We kind of messed up our journey to Jeonju. We knew it was a fair distance—around three hours by train—but what we *didn’t* factor in was that it was a Saturday, and unsurprisingly, a lot of the trains were fully booked. We ended up spending most of the day hopping on slower buses or sitting around in train stations waiting for a later train with seats available. Not our finest travel moment!
On the plus side, we got to try a “meat donut” while waiting. It was exactly what it sounds like—a sweet, fried dough filled with a spicy pork and onion mixture. A very strange combo of flavours and textures, and I’m still not entirely sure if I liked it or not… but I finished it, so I guess that says something.
We arrived at our hotel quite late and tried to order takeaway, but had no luck without a Korean phone number. We even tried asking at reception, but after a lot of back-and-forth using Google Translate, we gave up and walked to the McDonald’s around the corner instead. Sometimes, you just need the easy option. Then it was back to our room for a bit of Netflix in bed—a rare and welcome hotel luxury!
The next morning, we were determined to make the most of our only full day in Jeonju. We started off at the Hanok Village, a traditional area filled with beautiful old-style Korean houses and narrow streets lined with little craft shops, cafés, and photography studios where you can have photos taken around town in traditional clothing. It’s a big tourist spot for locals, and it was buzzing with people. We kept being offered cake and eggs by friendly strangers—possibly because it was Easter, or maybe they’re just really enthusiastic about eggs here?
Grace got her fortune from one of those popular coin machines—they’re everywhere here—and apparently she will “find adventure in the east and be betrayed by a friend.” The first part definitely checks out, and as for the second… we’ll see if she manages to annoy me enough to fulfill the prophecy!
We tried to visit the calligraphy and paper museum, but it turned out to be closed on Sundays. So, in what’s becoming a bit of a trend, we decided to get another portrait drawn instead. This one actually resembled us a bit more than the last one, so we’re improving! After that, we wandered around the shops and ended up buying personalised stone stamps with our names written in Korean—such a cute little keepsake and a new way to sign off our postcards.
Next, we made our way to the mural village—an area filled with colourful street art, with everything from nature scenes to famous faces and cartoon characters. We had a relaxed wander, taking photos and just enjoying the creativity on show.
From there, we headed to an old stretch of disused train track where you can ride along in modified pedal carts. It was a fun, 30-minute cycle in the sunshine—nothing too scenic, but it was a quirky experience and a good way to enjoy the nice weather.
Our final stop for the day was the launderette. Sadly, the days of cheap laundry services are behind us, and in Korea, it’s all self-service. It took a little time (and some creative app translations), but we managed to figure it all out and got our wash and dry done—emerging victorious and with clean clothes in hand.Next up: our final stop in South Korea—the capital, Seoul! Don’t worry, this time we’ve *pre-booked* our trains.
I’ll write again soon, Love, Alice x