The Return to Yeosu
We checked out of our hotel in Seoul on the morning of May 20 to catch the train at Seoul Station. We had some time to spare, so we grabbed some lunch at Lotteria 롯데리아. Joe was really curious about the fast food chains in Korea, so I took him to some of the popular ones while we were traveling around. He really liked the chicken wings and the fries with the chili powder at Lotteria. Afterwards, we caught our KTX train to Yeosu. It took approximately three hours to arrive.
We took a taxi to our hotel to check in, and then relaxed for a bit. The hotel was really nice, but so poorly located. Every day we would have to hike up a hill to get to the bus, because the bus that supposedly ran near our hotel never came. So, poor choice transportation location wise, but the views were really good.
Since it was already evening, we took a bus across the water to Ggotdol Gyejang Ilbeonga 꽃돌게장1번가. It is a crab restaurant that offers different crab dishes, but is most famous for its soy sauce marinated crab. The soy sauce marinated crab is a specialty in Yeosu, so we had to eat it. Joe was skeptical, since it is raw, but he said it was a good experience. They also offer more marinated crab at the free side dishes counter.
It was just about time for the sun to set, so we took the cable car across the water to Dolsan Park 돌산공원. It was stunningly beautiful seeing the waterfront with the sun setting behind the mountains. It felt nostalgic being back.
I have been to Yeosu two other times, and it’s a good place to see the ocean and have some good seafood. It is also much less touristy than other beach cities. Compared to other cities in Korea, there were barely any foreigners traveling around. If you want a city with a more authentic and less touristy feel, then this is the place to go. That does mean, that there are less services offered and less English if you need that. Joe and I also noticed that the bus drivers/taxi drivers are much more crazy here. The bus often felt like it was careening down the road around hairpin curves.
That night, Joe and I bought some snacks and beer at the CU in our hotel and went down to the water. Our hotel was conveniently located right next to the water, so we had great views of the brightly lit bridge and the food street across the water. There was also one of the tourist boats setting off fireworks. A great end to the first night.
The next morning, we took a bus through the mountains all the way to the end of the island to get to Hyangiram Hermitage 향일암. I totally forgot how much of an uphill hike the first part it. Since it was so humid, I was dripping by the time we made it to the top. The architecture of this temple is breathtaking. It’s probably my favorite temple in Korea that I’ve visited. I posted some of the photos directly below so make sure to really look closely at the designs. This temple also goes through the rocks, so it makes it cooler in the heat. Additionally, do you notice all the turtles? This temple has turtle sculptures and figurines all over the property.
Exiting the temple area, there are so many shops selling dried seaweed and seafood. Many of the tourists can be seen carrying around their purchases. Another specialty of Yeosu is gat kimchi which is mustard green kimchi. Personally, it is not as good as regular kimchi in my opinion, but it is all over Yeosu. We ordered some food and also looked at the ocean view while we waited for the bus to come back.
Halfway through the ride back to town, we got off to go to a cafe I had seen on Instagram. Cafe de Mongdol 카페드몽돌 had an amazing camellia latte, which I have never had anywhere else. Camellias are well-known in Yeosu, so it makes sense that they would have desserts and drinks with camellias in them. The view from the cafe of the ocean was so pretty. The water was so, so blue. There was some fisherman collecting the catch from his traps, and it was so peaceful just watching him go about his day.
I was starting to feel hot and tired, but we traveled back into town and went to Yeosu Fish Market 여수 종합수산시장. There were all sorts of fish that they were selling. It was an interesting experience, and they thankfully didn’t smell too bad. Conveniently located in these markets, are restaurants that you can take the seafood you just purchased and have it cooked. There was also a huge section of dried seafood including manta rays, fish, etc.
After, we briefly walked around Yi Sun Shin Square 이순신광장, but it was scorching hot and we were extremely exhausted at that point, that I don’t have any photos from there and we just took a bus back to our hotel.
Near the bus stop, there was a GS 25. There are these really handy cups already filled with ice, and there is a wall of liquid drinks in pouches that you can choose from. It is perfect because the drink pouch contains just the perfect amount of liquid to fit in the cup. We had these several times throughout our trip, because it’s pretty cheap and convenient. There are tons of choices to choose from. Joe did have a hazelnut tea one that he didn’t like, but other than that all of them were a hit.
That night, we were still pretty tired, so we randomly chose one of the restaurants close to our hotel and walked over to it. The owner lady was really nice and accommodating. We ordered a clam soup dish and some fried fish. Of course, they served some of the raw marinated crab (this time a spicy version of it).
May 22 was already our last full day in Yeosu. Joe was loving the ocean and all the chill vibes that we were getting while here. The whole trip there were days it said it was going to rain, but then it ended up raining only three days our whole trip. We were so lucky. This was one of the rainy days. In the morning, we had booked tickets to Yeosu’s Arte Museum Ocean 아르떼뮤지엄 여수. I had already been to the one in Gangneung, but each one has some different displays, so I was excited to go. Joe was super interested in the exhibitions that they had going on. We had fun posing for photos and just observing the art. A great way to spend a rainy day.
There was a Mom’s Touch 맘스터치 in the same building, so we went there for lunch. Mom’s Touch specializes in fast food chicken burgers. I really like there saucy chicken with crispy rice cake. They also have some really good spiced fries. Joe was pretty impressed and said he really enjoyed his burger.
It was still drizzly, but we walked across the breakwater to the little island called Odongdo 오동도. It is quite small, so it is easily doable to walk around the whole thing. I loved the twisty camellia trees. I would definitely be interested in going when the trees are in bloom, because what a beautiful sight that would be. The day was very gray so the water didn’t look the stunning blue, but more of a dark gray.
We went back to our hotel and just rested a bit, before heading out for dinner. We walked across the bridge to Nangman Pocha Street 낭만포차거리. There are so many choices of restaurants to pick from on this street. They all basically serve the exact same thing, so we randomly picked one. The food was okay, but not my favorite. The servers kept hovering near us, so that made me a little uncomfortable. It was fun to walk around and admire the night life while the sun was setting after finishing dinner. We, of course, had to play Busker Busker’s Yeosu Night Sea song while we were walking along. It was such a great short trip to this beach city. I hope to go back sometime in the future.
