Camera Cafe 꿈꾸는사진기 - Dreamy Camera Cafe just outside Seoul, South Korea

I am rather late to writing this blog post and sharing these pictures (in the time since I visited Dreamy Camera Cafe, Farmboy and I...and our pup Shadow, moved back home to South Africa, settled on the family dairy farm and I had a baby! Whew...An awful lot considering these photos were only taken a year and a half ago!).

A quick recap if you're reading this post and wondering what on earth we were doing in South Korea...

Farmboy and I moved to South Korea for our second stint of teaching English (the first was for a year in 2010 when we had just started dating, and ended up living in Daejeon...our second round we returned as a married couple and were placed in the teeny tiny rural town of Buan...which you can read more about by scrolling through the posts here:

One of our absolute favourite things about Korea has got to be their plethora of themed cafes.

Koreans sure do love their coffee, and what they love more than good coffee, is a cute place to enjoy it in.

I'm linking below, some of the other cafes we visited (there's a racoon cafe, dog cafe, cat cafe, flower cafe, teapot cafe...the list goes on!):

And now back to Dreamy Camera Cafe...

The cafe is situated outside of Seoul, and isn't that easy to get to. We had in a car while living in Korea and so were able to get drive there ourselves. But, the owners are so friendly, and before we had a car I had been in touch with them and they had given me really good directions for using public transport. I'll put those details at the end of this post.

We took our pup, Shadow (he went everywhere with us) and he had a ball meeting the two local pups who live with their owners (the camera cafe owners) in a sweet little house next to the cafe. You'll find them in one of the polaroid pictures below.

The cafe itself is set inside a model of an actual classic Rolleiflex twin-lens camera. The cafe is a double storey building, with seating upstairs as well as downstairs. Every square inch of the cafe is filled with cameras and camera paraphanalia. It's a photographers dream!

It ended up taking us a good hour and a half driving through the peak holiday traffic in Seoul, and so we spent the morning at the cafe, drinking coffee, eating cheesecake and being served delicious homemade pink lemonade! The owners, Park Sung-hwan and his wife Kwak Myung-hee began construction on their dream in 2012, and first opened their doors a year later. 

Both Sung-hwan & Myung-hee built the cafe in the hopes that people would visit for longer than the time it takes them to snap a photo in front of the iconic building and gulp down a cup of coffee. They encourage their customers to spend time dreaming and leave inspired to bring their dreams to life.

They even take photos of their customers with a polaroid camera, encourage them to write down their dreams and hopes for the future. Here is our Bucket List...and I often look back at it with fond memories of our visit to the cafe:

They even take photos of their customers with a polaroid camera, encourage them to write down their dreams and hopes for the future. Here is our Bucket List...and I often look back at it with fond memories of our visit to the cafe:

Farmboy and I fit right in with our collection of cameras (I had my Nikon d750...used for the photos here in this post, and my polaroid, and Farmboy came armed with his GoPro).

If you're looking for a fun daytrip from Seoul, I highly recommend heading out to Dreamy Camera Cafe. Take a book, your journal or even your knitting, and spend a few hours in the peaceful surroundings. The cafe is also just as magical in each of the 4 seasons. Head on over to their Instagram account (click here) to see more photos of the cafe in the snow, the blossoms and the Autumn leaves.

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Address:  

341-13 Jungwon-ri, Yongmun-myeon, Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

Phone:

 +82 31-771-3264

Opening Hours: 

Tuesday - Saturday 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Closed on Mondays, Sundays & Public Holidays

Directions: 

If you come from seoul, there are two ways.
1. Use the Subway:
Jungang line station (youngsan, oksu, wangsimni, Cheongnyangni station...etc). 
Transfer to the Jungang line and go Yongmun station(용문역). 
Get out from yongmun station(용문역) Exit 1

* 2hrs need from Chungnyangni station to Yongmun station

2. Use Mugunghwa Train (usually once every two hrs)
You can only start your journey at Cheongnyangni station.
Cheongnyangni station (use the subway) and take the Mugunghwan Train to Yongmun station.
It takes 40minutes from Cheongnyangni station to Yongmun station.
At Youngmun station, take exit 1.
Take a taxi (it's 7km to the cafe). Tell/Show the taxi driver  "중원리 꿈꾸는 사진기"
+-10,000won need (about US$ 9~10)

Find the camera cafe online:

• Naver
• Facebook
• Instagram

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More posts on life in South Korea:

Winter in Korea and our latest snow fall!

