the Beluga whales it is a very nice aquarium.  There is even one exhibit with raccoons which I find funny because I’m from Iowa where raccoons are everywhere.  There are different shows that you can watch at the aquarium but one of the best is in the large tank before they feed the manta-rays and stingrays.  The performance involves swimmers who dive down into the water and dance to music.  There are also clowns that perform outside of the tank along with the swimmers.  They change the show every couple of months so you can see a different performance is you back for a second or even third visit later.

Odong-do

Odong-do is an island connected by a bridge to the main land and it is near the Yeosu Expo site.  It is a nice little island to see various plants and has an even better view of the ocean.  

There is also a nice open area where you can watch a water show that is timed to music.  It is small but it is a nice place to sit and rest your feet if you need a break. This island is a very relaxing place where you can just enjoy nature.  This is free to go to and if you like you can pay to take the trolley across the bridge if you don’t want to walk, though it really isn’t that far of a walk.  If you also want to take a boat tour around the island you can find these at the start of the bridge.

Mosagum Beach

This is one of my favorite beaches in Yeosu.  It is just north of the black sand beach and is a great place to enjoy the sun with a group of friends.  I have spent many summer weekends on this beach with my friends.  We often will bring tents and camp over night here.  There are also pensions that you can stay at as well if camping isn’t something you enjoy.  The best times to go to this beach are in April and June.  While July may seem like the perfect time to go to the beach I wouldn’t recommend this beach in July because it gets very busy at this time of year.  If crowds don’t bother you then by all means go and enjoy the sun with all the locals.

Just keep in mind that you may get funny looks for wearing a bikini or not wearing a shirt with your swim trunks.  Koreans are very concerned about the sun and tend to swim fully clothed, so don’t be surprised if you see them jump in with shirts and leggings.  Over the 2 years I’ve enjoyed beaches in Korea I’ve noticed some popular themes.  There is always someone getting buried in the sand or someone getting tossed into the water by four other people.

Lee Sun Shin Plaza

This area is a popular area in Yeosu and just a bit south west of the Yeosu Expo.  It is one of the main shopping areas as well as home to a traditional fish market.  That is not all that resides in this area though.  There is a historic site, a museum and even a replica of one of the famous turtle ships.  Once a year the turtle ship festival is held here as well  so if you find yourself here during that festival enjoy the food, music, and performances!

Lee Sun Shin was a famous navy commander in Korea who had many victories against the Japanese during the Joseon Dynasty.  He is very famous in Yeosu.  Up the hill from this statue of the great navy commander you can find one of the remaining sites that were used by the commander during the war.

If you look towards the water from the statue of Lee Sun Shin you will see a replica of one of the famous turtle ships.  You can even walk inside and look around.  It is free to go in and you can learn more about the ship and the different jobs performed on the ship.  From the ship you also have a good view of Dolsan bridge which connects Dolsan island to Yeosu.   You can also see the cable cars as well.  I have yet to go on the cable cars but they take you from the island to the mountain near Odong-do.

One of the museums in this area is the Hamel Museum.  This is a very interesting museum to check out while you’re in the area.  In this museum you will learn about the explorer named Hamel who became stranded and enslaved by the Koreans.  He managed to escape and return to his homeland.  He is known here because while traveling home he wrote of his experience in Korea and was the first to bring back written documentation of Korea to western countries who up until he had done this little was known about Korea.  It doesn’t take long to go through everything in this museum but it is defiantly interesting to learn about his life and experience.

There is so much to do in Yeosu if you only know where to look.  Even after living in Yeosu there is still more that I have yet to do.  I have one year left and I want to do it all before I leave.  Cable cars here I come!

My First 10 Days in Korea

First Look

Getting to South Korea from Iowa is not a small matter.  It took me three flights to get to the Incheon Airport and from there a four hour bus and a very long taxi ride to the hotel where my orientation would take place.

Being at orientation was like putting training wheels on or dipping your toe into the water to test the temperature.  In between teaching seminars to prepare myself and the other future English teachers for our new jobs we were taken on cultural experiences to learn more about the country and culture we were going to be living in.  It was a great way to be introduced to a new country which I at the time knew very little about.

Korean Music, Performing Arts, and a Wedding

Traditional Korean Drum Lesson

We got to take a traditional Korean drum lesson at one of the places they took us to during orientation.  It is a two sided drum that sits on the floor in front of you.  Many traditional instruments are played while sitting on the floor.  When playing this type of drum only one hand has a drum stick.  The patterns to play on this drum were tricky at first but the more we practiced the easier it got.

After the drum lesson we watched a Pansori performance which is traditional Korean theater.  This type of theater is very different from anything I’m used to and not just because it’s all in a different language.  The style was very unique with both the singing and the dancing.  The dancing was very slow and in the Korean style clothing there was more focus on arm movements.  It was very simple and because of this you know that they performer put a lot of work into making sure each small movement was timed to perfection.  While this is not my favorite type of performance I still enjoyed the experience.

