Two nights in Jeonju, South Korea

On a Monday evening we arrived to Jeonju, which is a city recogniced for its traditional food culture and development as well as its long history and beautiful Hanok Village. The Hanok Village was buzzling with people as everyone had a day off from work because of the Chuseok festive. A lot of people had rented out the beautiful hanboks - Korean traditional clothing - and were walking around the village taking pictures.

We had chosen to stay in one of the top rated hanok stays in Jeonju, Samlockhon Guesthouse, for two nights. It was right in the middle of the Hanok village, still tucked away from the noise of the main street. The hanok was beautiful and the atmosphere was very peaceful. There were 5 rooms all together named after the seasons, and one room called "and". I think someone had been feeling a little funny when naming the rooms, as they were, in korean of course, "Winter, Summer, Spring, And, Autumn". We were staying in the "And" room.

Korean Hanoks are very simple, convenient and comfortable. We had our own little bathroom with a small space to shower. There was one big futon for two people on the loft and one could lay the futon on the first floor. Inside the closet there was a small table we could use as soon as we wanted to gather for breakfast.

Our host in the hanok stay was extremely helpful and kind. He took out the map, spoke to me a lot in Korean and told us the best places to visit and to eat. We got a few great places for Bibimbap, a local rice dish invented in Jeonju, and some Meokgolli and Jjeon places.

On the first evening we took a walk through the Jeonju Hanok Village streets feeling relaxed. Then we went and enjoyed Bibimbab in a local great restaurant roughly translated to Korea House (한국집).

On our second day in Jeonju we enjoyed the breakfast made for us by the hanok stay. We had doubts on how well we would sleep as the traditional duvet is not very thick, but I ended up sleeping very well!

After, we visited the Jaman Mural Village just across the road from Hanok Village. It was a short walk with steep climbs.

After our walk it started to rain. Not much, but the weather got a bit cooler. I took a nap and after that enjoyed walking the Jeonju village historic sites. I didn't make it to Gyeonggijeon palace on time and it closed its doors while I was watching. I just didn't check the timetable this time.

On the last morning of our road trip we woke up early as the last drive was a longer one and we had to return the car by mid day. About 3 hours of driving, but we made it just on time. Once the car was returned, that was the end of our road trip and the beginning of our week in Seoul. More about Seoul in the next post!