Hidden Shrines of Gwangsan-gu
By Isaiah Winters Along the hillocky western edge of Gwangju is the sadang archipelago. These sadang (사당), or ancestral shrines, pock the forests of pine and bamboo that every year … Read More
Category: Lost in Gwangju/Honam
Forgiveness over Permission – Three Places You Probably Shouldn’t Visit, Unless You Do
By Isaiah Winters I wish I stuck to normal hobbies. I do like hiking, golfing, and swimming, but my inner Mr. Hyde always hijacks these and veers them off … Read More
More Than Just a Beach: Spending a Week in Wando County
By Isaiah Winters Before the last of this year’s summer weather left us, I spent a week in Wando County poking around in search of sites other than the well-known … Read More
A Tale of Two Valleys: Swimming Deep in the Mountains of Gokseong
Fed up with the two-hour drive to half-decent beaches only to swim under the punishing gaze of killjoy lifeguards guarding me from life, I’ve retreated deep into the mountains of Gokseong County to swim in peace. In this edition of “Lost,” I’ll bring you along to two of Gokseong’s beautiful valleys terraced with swimmable pools of pure mountain spring water, each with nary a lifeguard in sight. One valley is perfect for the crowd-loving extroverts among our readership, while the other is fit for the misanthropic troglodytes among us who truly believe that three’s a crowd. So, without further ado, let’s jump in.
Three Lazy Hikes Along the West Sea
By Isaiah Winters I hate the West Sea. It’s shallow and muddy with a color palette usually ranging from some metallic sludge to full-on dirty dishwater. In last year’s August … Read More
Yeongsanpo’s Steady Erasure
By Isaiah Winters Yeongsanpo in Naju harbors a lot of history. The former river port is linked to Joseon-era tax collection, Japanese-era origins of industry and Christianity, plus the modern-era … Read More
The Shortcut to Knife Rock
Located about an hour and change southeast of Gwangju, Obong-san (literally “five-peak mountain”) has left me smitten for its topographical variety, bucolic bayside views, and one of the most unique rock formations I’ve ever seen: Knife Rock (칼바위). In this edition of “Lost,” I’ll carve out a few paragraphs on what puts this mountain in my top 10.
Sunchang’s Ami-san and Moonie Church
Sunchang County’s been on a roll lately in terms of tourism promotion. The county boasts a pair of suspension bridges at Gangcheon-san and Chaegye-san, plus the new zigzagging boardwalk up Yonggwol-san. The county’s tourism crown jewel is probably its hanok-inspired Gochujang Village, adjacent to which is the new Sunchang Fermentation Theme Park (순창발효테마파크), which is about the most Jeolla pair of tourism facilities imaginable.