I have been complaining for the past few weeks about the lack of snow this Winter in Korea. Facebook kept reminding about all the snow we had here last year, and all we got was a measly few centimetres at the end of November. Well, the weather man finally heard my pleads for snow and we had a non-stop flurry of snowflakes which started last thursday afternoon and only let up Friday night, nearly a full day and night later.

While this was wonderful for me and my camera, it wasn't so great for my car. Poor Cherry (the VERY old red Matiz) had to spend the night at the bottom of the driveway after she failed (on more than one attempt) to get up the drive way to park. She spent the night under a tree and woke up to her handbrake and wheel frozen solid.  Farmboy and I spent a solid 15 minutes trying to pry her from that icy grip but to avail. Luckily the 1 degree increase in temperature during the day had thawed her a bit and we were able to get her started again...come on Cherry!

Here are some photographs from our early morning walk with Shadow, who simply adores being out in the snow. This will be one of the things we miss the most when we return to South Africa. 

Baekyangsa temple in Naejangsan National Park, South Korea

Naejangsan National Park is known throughout Korea as one of the best places to see the Autumn foliage. As with all National Parks, it's huge! Even after living in Korea for over 3 years I only just found out that there are in fact two separate temples which are on different sides of the park, each falling in a different province. Naejangsan Temple is in Jeollobokdo (click here for a full post on how to get there) and then Baekyangsa Temple (featured in this post) is actually in Jeollonamdo and closer to Gwangju. 

Both temples are beautiful and offer spectacular scenery, but Baekyangsa was my favourite. They are pretty far from each other and unless you have your own car, it would be very hard to get to both in one day. Naejangsan Temple is quite a far walk from the parking lot where the bus from Jeongeup drops you off, but there are lots of food stalls and beautiful leaves to keep you occupied as you make your way up to the temple. The temple at Baekyangsa was a much shorter walk from the parking lot, and had a lot more diverse scenery, and was my favourite place to photograph.

If driving, I have posted the address below. We started at the Naejangsan temple parking lots and then drove the 35km to Baekyangsa temple. The roads weren't very well marked and the sign posts were very erratic. It ended up taking over 1.5 hours to make the 35km journey. You might have better luck by bus going from Gwangju, however as I haven't made the journey by bus I can't offer too much info on it. When in doubt, call the English Helpline (1330 from any cellphone) here in Korea, those guys and girls work magic and will help direct you where you need to go with bus times and other useful info.

There was ample free parking near the entrance to the National Park (W3 000 per person). From there the walk to the temple was beautiful, with lots of views of the mountains and streams.

Address:

26 Yaksu-ri, Bukha-myeon, Jangseong-gun, Jeollanam-do

Just a note

Dogs are not permitted in the national Park (although we did see a few little fluffy heads poking our of handbags and backpacks). #ShadowtheJindo is too big to hide in a bag and so had to stay at home for this trip. National Parks don't allow dogs, but Provincial Parks like Seounusa and Gaemsa Temple near Gochang are pet friendly as long as your dog is lead. 

Autumn in Korea - Naejangsan National Park in Jeongeup

Farmboy and I had a very exciting time last weekend as my mom arrived from South Africa to spend the next 2 weeks with us. She has been wanting to experience a Korean Autumn since we arrived here back in 2013 and so we took her to Naejangsan National Park just outside of Jeongeup so she could experience the vibrant colours for herself.

Naejangsan is one of the most popular places in all of Korea to see the Autumn (or Fall) foliage and it's easy to see why. The hillsides and pathways are covered in a multitude of red, orange and yellow leaves. We headed there on a Friday afternoon in the hopes of missing some of the crowds, but only got lucky because of the freezing cold weather and icy wind. By the time we had arrived most of the people were on their way home, racing back to their cars and tour buses to escape the wind. This was very convenient for us as we had the mountainside just about to ourselves, and were able to quickly take these photographs before it got dark.

