Mokpo & Oedaldo

For our very short vacation that came upon us super quickly, we decided to wing it. We took an hour and a half train ride down to Mokpo, a beautiful and relaxing city on the sea. We found a hotel with no problem and set out across town. Our first agenda was food and lucky for us, the cab driver dropped us off in front of a hamburger and french fry joint! Anytime we go to a bit of a bigger city, we are always craving western food and boy did it hit the spot. We walked along the sea, saw a few museums, and Gatbawi Rock. Legend has it that a fisherman dropped his father's coffin into the sea and because he felt bad for not caring for his father enough, he sat on the hill with a large bamboo hat covering his face so that he couldn't see the sky. He turned into stone, as did his father who rose from the sea.

We found a small beach with a gorgeous view of the sunset. Mokpo is known for raw skate, raw croaker, raw octopus, and blue crab...so of course we opted for the blue crab. We got to the restaurant and ordered just to find out that the blue crab is raw as well. I ate it mixed with rice and wrapped in seaweed. Baby steps here :)

Day 2: We climbed Yudal Mountain which led to a beautiful view of the city and the sea. There were little statues and pagodas to rest along the way. Went to Fisherman's Park and The Sculpture Park.

Day 3: We took a ferry from the Mokpo Coastal Ferry Terminal for Oedaldo Island. Oedaldo is 1 kilometer by 1 kilometer and considered a "Love Island" for its views of the sunset. It was only 9,000 Won for a round trip ticket! In July and August Oedaldo has a seawater swimming pool that is free entry! The ferry ride itself was gorgeous and relaxing. We could tell it was raining in the distance, but as the ferry was coming up to the island, the dark clouds moved on, the sun was shining directly on the island, and the sea was glistening. It felt like a movie.

I felt a bit out of place considering I was the only foreign girl and wearing a bikini. All the girls either had on a bikini top and shorts, or a bikini bottom and a shirt. Even the men were wearing shirts in the pool! There was a big awning covering a portion of the pool that many Koreans were huddled under. I guess they value their skin a lot more than we do! After swimming in the pool for a while, we explored the tiny island and found a beautiful green field, tents you can rent to camp out for the night, and a deserted swimming beach. Oedaldo felt like our own little secret paradise!