Damyang Bamboo Forest
(Juknokwon)
Warning: photo heavy
It was a pretty weekend in Mokpo so we decided to go on a day trip to Damyang bamboo forest. This forest is located in Damyang which is about a 40 minute bus ride from Gwangju. We left around lunch time grabbing our usual lunch of Isacc toast at the bus terminal and headed off to Gwangju. After confirming the route at the information kiosk, we headed out to wait for the local bus no. 311. This bus is not direct and has multiple stops, but it will stop right in front of the forest. The bus ride took about 40 minutes.
The entrance to the forest has a cute water wheel and some pandas. The admission was 2000 won per person. After you enter you will follow the pathway around the forest. We went all the way around and it took about 2 hours on a hot summer day, with, multiple photo stops. There was quite a fair amount of people in most parts of the forest, granted we did go on a Saturday.
Everything was green! To be expected of course! There are different photo ops along the trail and also a souvenir/snack pavilion where I got to try the bamboo ice cream. This was very refreshing on the hot day, but tasted a lot like green tea to me. Still yummy, since I love green tea ice cream :).
After passing through multiple bamboo with initials on them, we decided to leave a mark of our own. I know, cheesy but hey once in a bamboo forest, carve your initials... Right? Lol. Near the end of the trial there were more pandas. This time they were playing in the waterfall. Very cute in deed.
After the bamboo forest we decided to find our way to the Metasequoia road. This road is apperently very famous and very beautiful. Looking at the map, we thought it was just up the road across the river. Boy were we wrong! Well it was up the road and across the river, but it was a 30-45 minute walk from the bamboo forest. We stopped and asked multiple people and they just said to keep going. An alternative route is to rent bikes and ride the whole way or go by taxi. We finally made it after Alan spotted the line of trees in the distance - the only sign in English was about 50 meters from the entrance.
Metasequoia Road
There is a 1000 won entrance fee for both sides of the road. It is divided by a parking lot and rest area. Keep your ticket so you can enter both sides! One side is significantly shorter and a lot less crowded. We followed the crown and walked down the path hugged by these gigantic trees, but it was to crowded to enjoy, so we headed back to the other side.
Orange Clash
After our very scenic walk we ended up at the rest stop at a restaurant called Orange Clash. The menu was the usual western mix of pasta, steak, and pizza. We had the cheese pizza and the Katsu steak. They were both delicious! It was starting to rain so we decided to head back. One of the problems we always run into when we travel to another city or tourist spot is the lack of transportation back to where we started. Our options were to walk back to the bamboo forest and wait for the bus, take a taxi from the rest area, or take a bus from the rest area. Since it was raining we decided to take the fast route and go by taxi....if there was one in sight. It took quite a while to find one, standing in the rain. The taxi took us to the Damyang bus terminal. From there we got on a 311 bus back to Gwangju. Success!
Tips and Recommendations:
Mokpo -> Damyang
Take a direct but to Gwangju, then local bus no. 311 to Juknokwon. You will catch the same bus on the way back either from the bamboo forest or the Damyang bus terminal. These buses run on ~15-20 minute intervals.
* Wear comfy shoes, and if you plan on biking appropriate attire.
* Bring your camera!
* Avoid crowds by going on a weekday, or early morning - if you plan on going during the festival weekend (which happens to be the World Bamboo Festival next year in June 2015) be prepared for A LOT of people!
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