Naejangsan is easy enough to get to by public transport. You can catch a local city bus from the Jeongeup bus station. The bus leaves from right outside the CU Convenience store (not from the usual bus platform inside the bus terminal) which is right next door to the bus terminal. If you get lost just pop into the CU and ask for the bus to Naejangsan.

The bus ride is about 40 minutes long and you'll get dropped at the parking lots at the base of the park. From there it's about a 25 minute walk to the entrance to the National Park. There is a small (W3 000) entrance fee...make sure to bring cash as they don't accept cards. From the National Park entrance you slowly make your up through the leaves and trees to Naejagsan Temple, it's about a 1.5km walk.  Along the way there are a few stalls to buy souvenirs and other trinkets, as well as a cable car  closer to the temple which you can take all the way up the mountain side. 

Once you get to the temple and make your way back down to the visitors centre, you can catch a shuttle bus back down to the entrance (W1000 per person) or you can walk the 1.5km back down. 

Here are a few photographs of some of the interesting people we saw along the way. The walk up (and down if you don't take the shuttle) can take a looonnnggg time if you enjoy taking photographs, so make sure to bring along some water and snacks to keep you going. 

Address:

Naejang-dong, Jeongeup-si, Jeollabuk-do
전북 정읍시 내장동 , 전남 장성군 북하면 백양로

Buan, South Korea. A glimpse into our small town.

Farmboy & I have been living in Buan, South Korea for the past 2 & a half years and have really enjoyed the change in lifestyle from our first year in Korea where we lived in a huge city (Daejeon). This time around we are in 'rural' or 'countryside' Korea, but if you were to walk the streets of our town you would find it hard to declare rural. It looks like almost ever other city/town in Korea apart from the fact that we only have 1 main street lined with stores. 

However a 2 minute drive out of town and you'll find wide open spaces, tractors & four wheelers driven by old men with their old lady(ies) riding shotgun. Every street corner and square inch of open space is cultivated and tended to with loving care. 

Here are some photographs from an early evening drive around my town. The nights are getting cooler and the leaves are falling from the trees. I can't wait to photograph the red and yellow colours of Autumn, and of course the crisp, white snow of Winter still to come.

I was even able to get my pup #ShadowTheJindo to pose for a few shots too. Click here to read more about is story and how we found him on the side of the road last year September. 

Photographs taken with my Nikon D700 and 50mm 1.4 & 24 - 70mm lens.

Water Lilies in Korea

Every month new flowers bloom here in Korea, each as unique and distinctive as the changing seasons. As this is our last year here in South Korea I am hoping to be able to capture them all with my camera.

July brings with it humidity such that I have never experienced before (I have been told Dubai is worse though so I won't complain too much) but with that humidity comes the beautiful water lilies. These photographs were taken just outside my town at around 5h30am, with one the last one being an extra special photograph of my pup, #ShadowTheJindo. 

As much as I hate spiders, they were all over the lilies and I felt I just had to include at least one of them. I'm sorry if it makes you jump!

Enjoy 

x

What's your favorite flower here in Korea? 

Gamcheon Art Village, Busan

I didn't know much about Gamcheon Art Village except for having seen images of multicoloured house dotting a hillside in Busan. Armed with the knowledge of how to get there, and that it would be a very different experience to most festivals and temples in Korea, I set off in search of the village with a group of adventure loving friends.

Here is a little more on the history of the Art Village as written by Jessica Steele for the BusanHaps Website (all images are my own):

"Gamcheon has long been home to the city’s poorest residents. In the 1940s, only 20 or so houses dotted the hillside, but that number swelled dramatically at the beginning of the Korean War in 1950. War refugees fled their homes for the relative safety of Busan, the only area of the peninsula that remained free from fighting. Within a year, Busan’s population grew from 880,000 to 1.4 million people, and a half million homeless refugees needed a place to live–and fast. Approximately 4,000 people moved from the crowded port areas surrounding the Jagalchi Fish Market to nearby Gamcheon, erecting some 800 makeshift homes using scrap iron, wood and rocks.

