Korea: Ilsan Lake Park Fall 2016

Ilsan Lake Park is a residential park a relatively short-ish trip out from Seoul city proper. It's only one or two stops past Hwajeong on the line 3 trains (get off at Jeongbalsan, exit 2) and is a really pleasant place to spend an afternoon or even a full day. During my visit the weather was splendid, sunny and warm without being overwhelmingly humid or sweaty, perfect for a leisurely hike. After lounging around a bit to let my lunch digest and then checking out the animal exhibit nearby, I continued my exploration of the park. It's a pretty big place, and I could spend countless hours here! During this visit I had to mind the angle of the sun as I had quite a long walk ahead for myself and wanted to have some light left near the end of it if possible. There's a lot to see and do inside the park itself, though, like checking out the toilet museum or the various different gardens... if you're more into running or biking there are tracks looping around the park specifically for those purposes! If you'd prefer to relax and watch the birds there are plenty of benches and bird houses to enjoy. It's truly a lovely park and something I was happy to have so close to where I was staying. I didn't get to visit the park as much as I'd have liked, but these things happen. Seoul is such an active and lively city it's really hard to fit everything there is to do into any visit, even one that's 6 months! The seasonal changes here are quite pronounced, too, so it's well worth it to see the different destinations in their different stages throughout the year. This visit having been towards the middle-end of summer or early fall, it was still lovely out and the foliage lush and green. I imagine it's a bit more toned down during the winter, then gorgeous come spring. Perhaps in the future someday Antho and I will get to find out. We have some plans for future travel and living abroad, but they're still just in the planning stage yet. You know I'm not going to let that opportunity go to waste, though! 💗

For now, enjoy the photos!

More photos below!

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. 

Enjoy the photos!

More below!

Korea: Spicy jjampong on the way to Ilsan lake park

Oh, jjampong, what a delightful dish!

It's a spicy soup with seafood and crisp vegetables atop springy, chewy noodles. Served with pickled radish and savoury brown sauce here, it was a warming lunch indeed. This restaurant advertises their flare for spice with these cute posters adorning their walls; 

I mean, look how satisfied he looks despite the sweats! What spice level would you dare? I tried to order the level 3 but the two people I talked to advised against it, and when the cook himself comes out of the kitchen to try to admonish you about your food choices it's probably time to sit back and listen. In the end my soup was plenty spicy, just enough to make my nose and eyes water without being inedible, so I was able to eat the entire bowl with little problem. I do remember my lips burning for a little while afterwards, but that's a reasonable price to pay for the thrill of the heat. I wonder what a level three would have been like...someday I hope to try it, but until then it was a good meal and I enjoyed myself. It gave me plenty energy for the afternoon hike around Ilsan lake park that was to come, and then the ambitious hike back to Hwajeong after that. If you've never had jjampong, I highly recommend it! You can find it in a lot of Korean restaurants in the US, like Island Style or at the food court of Greenland Market here in Las vegas, along with countless restaurants in most large cities. Tiny restaurants like these are all over the place through any suburban area of Seoul and they're one of my favourite things, so I'm always happy when I find places back home that remind me of that experience. It's a special kind of nostalgia, the kind that leaves your lips tingling and your belly full and satisfied. One of the best things about living in South Korea is how affordable the food is- this big bowl of goodness and all the side dishes were only 6,000₩, or roughly 6$US (give or take, depending on exchange rate) with no need for a tip. It was a fully satiating meal and had lots of fresh colourful vegetables and seafood so I'd consider it reasonably nutritious...I mean, it's a lot of carbs and likely a lot of oils too, but probably not the unhealthiest thing you could eat for that sort of value. Most fast food orders cost more than that, after all, and how many veggies are you getting in that typically that aren't deep fried? Suffice to say, I love and miss meals like this, and try to replicate them when I can. So good!

After lunch I made my way to Ilsan lake park, which was only one or two trainstops away from where I was staying at the time. During my first week living there I'd walked back from there to the apartment where I was staying after my guide had to leave for other matters. We'd ridden to the area in her vehicle, so i'd been able to watch the roadside landmarks as we passed through and was able to use those to guide myself back. It was a long walk, over 10 miles, but it felt good and this trip was taken with the intent to recreate that original trek. This time I had a pedometer and map with wifi so I was better equipped than the first time through...yet in the end I found myself getting rather lost... so it's quite a good thing I fueled up with a hearty bowl of jjampong before striking out on my adventure! Ilsan park is beautiful and I highly recommend giving it a visit at any time of year, as it's charms change and evolve with the seasons. There's even a toilet museum. How can you resist that?!

More photos below!