I packed up my stuff and headed to Namhae. With a few hours to kill before checking into my next pension, and needing to go to Suncheon to the big grocery store, I had to find something to do to pass the time. I’ve been to Suncheon many times in the past and have played tourist here a bit, but decided to visit the Suncheon Open Film Set. This site has been the backdrop for many movies and dramas set in Korea from the 1960s onwards.
Caveat: I haven’t seen any movies or dramas filmed here.
It was a nice place to spend walking around for an hour outdoors. There were really interesting details, like movie posters from that decade on the walls, and each area had music from that time playing over speakers. You can also rent an outfit for an hour or two for a more authentic feel and photo taking. Each decade had common storefronts with items or replicas from that decade inside. My favorite detail was the old election campaign posters from years gone by – I see these all over the place during local and national elections, and I have to be honest: they haven’t changed much in decades.
I got to my pension which was tucked away in this remote bend of the road right next to the water in Namhae and unpacked. I came to Namhae for a week last summer but stayed on a completely different part of this peninsula. This pension is simple, but with amazing views. Not going to lie, it’s incredibly dangerous to drive anywhere in Namhae because the entire coastline is stunning and you don’t really want to keep your eyes on the road.
The family that runs this pension is incredibly kind and generous. They are hosting a Korean-Canadian couple for 6 months in their guesthouse as part of a “live in rural areas and get to know them better” program through the Korean government. We had a lot of conversations over the week while I was there, and they kept giving me food! One evening they made a boiled duck and rice dish, ori baeksuk (오리백숙), similar to the boiled chicken and rice dish samgyetang (삼계탕), but I had never tried it before. They were eating outside and invited me to join them.
Me: Oh… with covid going around, I don’t feel comfortable joining you, but thank you so much.
Them: Sharon, we are all vaccinated. Please join us.
Me: Vaccinated already? How???
Them: Sharon. We are old. *lots of laughter*
So I brought out a bunch of homemade cucumber kimchi and joined them for the meal. I also spoke mostly in Korean for about 90 minutes, with some English words or phrases translated by the Korean-Canadian couple. They all wanted to know ALL about me, my time in Korea, my family, my travels, what do I like about Korea (we probably talked for 30 minutes about all the Korean food I’ve made, and they all agree I am basically Korean because of the foods I’ve cooked and need to find a nice Korean man to marry and cook for). It was so nice to feel almost normal after 18 months of restrictions and being super cautious.
Hosts out back cutting up many kilos of “seconds” tomatoes from local farms 
Boiling a duck and rice in this pot out back 
May not look appetizing, but oh so good! 
They gave me lettuce and a cucumber from their garden – possibly the largest cucumber I’ve seen in Korea!
“Sharon, what do you pack on a 50 day road trip?” you may be thinking. Well, here it is. I must confess, I have completely turned into my mother. Growing up she would load up the car and car top carrier every year with tons of stuff for us to bring to the beach, including things she could easily buy there, like paper towels, tissues, and olive oil. I always thought she was slightly nutso for this. Now, as an adult – I totally get it. YOU WERE RIGHT AND I WAS WRONG, mom. There, I said it. No, I don’t want to spend my time on vacation shopping, and I don’t want to end up with doubles of things that I already have in my tiny apartment after the end of my trip.
Did I mention that monsoon season officially started? Yep. RAIN. So much rain, for multiple days in a row. Whenever there was a break in the rain I could see the low-hanging clouds rushing by the mountains and hills. Absolutely gorgeous. Luckily I got a few good weather days in before the rain hit, and also made Korean BBQ one evening. This pension is right next to a small nature reserve, and I saw lots of little critters and some huge boulders. Also… the sunsets from here – Oh my gosh! Every 30 seconds they just kept getting better.
While the weather was still good one of the things I did was visit Boriam Hermitage atop Geumsan mountain. I visited here last year and was eager to return – one of the most beautiful views I’ve seen in Korea. Last year I only visited the temple, but this year I did a bit of exploring the hiking trails near the temple. You drive up the mountain, then can take a shuttle bus from the lower parking lot to the upper parking lot, or the drive it yourself – it’s a 22% incline at times. No, that isn’t a typo.
From the upper parking lot it’s about a 1 km walk to the temple, and that is when I ran into the Suwon professional soccer team, the Bluewings, who were down in Namhae for a two week summer training camp and visiting Boriam on their last morning. Suwon is the next big city quite close to where I live, and I’ve been to their games before. I had a lot of fun chatting with the guys as we walked up to the temple and enjoyed the scenery.
Other things I did while in Namhae, before the monsoon rains arrived:
Spent time at Sangju Eunmorae Beach – this is by far my favorite beach in Namhae. Tons of sand, no rocks, well maintained toilet facilities, convenience store and restaurants nearby. I’m sure it’s packed during Korean public schools summer break in a few weeks, but on a Tuesday it was like having a private beach. I also love people watching at the beach.
Couple dressed head to toe in matching outfits. 
Baby shark(s)! doo doo da doo do dooo 
Not a bad way to spend a few hours.
Other things I did while in Namhae: Stopped at the side of the road a few times, including overlooking the cable car over the water and up the mountain, and a small memorial to the UN forces during the Korean War.
And on a “not beach, but not downpouring rain” day I visited the site of fossilized dinosaur footprints in Namhae. I thought the entire set of fossils was right next to the parking lot/toilet, but no – walk around the temple to the beach. Go at low tide! So many fossils and rocks to scramble about and play!
If you don’t think seeing all of the layers in these rocks that show tens of thousands of years of Earth’s history, or fossilized footprints of animals that lived 100 million years ago is cool, then I don’t know what’s wrong with you. Did I mention one of my degrees is in Earth and Environmental science and I loved learning about Earth’s history?
Another new experience during this trip was visiting the nearby town of Sacheon. On the advice of the pension hosts I visited this local park that has an entire area dedicated to forest bathing, i.e., chilling out surrounded by pine trees. This one had hammocks made out of wood. I brought my yoga mat for some cushioning, a book, and bug spray and spent over three hours chilling and reading. Completely wonderful, aside from the retirees who were playing old warbling Korean music at a very loud volume (but they left after about 30 minutes). There were also platforms and benches spread around on this hillside for forest bathing of your choice. And hiking trails – always hiking trails.
I also spent an afternoon haning hanging around Dasolsa temple looking for a bird I haven’t yet seen, but was told it was in the area. I didn’t see the bird (oh well) but I did really enjoy this temple, which has a big hillside of green tea plants behind it and lots of pine forest with walking trails around. Have I mentioned how much I love visiting Buddhist temples in Korea? They always make me slow down, notice details, and make me smile.
Mom, you mentioned checking for ticks… YUP we do that here, too! In fact, sometimes there is a free spray nozzle with bug spray at the entrance to hiking trails.
It sounds like I did a whole bunch of stuff while I was in Namhae, but really I mostly relaxed, especially once the monsoon rains came in. It was fantastic.
Next up: Tongyeong!
My wings are dusty 