Those shanty homes were built up into the brick-and-concrete Lego-like houses that you see today partially thanks to a man named Chol-je Cho. Cho founded Taegukdo, a religion that believes that the Taeguk, or yin and yang symbol, represents the true meaning of life and the universe. Practicing again after persecution and suppression during the Japanese occupation, Cho and his followers converted nearly 90 percent of the refugees living in Gamcheon with their gifts of rice and candy. With this help, residents were then able to funnel their earnings into rebuilding, and in 1955 the area became known as the Taeguk Village when Cho moved the religion’s headquarters there.

Although better established by the 1990s, Gamcheon and the Taeguk Village remained poorer than the rest of Busan, which busied itself by erecting skyscrapers and high-rises. In 2009, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism stepped in with the Dreaming of Machu Picchu in Busan project. Reparations were made, artists were hired to paint murals and 10 artworks were installed, some created with the assistance of the residents. In 2010 the follow-up Miro Miro project saw the addition of 12 more works, including alley paintings and path markers perfectly suited to the project as miro means ‘maze’ in Korean. These days, visitors can see trick art, sculpture, and even rooms or buildings remodeled around a singular art concept, such as the Book Cafe shaped like a giant coffee mug, or rooms interpreting themes such as ‘peace’ or ‘darkness’.

While the village’s remaining 10,000 residents are now used to the influx of tourists, photographers and filmmakers, they are still wary of them, and many do not care to be the subject of photos. The village is open from 9:00 to 5:00, and is free of charge. For more information, and to buy the illustrated souvenir tourist map, you can head to the village’s Haneul Maru Tourist Information Center and Observatory, where you’ll also get a great view of the city".

When we arrived we headed straight for the tourist help centre and bought one of the super cool Gamcheon Village maps. There is a blank page inside the map for you to collect stamps that are hidden inside some of the art rooms. This made our walk into a sort of treasure hunt adventure and was lots of fun. My tip to the art village was one of the highlights so far of my 3 year stay in Korea and I highly recommend visiting it. Perhaps in Spring or Autumn when it's not so cold and try head there for early morning or late afternoon when the light isn't as harsh for photographs.

Directions

1. Take Subway Line 1 (accessible from Busan Station) to Toseong Station.
2. Come out at Exit 6.
3. You will be facing an intersection. Turn right at the corner and walk straight. You will see a hospital on your right. The bus stop is right in front of the hospital.
4. Take either Bus 2 or 2-2 (W800 pp)
5. This will take you to Gamcheon Culture Village at top of the hill.

Happy Christmas from South Korea!

Wishing all my readers a very happy Christmas and a wonderful year ahead! Thank you for reading and following along in my search for pretty-ness.

<3 Roxy

Free Shipping for my South African Readers Ordering between now and Dec 26th!

For all my South African readers, I will be home for 3 week visit from the end of December until the middle of January and I wanted to offer you all free shipping on items in my stationery store! I will be in Johannesburg for a few days and then the majority of my time will be spent in KZN (Pietermaritzburg). If we can arrange a convenient meeting place during that time then I will simply pop your order into my suitcase and bring it along with me, saving you the hassle of worrying about items not arriving in SA.

All you have to do is go to my store (click here) select your items, and then choose the 'Pick up/Local delivery option' for shipping. Payment is done using your credit card through Paypal, which is very safe and secure. 

I have also made up a few custom packages for customers who have emailed me items they would like and then I have given them my South African banking details to make payment. Let me know if you want to do something similar, but hurry as time is running out! 

Happy hopping everyone!

Suncheon Bay Ecological Park

Suncheon Bay is most famous for it's huge expanse of reeds which grow so tall that one can get lost walking through them. The reeds are incredibly beautiful to watch swaying in the breeze. Suncheon Bay is widely known for attracting a large number of rare birds  such as the hooded crane, white-naped crane, white stork, black-faced spoonbill, and the Eurasian Oystercatcher, as well as other birds designated as natural Korean treasures. 

