Staying in a Jeonju hanok, eating local raw beef bibimbab, exploring the Jeonju stream and the Jaman Mural Village; a long, fun day of walking!
DAY 3 OF my 7-day TRIP to Byeonsanbando and Jeonju
Taejomaru Hanok
After arriving in Jeonju I spent the rest of the day exploring. I’d booked accommodation in the Hanok Village area of Jeonju. I got to Taejomaru and a woman got me checked in. It’s a really neat row of rooms looking onto a garden. The building is old and kitted out like a typical hanok. It had a nice porch area that I was looking forward to sitting on in the cooler evening. Next was food and exploring the neighbourhood.
Pungnamjeong Bibimbap
Most regions of Korea are known for particular kinds of food and in Jeonju, one of those is bibimbap (warm rice with various ingredients mixed in, and in some restaurant, locally grown, seasoned vegetables). It’s a nice easy healthy option! Pungnamjeong (풍남정) is a local restaurant specialising in bibimbap. There, I ordered a raw beef and vegetable bibimbap (육회비빔밥), something I’d never had before. I got a bottle of the local makgeolli too and tucked in to a really great meal.
Jeonjucheon Stream and Cheong-Yeonlu
I took the remainder of the makgeolli back to the hanok, then went for a walk. I headed south towards the Jeonjucheon Stream. The riverside was exceptionally green as all the plants were going crazy in the summer heat. I found a place with stepping stones to cross. There were baby fish swimming against the current tentatively fighting the current then going over the lip of the stone further down the river; I guess they’d never be going back up so hope they remembered to take their phones. I headed east to Cheong-Yeonlu (청연루) a landmark bridge with a community building on it for residents to rest in.
Hanok street and Hanbyeokdang Pavilion
Just up from there along the river is another nice street with more hanok; these seemed mostly residential with a few containing coffee shops and galleries. The road led to Hanbyeokdang Pavilion (한벽당) and a riverside trail that I’d come back to the following day to start my hike.
Mural village
I headed to Jaman Mural Village (자만벽화마을) for a stroll. On the way was a small car and pedestrian tunnel which seemed to have some significance; there was a plaque and photos. Jaman Mural Village seemed to be in two parts (probably with different names!). The part slightly further away was bigger with more murals and things to see. Warning: it’s hilly!
After taking a few pictures, I was gasping for a drink and stopped at ET Cafe (or Ggoji Ddababbong 꼬지따뽕 depending on which entrance or map reference you use. It’s an eccentrically decorated place filled with masses of film memorabilia. It takes up three or four buildings on the hill and all interconnected with steps and walkways over a few floors. There are lots of terraces and outside areas to sit in. I had a grapefruit juice and Americano and rested.
Omokdae, Imokdae Historic Sites
Feeling refreshed, I took some more pics, then headed back towards the hanok village. There’s a park in the hill with some historical buildings which I passed through. From there, there are trails going down into town. Along the way are some lovely views of the village.
TOwn at night, pasta dinner
I wandered the hanok village for a bit more as the sun was getting lower; I really liked the quieter streets in this light. I was getting hungry and sought out a Rolling Pasta restaurant located north of the hanok village in a newer part of town. I had a good oil pasta, with very reasonably priced wine by the glass. Back at the hanok accommodation, I sat on the porch with a beer and called home. Unfortunately for me, the male owner of the place seemed to be a bit drunk and it got annoying when he kept trying to offer me drinks. Also, he went out to the garden every once in a while for a smoke and seemed to want me to have the porch lights on, even though I was very happy just sitting in the night air. I get that he was trying to be hospitable, and it’s his place, but I really can’t stand the way drunk people get all ‘friendly’ and don’t seem to take a hint that you’re not interested in chatting. This is especially bad when you’re paying for accommodation!
Places visited this trip (click the ‘door’ icon to see a list):