A Solo Trip to Yeosu, Korea in November
Last week I boarded the KTX from Seoul Station at 7am to head down south to Yeosu! Our train arrived at Yeosu Expo Station around 10:30am where I took a taxi to the Hamel Lighthouse. Turns out, a Dutch man named Hendrick Hamel and his crew got shipwrecked off the coast of Jeju Island in the 1600s where they were brought to the king and forced to stay in Korea for about 13 years. He ended up spending a lot of time in Yeosu where he set up a small home. When Hendrick was finally able to escape and make it back home to the Netherlands, he wrote one of the only existing accounts of Korea by a foreigner at the time! You can read more about him here.
From the lighthouse I walked over to the Nangman area which is a collection of restaurants and cafes on the top of a hill overlooking the harbor. While there were tons of places to choose from, I ended up in Kafe Bimi.
This cafe has a small selection of pastries and fantastic coffee - not to mention the amazing view!
I sat there for a bit admiring the gloomy harbor below and then headed out to the bus stop to continue my trip south.
Kafe Bimi
Instagram: @kafe_bimi
Address: Yeosu-si Goso3gil 35 2nd Floor
Hours: 11am-9pm (closed Mondays, closes at 5pm on Sundays)
My next stop was the Hyangiram Hermitage which was one bus straight from the center of Yeosu. The ride took about 45 minutes and was mildly terrifying (lots of sharp turns on cliffside roads) but once we got to the base of the mountain I was ready to go!
I should have realized that ‘hermitage’ means that it’s not exactly easy to get to or near civilization, but that only crossed my mind about halfway up the incredibly steep hillside. By the time I had reached the hermitage itself it was about 20 minutes later and I was sweating. The hike was worth it though because you could see for miles! The hermitage itself was also really interesting because it was built into the rocky mountaintop so there were lots of corridors that looked like cave entrances. Overall, a great little stop!
The road up to it is filled with restaurants and people selling kimchi but most of the places were closed (it was around 2pm on a weekday) and they also cater to larger groups so finding food for a solo traveler was difficult. I decided to head back into town for a meal.
Hyangiram Hermitage
Address: Yeosu-si Dolsaneup Hyangiramro 60
Website: http://www.hyangiram.or.kr/
I found some jjigae back in the main city center, walked around the harbor through the park, and then headed to my home for the night. It ended up being next to a cute cafe called Modny where I was able to journal, grab a cup of tea, and then settle in for the night.
The next morning I woke up early and did something I probably will never do again. I took the Yeosu Cable Car across the bay…with a glass bottomed car. Suspended hundreds of feet over the cold water, with just 3 little layers of glass beneath my feet and the waves. Not my forte.
The ride itself was calm with minimal swaying and a really gorgeous view but I think it goes without saying that if you have a fear of heights you ought to stay far away from this attraction. I only went one way (thank goodness) and headed straight from the cable car to lunch to calm my nerves.
Yeosu Cable Car
Address: Yeosu-si Dolsaneup Dolsan-ro 3600-1
Website: http://yeosucablecar.com/
Hours: Everyday 9am-9:30pm, 9am-10pm Saturday
Lunch was a delicious plate of pad thai from Baek Huin, a little shop run by two women who offer two menu options per day. Today’s menu was ratatouille and pad thai (the former had meat in the tomato sauce so I had to pass) The place is apparently really popular on weekends so they take reservations, but on a Wednesday right when they opened it was just me and one other family. The meal and view was fantastic and the owners were really sweet!
Baek Huin (백흰)
Address: Yeosu-si Goso3gil 33
Instagram: @backhin
Hours: 11:30am-8pm (Break Time 3-6pm, Closed Tuesdays)
I crossed the street to the WYD Coffeestand where I was met with even more nice shop owners! The coffeeshop is also a bakery so I had a salted caramel chestnut cake that was absolutely to die for and a perfect cup of coffee. The cafe is three floors plus one balcony all overlooking the shimmering water below. I sat there taking in the view and amazing playlist while watching all the boats go by. I highly recommend putting this little gem on your list!
WYD Coffeestand
Address: Yeosu-si Goso3gil 64
Instagram: @wyd_coffeestand
Hours: 12-10pm, Closed Tuesdays
Before my train back to Seoul, I had enough time to stop by Manseungri Beach which is famous for its black sand that isn’t sand at all. The beach is actually covered in varying sizes of black rocks that make the waves sound more like a fizzy drink than waves crashing on a beach. November isn’t exactly a popular time to go to the beach so it was me and a few other people taking a walk, but in summer there seem to be lots of food stalls and cafes right along the water!
Manseungri Beach
Address: Yeosu-si Manseungri-gil 30
After the beach, I grabbed my things, checked out of my guest house, and headed back to Seoul!