We didn't explore much of actual Suncheon, but rather headed straight for the Eco Park. There is lots to do there, from wandering around and enjoying the views to grabbing a coffee to enjoy on your walk through the reeds.

This time of year (Autumn) is particularly beautiful at the Eco Park as all the trees are slowly loosing their leaves, dropping red and yellow leaves all around. The light is also spectacular

Directions

Suncheon bay is at the very bottom of Korea and is easy enough to get to – take any bus heading for Suncheon. Once you get to the main bus terminal, cross the road and head left. Once you get to the end of the street turn right.You need to take the 67 Bus (a 20 minute ride to Suncheon Bay). 

#DIYDaysInKorea {third meet-up}

Last weekend I organised the third #DIYDaysInKorea get together for crafty ladies here in South Korea. 

It was such a nice opportunity to spend time together, without spending a whole lot of money but while still having fun.  There was good food, homemade Gluwein, laughs and a whole lot of DIYing (not too much from my end, I like to think my DIY part comes in taking the photographs!).

We even have a Pinterest board for us to share ideas and inspire one another, we're cool like that. If you're here in Korea and you'd like to join in the next time we get together (sometime in February next year) join our Facebook group (click here), we'd love to have you!

Buan, South Korea

Farmboy and I live in a very small town here in Korea called Buan. It's not much, but it has become our home and we are happier here than we were when we lived in Korea's third largest city, Daejeon.

Winter is just about here, and before it got really cold I managed to get these photographs of the drive into town. Just to give you an idea of what 'rural' Korea looks like.

The Hanji Paper Festival in Wonju

A few weekends ago we headed up to Gangwon Province in the north of Korea to see the Hanji Festival in Wonju. It was a rather far drive to make, but we were rewarded with a rather pleasant festival experience as there were very few people, unlike the rest of the festivals we have been to so far (Fall Leaves in Naejangsan and the Spring Flowers in Gwangyang). 

Hanji  literally means “the paper of Korea”. The main material is the fibrous skin of the mulberry. Hanji is not simply paper, as it is used in a variety of ways. Each different way has a different name according to its use.

"The manufacturing process of Korean paper is complicated, slow and laborious. The dry mulberry is cut after the frost has arrived and is peeled off after steaming. It is immersed in water for one day and, after being dried under sunlight, the bark is peeled off, steamed again inside an iron pot and immersed in caustic soda. The steamed bark is smashed inside a stone mortar after the water has been squeezed out. Then it is rinsed in water after being placed inside a wrapper. The washed mulberry is mixed with water and a natural adhesive. Next, the fibres are strained through a bamboo screen, which is shaken back and forth to create a crisscross pattern of fibres. The pulp is then dried by stacking it on a wooden panel and placed in the sun, completing the process." Korea Tourism

It was really interesting seeing how the paper is made, and seeing all the different ways it's used. A lot of the lanterns here in Korea are made with Hanji. The festival was over a 4 days, so even though it's over now you might want to visit next year (see info on how to get there at the end if his post).

This was also our first weekend away with our new puppy, Shadow (full post to come on him soon) and it was a rather interesting learning experience being around other people and lots of noise while carrying a new puppy. 

How to Get There:

151, Hanjigongwon-gil, Wonju-si, Gangwon-do
강원도 원주시 한지공원길 151 (무실동)

-From Dong Seoul Bus Terminal, take an intercity bus bound for Wonju.
-From Wonju Intercity Bus Terminal, take a taxi to Hanji Theme Park.
OR
Take bus 2-1 at the bus stop located across from Wonju Intercity Bus Terminal.
Get off at Youth Center (청소년수련관). Walk 10min toward Hanji Theme Park.
 

Autumn Festivals in Korea 2014

Summer will slowly be drawing to a close here in Korea, and with that we can expect a break from the humidity and of course something that Korea is very famous for, it's Autumn/Fall foliage.

Here is a list of upcoming festivals to look forward to in September & October. The leaves won't be turning yet, that happens towards mid November, but there are enough interesting things to see before that happens.

