Today was an insanely cold day in Yeosu City; punctuated by strong winds that could literally blow you away. But of course, the spirit of the Wow Korea Supporters will not be broken by any sort of weather. Everyone’s still so energetic!

And also very cold haha!

Our day in Yeosu began at the Sky Tower & Sky Cafe— a multi-storey building located close to the Yeosu Expo site that houses a cafe at the top floor. I know it doesn’t look like much in the morning, but I saw pictures of this building at night and it looked stunning with its kaleidoscope lights.

We were here to grab some coffee and check out the view of Yeosu, so into the elevator and up the top floor we went.

The cafe upstairs is a nice and quiet place to relax while its floor to ceiling windows allow you to appreciate the view outside.

They also have these glass panels on the floor that allow you a bird’s eye view. I can imagine this view during the days of the Expo where people would have constantly been moving around underneath. But since there is nothing to photograph below at the moment, we just do some shoes inception. 😂

You can actually step out onto the balcony to get a clearer view, but on a day like today, I prefer to stay inside and take pictures of the others haha!

Coffee is the best on a cold day!

Speaking of cold, we were visited by someone from a winter clothing rental company called Seinustar this morning, and he introduced a really interesting concept which I think can be helpful especially to people like me who are from tropical countries visiting Korea in the wintertime.

Basically they will set you up with whatever winter gear you need so that when you arrive at the airport, all you need to do is pick up your clothes. With their help, you don’t need to buy and pack all the bulky expensive coats. Clever right?

By the way, I love this pic by Elizabeth as we were all busy reading about Seinustar:

Okay, now that we’re more equipped for the cold somehow we made our way through the Expo Grounds towards the 2012 Yeosu Expo Memorial Hall. I have heard stories about it from my parents since they attended the Expo, so I have an idea what it was like. All the participating countries had their own pavilions that fit the Expo theme, while at the same time the pavilions had to represent the country’s identity as well. Right now it’s like a ghost town, but understandably so since many years have passed since the Expo.

Yeosu is a city surrounded by the natural waterways of Namhae as well as the Bay of Suncheon, making it well-known for its coastal scenery and beautiful glittering waters.

When the theme for World Expo 2012 was announced, it was no surprise that Yeosu was chosen as the host since it seemed like a perfect location to promote the importance of maritime resources around the world.

Yeosu is a good place to remind people that our oceans and seas are beautiful things that should be taken care of.

Not sure what this game below is about but I think you blast the wind to make the windmills move.

At the end of the Memorial Hall is a gift shop where you can pick up Expo memorabilia. The good news is, Toan’s Starhead now has a boyfriend. Yay! 😁

Braving the cold has left us a bit hungry, so we went to have some more seafood for lunch. I feel like every meal we have is trying to outdo each other and this was by far the most impressive spread, with some special Yeosu Gotkimchi for us to try.

Gotkimchi is something that can only be found in Yeosu, since this is the only place that grows this specific mustard leaf. It’s got a strong aroma, but really all kimchi have a strong aroma haha! What makes this kimchi unique is that it has a slight wasabi-like kick to it.

The thing that really caught my attention here is the hotpot though. Look at those fresh abalone! They were literally moving inside their shells while we were cooking the stew!

I don’t think you need me to tell you how delicious lunch was. 😋

So I guess the big lunch was a sign that we were going for a workout, because that was what happened when we headed to Odongdo Island. The ferry didn’t want to take us since our party consisted of too few people, so we had to walk to the island via the breakwater. Walking is not a problem, but boy was the wind cold!

Yeosu is actually a peninsula made up of over 300 islands, and one of them is Odongdo Island. In Odongdo, you will get to see 70 species of wildflowers and camellias as you walk along the pathways and up the stairs.

Of course the flowers will be in full bloom in the springtime, but walking the pathways lined with camellia trees and bamboo was a nice experience in itself. The view from the cliffs was AMAZING as well.

We also headed to the lighthouse to catch the view from above. It’s just a simple lighthouse but it was a good shelter from the cold.

대한민국! I always hear that whenever I watch the South Korean National Teams play soccer or volleyball. 🇰🇷

I actually really enjoy Nature Parks like this one, but this is the first time I’ve been to one where the weather is THIS cold. I didn’t want to leave this beautiful location, and at the same time I wanted to find a warm place haha! What a dilemma! 😅

Thankfully, we had a place to hide in while waiting for the tram that would take us back to the other side of the breakwater. You can tell by the happy faces in Lydia’s photo that we’re relieved we don’t have to walk back in the cold!

Our last destination was actually supposed to be the Cable Cars, but the wind was too wild. Instead, we went to Hanwha Aqua Planet to appreciate some marine life.

The Big-O can be viewed quite nicely from here.

I’ve been to a lot of aquariums in other places in the world so none of this is new to me. However there is one thing that caught my attention with this one…

At the entrance to the aquarium they were showing video clips of ‘Legend of the Blue Sea’ so I thought maybe this was the filming site of the drama. Consulting the internet I found out that it’s not, but it certainly feels similar inside!

This aquarium has the same look as the one in the drama, so much so that viewers of the show can probably imagine Jeon Ji Hyun suddenly appear to swim with the fish.

I spotted an octopus, by the way!

And of course my eternal favourites in aquariums: the ethereal jellyfish. ❤️

They also have penguins and racoons in here haha!

Once you exit through the gift shop of the main attraction, you might want to consider a visit to the Trick-Eye Museum here. You pay for it separately, but I think it’s fun. They had some sample graphics outside and so I dove in for a photo. (Pun intended.)

Meet Nat, my roommate! 😁

Ironically, after our visit to this place we had a dinner of four kinds of grilled fish haha! But it was a delicious and story-filled dinner as always! (My pictures don’t look too good so just take my word for it.)

I really wish that with this post, people will realize that Yeosu offers so much more than its status as a former site for the World Expo. It’s got different attractions for different types of personalities, I think. For me, my favourite location was Odongdo Island, hands down! Just the feeling of being surrounded by all that nature is somehing special. I hope you will also set out to find your favourite. 😉
~~~

Expo Ocean Park 엑스포해양공원

1, Bangnamhoe-gil, Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do (Deokchung-dong)
전라남도 여수시 박람회길 1 (덕충동)
Hours: +82-1577-2012
Contact Nos: 09:00-21:00 (Mondays 09:00-20:00 only, other locations in the park have varying hours)
Website | More information

Odongdo Island 오동도

242, Odongdo-ro, Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do
전라남도 여수시 오동도로 242
Hours: Open all year round
Contact Nos: +82-61-664-8978
Website | More information

Hanhwa Aqua Planet Yeosu 아쿠아플라넷 여수

61-11, Odongdo-ro, Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do (Sujeong-dong)
전라남도 여수시 오동도로 61-11 (수정동)
Hours: 10:00-19:00 (Last admission 1 hour before closing)
Contact Nos: +82-61-660-1122
Website | More information

This post was brought to you by the Korea Tourism Organization.

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