Leaving one place is always bittersweet, but it’s also necessary in order to discover something new. In our case, we were leaving Busan behind for an hour-long journey to Geoje.
Geoje is an island just off the coast of Busan, and it is the home of many of Korea’s biggest shipyards such as Daewoo and Samsung. As the second largest island in Korea, Geoje has quite a lot of tourist attractions. But another thing it’s famous for is its Fresh Crab Marinated in Soy Sauce, or the gyejang jeongsik.
Upon arriving at Geoje the first thing we did was eat an early lunch. Entering the restaurant we were met with a wide array of food.
The restaurant 싱싱게장 (Sing Sing Gyejang) is famous for their gyejang jeongsik set meals. I think this is the best option that allows you to sample a good variety of Korean dishes and banchan in one sitting. This set meal is a treat to seafood lovers too!
These are the marinated crabs, basically similar to sashimi in the sense that you eat it raw. You can really taste how fresh it is because despite the marinade, the sweet natural flavour of the crab shines through! At the front part of the picture below is the spicy marinated crab and at the back is the soy sauce one.
There’s a proper way to eat the soy marinated crab, and here’s a video I shared on my Instagram earlier with Toan showing how to do it:
So basically you will stuff the crab shell with rice and let the rice absorb the soy marinade before scooping it all back out into your bowl.
With tummies filled it was time to board the ferry at the Jangseungpo Ferry Terminal to head to Oedobotania.
The ferry ride takes about 40 minutes, and you have to remember to watch out for the announcement of when the boat returning from Oedobotania will arrive at the wharf. (Or else you’ll be stuck there haha!) Other than that, you’re free to nap inside or roam around at the deck of the ferry.
I’m used to being the one always photographing others so I’m not good at taking selfies. Luckily my friends are! I’m saving these for my personal album. Lovely memories. 🙂
When we arrived at Oedo Island, it was actually hard to tell at a glance what it was about. It’s like a big stretch of green with stones at the bottom. But as we walked up the winding paths I started to realize what this place reminded me of– Alice in Wonderland.
It’s a place filled with many strange and beautiful things, and you will feel like Alice yourself every time you arrive at a different part of the island. All you have to do is follow the path.
Here I am with Verina (Wow Korea Supporter from Egypt). Thanks for the pic again, Max! 😊
The island is like a fusion of Asian and European styles, and oddly enough it works to keep you guessing as you walk. The owners of the island, Changho Lee and Hosook Choi, used this place for other ventures before finally deciding to make it a garden island-style tourist attraction.
The preparations took quite a while, starting from 1976 until it was finally open to the public in 1995.
Since it’s Christmas season now, they also set up areas with a festive theme. 🎅🏼
Frankly speaking, I think the lengthy preparation was worth it. Look at this stunning panoramic view from the top!
Oedobotania also has this observatory area overlooking the South Sea. It’s also good for dramatic shots apparently. 😂
The whole time I was here I kept thinking that I need to bring my family next time. I think it’s a really unique place to relax and just walk around; take pictures of the random things you see. I especially really like hanging out at the wharf. It just feels nice over there.
By the way, I don’t think I’ve introduced my Wow Korea friends yet! From left to right: Ece (Turkey), Nat (Thailand), Toan (Vietnam), Elizabeth (Singapore), Ling (Malaysia), Lydia (Singapore), Debbie (Indonesia), Max (Korea), Rajesh (India), and finally Verina (Egypt). Whew! We’re a mini UN. I love it!
Catching the ferry back to Geoje, we drove off to Tongyeong for over an hour until we arrived at the Dongpirang Mural Village. I really love places like these because it inspires me to draw again. Seeing other artists’ works being appreciated this way makes me happy for the art community though!
Aside from being a painted village, Dongpirang also gives you a great view of Tongyeong. They proudly state here that this was the location of one of Song Joong Ki’s older dramas. In the Philippines it was called ‘The Innocent Man‘ and it was quite popular.
Currently Song Joong Ki is the favourite drama star in the Philippines because of ‘Descendants of the Sun‘, but I have a feeling it will switch back to Lee Min Ho soon. 😬 (Personally I prefer Ji Chang Wook hahaha!)
As our guide explained to us, the murals in this village change every year according to a theme, and artists flock to this village to showcase their talent.
You can also pose with some of the paintings ala-Trick Eye Museum style. 😆
I love the view of the Gangguan Port from here. Luckily enough we were here during the golden hour. Best time of the day in my opinion!
Today is just filled with so many picturesque locations! There are also lots of cute cafes and we dropped by one for some coffee.
Last stop for the day was dinner. More seafood of course! That’s what I love about cities near the port! 😋
On tonight’s menu was haemul ttukbaegi, or Seafood Stew in Hotpot. The assortment of seafood here was something I’ve never seen before. There were all kinds of fresh shellfish, some I don’t even know the name of. All of them good of course!
And to end the meal there was some soju and beer. In case you didn’t know, this is the Korean way of bonding! I didn’t drink too much because the soju we were served was stronger than what we typically have in Manila. It hit me on my first sip haha! (It’s stronger also than the flavoured ones from the convenience store.)
You know what’s funny? It’s only the second day but it really feels like I’ve known these people for a while. I’m trying hard not to think about the fact that this trip will end and that we will all go home to our own countries soon. It’s not hard to get attached to this group.
~~~
Oedobotania 외도 보타니아-해상관광농원
17, Oedo-gil, Irun-myeon, Geoje-si, Gyeongsangnam-do
경상남도 거제시 일운면 외도길 17
Hours: Winter Season 08:30-17:00 // Summer Season 08:00-19:00
Contact Nos: +82-55-681-4541
Website | More information
Dongpirang Village 동피랑마을
Dongho-dong, Tongyeong-si, Gyeongsangnam-do
경상남도 통영시 동피랑길 100 (태평동)
Hours: Open all year round
Contact Nos: +82-55-650-4681, 2570
Website | More information
This post was brought to you by the Korea Tourism Organization.
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