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September 2014

25th September – 28th September Wonju Hanji Festival in Wonju (Traditional Korean Paper)

Hanji Theme Park in Wonju-si, Gangwon-do

Source

26th September - 5th October Andong Maskdance Festival

Downtown Andong, Talchum Park, Hahoe Village and surrounding areas in Andong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do

Source

26th September - October 5th Suncheon Bay Reeds Festival

Suncheon Bay in Dongcheon, Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do

Source

October 2014

1st October - 12th October Jinju Lantern Festival

Namgang River in Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do

Source

1st October - 5th October Gimje Horizon Festival

Byeokgolje in Gimje-si, Jeollabuk-do

Source: CoKoreanAdventure

1st October - 5th October Anseong Namsadang Baudeogi Festival

Anseong Matchum Land in Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do

Source: VisitKorea

2nd October - 11 October Busan International Film Festival

Theater District in Nampo-dong, Suyeong Bay Yachting Center, Haeundae Beach, and other locations in Busan

3rd October - 9th October Mungyeong Traditional Chasabal Festival (Traditional Tea Bowls)

Mungyeongsaejae Provincial Park in Gyeongsangbuk-do

Source: VisitKorea

October 4th - October 8th Gwangju World Kimchi Culture Festival

Jungoe Park in Buk-gu, Gwangju

Source

23rd October - 26th October Jeonju Bibimbap Festival

Jeonju Hanok Village in Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do

Source: VisitKorea

Thank you to Visit Korea for the above information. 

DIY Painted Vase and How to Arrange your own Flowers #DIYDaysInKorea

Welcome to the next instalment in my #DIYDaysInKorea series. These #DIYDaysInKorea posts are about making beautiful things for your home (whether that home is in South Korea or South Africa, or any where else in the world).

If you are based here in Korea and would like to join one of my DIY days (we had our first official meet up a few weeks ago and it was such fun...click here to see what went on) you can pop on over to the Facebook group for more information. 

I hope you enjoy this series and that you leave feeling inspired.

x

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DIY Painted Vase & Flower Arrangement

Myself and my very talented friend Storm, who moonlights as a stylist & florist, had some time on our hands and found this pretty cheap glass vase at our local Daiso here in Korea. Storm straight away had an idea to repurpose it with a lick of paint, and off we went on a scavenger hunt for flowers around our neighbourhood. 

Today Storm is going to show you how to arrange your own flowers in such a way that they look beautiful, artsy and, expensive.

What You Need

glass vase or something you can turn into a vase such as a glass, bowl etc (does not need to be expensive or fancy) 

spray paint

flowers, bought or foraged from the garden or sidewalk

Directions

Easy peasy lay some newspaper down and spray the outside of the vase (I would omit spraying the inside as it was in fact unnecessary) wait to dry and get creative. 

Place sticky tape in a grid formation to help give the flowers shape and volume. It also gives the foliage more structure and keeps the flowers in place. 

Get creative with your flowers and make an arrangement from the heart. You can't go wrong with flowers, start with your foliage (the green leaves and other bits of non blooming elements) then your focal flowers (the big ones) at the base and go from there.

And there you have it, your own beautiful floral creation, without the price tag of a fancy florist.

If you create your own arrangement, please tag me in your photograph (twitter: @roxyhutton Instagram: @roxyhutton Facebook @CityGirlSearching) I'd love to see what you create.

Happy DIYing and flower arranging!

Hiking the Jagged Peaks Trail & Camping on Saryang Island

At the change of the season, Farmboy and I, along with a bunch of friends decided to head to Saryang Island to hike the Jagged Peaks trail. We didn't know much about the hike, but we did know that summer was approaching and soon we would be unable to walk a few metres without being out of breath from the humidity. So we decided to make hay while the sun was shining and packed our camping gear for the long weekend in April. 

Saryang-do ("do" means Island in Korean) is a small island just off the coast from Tongyeong. Farmboy and I were testing out Cherry (our beat up but-still-going-strong red car that we had recently bought) and drove from Buan to Tongyeong in about 4 hours. Saryang-do is the red dot on the map below:

From Tongyeong, you have to catch a small ferry to Saryang-do (be warned, there are 3 ferry terminals in Tongyeong) and the first ferry for the island was at 7am. We stayed at a jimjilbang (possibly the worst idea we could have had) but it was cheap and did mean we were relatively close to the ferry terminal. The quickest ferry leaves from Saryangdo Passenger Boat Terminal (사량도여객선터미널)  at Gauchi Harbour 가우치항, 15km north west of Tongyeong city centre so budget your time accordingly! We missed the first ferry but were able to make second one.

