I've been taking more trips recently. I realize I never finished writing about my summer journies, and I'll get back to doing so, but first I'd like to share some photos from a short vacation I took down south to Jeonju earlier this month.
Jeonju is a city located somewhere in the middle of South Korea and, based on the recommendations of my friends, is famous for two things: its hanok village and bibimbap.
Hanok refers to traditional Korean homes, and indeed Jeonju's hanok village is exactly what the name implies. Nestled in the center of the city is a tight concentration of hanok style houses and buildings, all painstakingly designed and maintained to evoke feelings of ancient Korea. Indeed, walking along its streets and narrow roads I definitely felt like I was in a place far different from the modern country I've come to know.
Bibimbap is a traditional Korean dish of warm rice in a stone bowl topped with numerous sauteed vegetables and Korean spices, which is stirred all together right before eating. Although you can eat bibimbap anywhere in Korea, I've been told countless times that the bibimbap in Jeonju is different from others and is a staple of any Jeonju excursion.
I arrived in Jeonju on a Friday evening after a quick train ride from Seoul, and I stayed in at the Dukmanjae hanok guesthouse on the outskirts of the village. It was small but very comfortable, and was a great starting point for my adventures. After rising early in the morning my first stop was the 100 year old Jeondong Catholic Cathedral. The walk through the ancient-style village down roads still obscured by early morning mists was peaceful, and at the risk of sounding cheesy, a little magical. There was only a handful of other people out on the streets, and in the tranquility of dawn it really seemed like I was walking back through time. When I got to the cathedral I found it filled with curious tourists taking pictures who were asked to leave when mass began. Being Catholic myself I stayed for service, and afterwards I got brunch across the street at one of Jeonju's most well-known bibimbap restaurants, right before the weekend's huge crowds arrived. It was a great start to the day.
... And it was about all I was able to do, because after those two morning activities the hanok village became swamped with out-of-towners (no hate, because I was also an out-of-towner) who queued up at every possible point of interest and formed lines that snaked around themselves and clogged the streets. For the rest of the morning and the whole afternoon, there was virtually nothing I could do that didn't require waiting in a line for several hours. It was around that time I started to form a less than favorable opinion of Jeonju.
However, after walking and browsing the shops all day, I started to change my mind. Jeonju's just too charming to stay mad at. The dinner I had was a traditional (there's that word again) meal consisting of over a dozen side dishes served with soup and Korean rice wine. Not all of the foods were to my liking, but the meal was memorable. Following that I returned to my guesthouse for a nap, and when I woke up it was dark out and the crowds had noticeably dissipated. It was then that I was finally able to visit the hanok village's hotspots, most of which were food kiosks that sold local delicacies. When I eventually retired for the night, I felt satisfied with my tour.
Though Jeonju's hanok village tested my patience for crowds and its attractions are mostly limited by how much you can eat, it was well worth the visit. Once is enough, I think: spending a whole day there allows one to get a good idea of what Jeonju has to offer. I don't know if I'll be going back anytime soon, but I will remember fondly the time I spent exploring Jeonju's quiet beauty.