On a different day we got to try on traditional clothing and even learn about a traditional Korean wedding.  The traditional dress for woman was made of two main garments.  The first being a dress that wraps around your chest.  It is a bell shaped dress with little need for tailoring so size was not an issue for anyone.  Over the dress was a small crop jacket.  The jacket was usually in a contrasting color and some of them had beautiful embroidery.

One of the married couples in my orientation group were chosen to help demonstrate a traditional Korean wedding.  The clothing for the wedding was beautiful and colorful.  The bride wears a special hat and little red circles on her cheeks.  The hair is also styled with a special hair pin with ribbons draped over the pin.  She also carries a shawl that covers her arms.  The groom wears blue robes and an embroidered belt.

The ceremony has many different steps that are performed in order and  I could easily see it taking all day.  While they still do some of the traditional weddings now days, Korea has westernized their wedding ceremonies.  Many times they will have two ceremonies, a western style wedding for friends and a Korean style wedding for close family.

The traditional wedding starts with formal bows performed by the bride and the groom.  The bride has to do three formal bows while the man only has to do two.  Some parts of the wedding ceremony I found to be quite funny.  One part of the ceremony has a friend of the groom hit the grooms feet with a stick, then the groom has to give the bride a piggy-back-ride around the room to prove that he is strong enough to take care of the bride.  It was a lot of fun to watch.

Bamboo and Baseball

One of the trips they took us on was to a bamboo forest.  It was nice to finally get out and see nature after being stuck in the hotel for a week.  I had never seen that much bamboo in once place before.  My only experience with bamboo before this was the small bamboo plant I had in college named Effie.  I had it all four years before it finally died.  What can I say, I’m terrible with plants.  

It was amazing to see how tall the bamboo grows and the path that you walked through in the bamboo forest was beautiful.  They even had bamboo ice cream that you could try.  It was pretty good, it has a nice fresh taste to it that reminds me a bit of green tea.

While baseball isn’t an interest of mine it was really cool to go and see one in South Korea.   Going to a base ball game in Korea is similar to a game in the US I would imagine.  The game itself is played exactly the same but the cheerleaders in the stands were something that I was not expecting to see.  It was fun to go with the new friends I had made in orientation and I really had a good time talking with them.  To be honest I talked to my friends more than I watched the game.  I have never been a fan of baseball.  Had we gone to a soccer game I would have been way more interested.

노리방 (Singing Room)

One of our free nights lead us to a 노리방 or singing room.  It’s a private room for you and your friends to go and sing karaoke in.  It’s a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it.  What I think is best about these singing rooms is that you don’t have to sing in front of strangers.  It’s just you and your friends.  The staff will also bring you drinks and snacks while you’re there.

And so continues Danni’s Travels.

My South Korean Apartment

Apartments

Apartments in Korea are not too different from apartments in the USA but there are a few things that can throw you for a loop.  The apartment that I live in is a classic studio apartment with a separate bathroom and entry way.

The Entry Way

The entry way to my apartment like most Korean apartments have an area where you can take off your shoes.  Apartments aren’t the only places that have this area in the entry way, many traditional Korean restaurants, schools and hotels have this as well.  Most apartments will also have a cupboard where you can store your shoes in this entry way too.  It is very common to wear indoor shoes or slippers while at school for teachers and students.

The Bathroom

Everyone in the USA knows that a typical bathroom is a sink, toilet and shower all separate and with their own space.  However in many small Korean Apartments the shower is a shower head attached to you sink and a drain on the floor.  For me its held up in between my sink and toilet so whenever I take a shower my entire bathroom gets wet.  In some apartments you can hand up a shower curtain to block out some of the water from getting everything wet, but not in mine.  This took some adjusting to when I first arrived in Korea.  Many people will also wear shower shoe in their bathroom even when the floor isn’t wet from the last shower you took.  I have grown to like my little bathroom regardless of the incredibly we floors after a shower, but if I could change anything at all it would be how cold this room gets in the winter.

The Main Room

(*Quick note: I didn’t have a bed my first week in Korea as the school had just ordered it and it hadn’t arrived yet.)

This is the room that is just like any studio apartment you will see anywhere.  I actually lucked out a lot by having the corner apartment because it means that I have an extra window.  I get a lot of fresh air coming in which makes for a great spring, summer and fall.  Most Korean Apartment will have a wall air conditioner that I try to avoid using as much as I can because I prefer to keep my windows open.  The heating unit in South Korea is a big change from the central heating most people back home are used to.  In South Korea the main heating is the Ondol, or floor heating.  It can take nearly an hour to heat your apartment on cold winter nights and I know many of my friends prefer to get heat lamps or lizard lamps.  The lamps are cheaper to run than the Ondol and they do keep you quite warm.  Many people will also get heated blankets or mats to keep them warm instead of turning on the Ondol.

