Nau speak: Korea: Ilsan Lake Park Animal Exhibits

Ilsan lake park is a large park surrounding a lake just outside of Seoul proper. At over 990,000 Square meters it's one of the largest man-made parks in Asia! It's a beautiful and relaxing destination, open year round. If you're taking the subway, take line 3 to Jeongbalsan station and it's a roughly 5 minute walk from exit 2. My first visit here was spontaneous on my part, as my friend and housemate Yonie invited me to go to lunch with her in the town surrounding the park on a day I hadn't any other plans yet. There's also a large shopping mall with tons of entertainment and food options along with all the fashion and cosmetics you could want. Since it's a bit outside the city proper it's cheaper to shop out here, too~! On our first trip out Yonie helped me pick out some skincare at Apieu and espoused their affordability and quality, and had some tasty grub. I ended up at the park because she had a meeting to attend, and since I didn't need to be directly involved (especially given my non-existent Korean speaking skills) she suggested I explore the park for a bit.

Something came up and she had to leave, at which point I ended up finding my own way home without taking the subway- Hwajeong is the next town over, and though it's a 10 minute drive it was quite a walk. I'm not complaining, though, believe it or not- I was quite thrilled with how far I'd trekked! I didn't have wi-fi or any reliable cellular usage that first time through (all those websites bragging about universal free wi-fi throughout Korea aren't considering the rural / suburban areas so much) and I wanted to get a measure of the feat, so I returned with tools, and camera, ready to recreate my journey. Of course, the walk was for the return home, and I still had some sunlight left with which to enjoy the park grounds. There's a LOT to do here! I'd love to go back and spend more time exploring the park, hopefully with Antho there by my side. The juxtaposition of modern apartment blocks jutting into the sky around the park is in stark contrast to all the lush green gardens, animals and flowers within. I had a wonderful time strolling the grounds! There were many couples and families out enjoying the lovely weather, too.

Ilsan lake park is definitely a nice destination for a relaxing day near Seoul if you find yourself in the city for any length of time! The photos in this post will be primarily focusing on the animal exhibits, so as to keep from bombarding you with too many all at once.