The ferry from Gauchi Harbour leaves at 7am, 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm and takes 45mins to an hour. Tickets were W5 500 per person and around W11 000 for our small car each way. 

Thanks to KoreanTrails.org here is some information on the bus route to get to Gauchi Harbour from Tongyeong city centre:

"Bus 607 runs from Lotte Mart in Tongyeong out to Gauchi Harbour.
Buses leave Lotte Mart at 6am, 8:05, 10:05, 12:05, 14:00, 16:00 and take 45-50mins. 
Bus 607 starts its route at Seoho Market 20mins earlier, with the exception of the 6am bus, which starts at Lotte" KoreanTrails.

The hike itself wasn't particularly challenging, but there were some very steep parts where we all had to scramble on our bums, or hang on for dear life while descending stair cases. You are making your way across actual jagged cliff peaks so even though the distance doens't seem that much (about 7km from east to west) it is pretty slow going for most of the way. It was a good 4 -5 hour hike but the views from the top were incredible. 

We were also very lucky with the weather, and had clear blue skies the entire way. 

The hike itself is designed to end at the ferry terminal, so you have a few options. Either catch a shuttle bus (which may or may not be running at the time) to the main start of the hike,  grab a taxi bus (we ended up doing this and it cost us W20 000 which we split between the 5 of us) or you can walk to the start which is a fairly long distance. You can also choose to do the hike backwards but I think the last thing you will want to be doing one you finish the hike will be walking along the main road to the terminal. 

The shuttle bus leaves the harbour 7 times a day running around the island. In the morning it runs clockwise at 6:50am, 7:45, 9:45 and 11:45. In the afternoon it goes counter-clockwise at 1:45, 3:45 and 5:35. The afternoon buses leave Donji at the far west of the island, bound for the harbour at 2:10, 4:10 and 6:10. 

We had packed camping gear and made our way to a quiet beach area. The Korean families were all jam-packed in the car park, as they tend do do (Korean style camping is VERY different from South African style camping). We managed to scramble up a small hill behind the main campsite onto a patch of land (it seemed to be private but the owner didn't bother us and we made sure to clean up everything after our stay) and had the most amazing views from the doors of our tents.

It was one of the best hikes I've done in Korea so far!

Gaeamsa Temple, Buan South Korea

One rainy Sunday afternoon, Farmboy and I took a drive out of town to visit one of the temples close by. I had heard that Gaeamsa temple was particularly beautiful during the Spring when the cherry blossoms are flowering. I have been told it is one of the quieter places to go to enjoy the pretty blossoms, without all the crowds that usually flock to places like Gwangyang and Jinhae.

It was a grey and gloomy day but Gaeamsa temple was still an interesting place to wonder around and take photographs. It's the middle of summer now so everything is beautiful and lush, with green colours all around. Inside the main temple, we were surprised to see the original architecture still in place, very old and worn down, but beautiful none the less. Most of the other temples we have visited have all been remodelled and look very new and have lost the authentic charm of their original structures. This temple still had that charm, and it was fascinating to see.

After strolling around we took a drive to Gochang (now that we have our little red car we are able to go wherever we like...it's been a game changer for us!) for lunch and found a delightful retro inspired coffee shop for a well deserved slice of cake.

"Gaeamsa Temple (개암사) is a small, quiet temple built in 634 AD during the Baekje Dynasty. Historical records tell about three-year restoration campaign undertaken by the people of Baekje after the fall of the dynasty. Daeungjeon, the temple's main sanctuary, has been designated as Treasure No. 292. The building itself expresses both refined beauty and majesty as it stands in harmony against Ulgeum Rock, seemingly taking the role as its steadfast protector" Visit Korea

Address:

248, Gaeam-ro, Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do 
전라북도 부안군 상서면 개암로 248 (상서면)