The Kitchen

The thing I miss the  most about having in my kitchen is an oven and dish washer.  A lot of the food I know how to cook needs to be done in an oven and while I have a small toaster oven, it’s not exactly big enough for a casserole.  I also do miss the convenience of a dish washer but I manage well enough without having one.  My kitchen is tiny compared to most kitchens you would see back home, unless you live in a tiny New York apartment.

My kitchen is also my laundry room.  The washing machine is across from the sink next to the refrigerator and I usually have my freshly washed clothes hanging up on the pole.

10 Things to Know About Danni

10 Things to Know About Danni

I thought since this is a new blog experience for me it might be nice to share a bit about myself with all of you.  When I write my own personal journal it’s not meant for others to read and I don’t really need to tell myself about who I am.  This list will give you a bit of an idea about who I am and what I like, other than traveling of course!

1. I love tea!  Tea is my coffee and it is one of the things that I really don’t want to live without.  I wakes me up in the morning and relaxes me after a long day.  It doesn’t matter if I’m on the road or being lazy at home tea is my constant companion.
2. I have a book with me at all times.  I keep one in my purse of backpack no matter where I go, and no it’s not one of those fancy kindles or e-readers, it’s the good old fashioned paper books.  There is never a dull moment when you have a book with you and in my opinion its a lot better and more reliable than a cell phone.  Its also a great companion for solo travelers especially when you find yourself at the airport with no wireless internet or stuck in a line that’s moving slower than a snail.  People watching and conversing with people you meet is great but sometimes, nothing beats a good book.
3. I rarely wear makeup.  I don’t know much about make up and I don’t know that I really care to learn.  People who know how to do it and chose to wear it everyday, more power to you, but I don’t have the patience for it.  For me make up is for special occasions and performances.  I find that forgoing make up also means one less thing to pack when I travel.
4. Science Fiction is one of the only things I watch on TV.  While I may not be one of those people who can name every series of Star Trek, I am in love with Science Fiction shows, especially anything directed by Joss Whedon.  I grew up watching Stargate SG-1 with my family on our traditional SciFi Fridays and my love for the genre has stayed with me ever since.  While I’ve moved on to beloved shows like Doctor Who, Firefly, Doll House and many more I still love to go back to my Stargate roots from time to time.
5. I love animals, especially my cat.  I have grown up with cat’s my whole life and I have loved every single one that I call my own, and many that I don’t as well.  My current cat is living in luxury in a big house with my parents at the moment and not having him with me is the only thing I would ever want to change in my life at any given moment.
6. I love trying new things.  Being able to travel has opened up so many opportunities and I have gotten to do things that I never would have thought to try if I hadn’t left home.
7. Dancing is a big part of my life.  I have been in dance since I was about 3 years old and my love for it has never changed.  One of the things I love about traveling is getting to see and learn about different types of dance from all around the world.  what I love about dance the most from a travelers point of view is that language doesn’t really matter, because dance is universal and you can understand the stories told through the dancers themselves.
8. I am not a baby person.  I’m really not.  I don’t look at a baby and say, ‘ Oh it’s so cute!’  That is what I say when I see a dog or cat or any other animal to be found on this planet.  I love animals.  Babies… not so much.  One of the first things people say to me when they hear this is. ‘but you won’t think that when you have your own baby.’  Really?  And who says I’m going to have my own baby?  The truth is I don’t want kids.  It’s just not for me and I’ve known this for a while now.  Thankfully my mother has come to accept that they only grand-kids she’s getting from me will be of the cute and furry variety. (aka my cat  Aleczander)
9. Relationships baffle me.  They truly do.  Any romantic relationship outside of a romantic comedy and family I find to be a mystery.  For me personally I think that for some people they are a great idea and a wonderful thing to have but I have yet to find someone that I can share my experiences with.  Maybe someday I’ll find someone but I’m not going to hold my breath and wait around to find them.  I’m going to keep on living life and be happy and single until I find someone who can keep up with me.
10. Living with as few regrets as possible is a promise that I made to myself a long time ago.   I remember back when I was younger and still in high school that I promised myself that I wanted to live with no regrets and I have tried to live my life with that as my own personal motto.  However it’s really only in the past few years that I have really been able to keep that promise.  College was my first chance to really break out of my safe little shell and try to figure out who I am and every year I can see the progress I have made.  All I know is that there is no set answer to the big, who am I question.  The reason for that is because I am constantly changing and growing.  We never stop learning and as long as I keep moving forward then I am all set to simply be me.

 

 

An Introduction

Hello I’m Danni.

I have decided to start this blog as a way to share my travels  and adventures with any who care to take the time to read it.  My grandmother recommended that I start one a few years ago and I’ve had repeat requests over the past couple of years and I finally decided to go ahead and start.

This will mostly be a travel blog in the form of an online diary.  I’ve got a personal journal just for me but with this I can share my stories and adventures with others.

To any readers out there I hope you enjoy what I have to share but most of all I hope that this inspires you to get outside of your own shell and explore the world around you.

And so begins the journey of Danni’s Travels!