A Chuseok Adventure in Geoje
Written and photographed by Maria Moschini.
With summer very quickly coming to an end, we decided that we absolutely had to get a beach vacation in before that. We looked at the map and did some research on a road trip-worthy place and found Geoje Island, which is in the province east of Jeollanam-do, called Gyeongsangnam-do. Geoje is the second biggest island in South Korea and is easy enough to get to by bus or car. From Gangjin, armed with loads of snacks and a road trip playlist, it took us just under three hours to drive there. The drive was easy with only a handful of tollgates, hardly any traffic, and beautiful scenery.
We arrived around lunchtime and went straight to Oedo Nursery Café, which is located in an area called Irun, close to Gujora Beach. This was one of the most picture-perfect cafés that I have been to here in Korea. It had plants everywhere, wooden beam ceilings, and loads of windows, giving you the feeling that you are in a greenhouse. The window at the counter was filled with some interesting-looking rainbow cakes, but I decided to go for a simple slice of lemon cheesecake and an iced Americano. We decided to take advantage of the sunny day and beautiful view of Gujora Beach and went outside where there were ample seating and umbrellas for those looking for a bit of shade. We met up with some friends there and spent ages sitting outside, catching up, and enjoying the view.
Next on our list was Okpo, which is the downtown area filled with loads of shops, restaurants, clubs, and bars. We were headed for a Western-style restaurant called Spoons, which we learned was known for delicious sandwiches and paninis. What I really liked about this place was that there were lots of options on the menu and the food was super fresh. After lunch and a quick grocery stop at Lotte Mart (also in Okpo), we decided that it was time to head for our pension.
Our pension was called Sun Mind Pension, located right across the road from Wahyeon Beach. We managed to book it through Airbnb quite easily. The host was really accommodating and her response time was good. It accommodated eight people and had two balconies – one of which was equipped with two outside tables, two barbecues, and a good view of the beach across the road. Since most of our group was South African, we decided that it was necessary to have a South African style braai, so we spent most of our first evening on the balcony with some good food and music. Geoje is a well-known holiday destination among Koreans and foreigners alike, so it was not long before we found some other foreigners and spent the rest of the evening sitting on the beach, watching the fireworks.
The next morning, we were up early and visited a café close to our pension called Blanc Blu, which was run by the friendliest English-speaking family and had really great cappuccinos. These became our morning staple for the rest of the time we spent there. For our first morning there, we decided to go to the Prisoner of War Camp and do the rollercoaster zipline but, since it was Chuseok, it was closed, so we made our way to Hakdong Mongdol Beach. It was the first time that I had visited a pebble beach and, although I found it underwhelming and quite difficult to walk on, it is one of the things that Geoje is well known for. Next on our list was The Windy Hill, which is a grass-covered hill that is famous for its giant windmill, views of the sea, and surrounding islands, and which has become a popular tourist spot since its appearance in more than one Korean drama. After some great photo opportunities, we headed back to our pension for some dinner and a second night on the beach.
The next day, after our morning visit to Blanc Blu and a nice, relaxing morning on the beach, which included some kayaking, we were off in search of some lunch and our next adventure. We drove back to Okpo and went to a restaurant called Ciao Bella, which was a bit pricey but so worth it. There were so many options on the menu that it made it difficult to choose, but everyone eventually chose different pastas, and none of us were disappointed with the portion size or taste. After lunch, we jumped back in the car and saw that Okpo Park was close by and, knowing that Geoje has one of the largest shipyards in the world, we hoped we could catch some good views of it. We managed to get some spectacular views of the sea, surrounding islands, and some of the ships.
We decided that we wanted to spend our last night indoors with some takeaway and a movie. There is a delivery service called Max Delivery on the island, which is super easy and convenient. We picked up a Max Delivery booklet on our first afternoon there (at Spoons) and saw that it had all sorts of food options in it. We decided on Indian food and ordered, in English, via Kakao Talk. It was fast and efficient, and the driver brought it straight into our kitchen for us – we were well impressed. Depending on where you are staying, the delivery fee varies, but it ultimately is not that much, especially when splitting the cost equally among your group. We made ourselves a “Christmas bed” on the floor of the lounge and spent the evening eating good food, watching a movie, and recounting our favorite moments from the trip.
The next day, after a delicious morning fry-up and one last visit to our favorite coffee shop, we hit the road. We stopped in Tongyeong on the way back, which is a little fishing town that is about thirty kilometers back in the direction of Jeollanam-do. After a quick bite to eat, we took a stroll through Dongpirang Mural Village, which reminded me a lot of the Gamcheon Cultural Village in Busan. It had some wonderful murals and some charming little coffee shops along the way.
With that came the end of our adventure. We never expected to enjoy Geoje as much as we did; there is plenty to do on the island, and since we did not get to a lot of it, we are heading back soon. I definitely recommend taking a few days to explore it, as it is an absolute must-see while you are in Korea.
THE AUTHOR
Maria Moschini is a high school English teacher living in Gangjin. Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, Maria moved to South Korea in April 2019.Instagram: @mariamoschini