Gwangju, Bamboo, and the Green Tea Fields

They give their green tea to astronauts, y’all.
My friend Crissy and I started our 4th of July like any other red-blooded Americans would; we ate McDonald’s breakfast. We left Sasang station (Busan) and arrived in Boseong in about 3.5 hours. It’s definitely not a bad trip if you’ve got a book to read and a tummy full of McBreakfast.

AMERICA.

Our first stop was the Boseong green tea fields. The green tea fields are amazing. The photo opportunities are endless, and there are definitely endless numbers of couples taking photos. If you’re tired of seeing adorable couple-y outfits in other parts of Korea, this isn’t a good place for you to escape it. They’re everywhere and they’re cute.
Boseong is known for the quality of its green tea and is referred to as the green tea capital of Korea. The plantation itself began during the Japanese occupation and has been in operation ever since. Over the years it has become famous worldwide, even landing a place on the list of things astronauts can eat. It’s astronaut food, guys.
All in all, a visit to Boseong is definitely on the list of things I’d recommend for people to do while in Korea.

Our next stop was Gwangju. We met up with one of our first friends here in Korea so he could give us a tour of Gwangju. I guess we technically Japan, though, because we met him in the airport on our way to Korea. Anyway, we got to explore Gwangju for a little while, catch up with our friend, drink beer, and get a feel for the expat community there. I have to give it to the folks in Gwangju, though. They know how to make folks feel welcome. From what I heard, all of the foreigners there are in a pretty close knit group. I was a little jealous.
Gwangju was a nice mix of big city and small town. It almost reminded me of a mix of Seomyeon (Busan) and Hongdae (Seoul).
We ended up staying at one of the many love motels in the downtown area. We chose Pharaoh Motel because it was conveniently placed and it was pretty cheap. Split between both of us, it was about $15, and it seemed clean enough. We had a ladies evening complete with facial masks and bed jumping.

Our last stop was Juknokwon (the bamboo forest) in Damyang. The park itself is pretty big and you could probably get lost easily, so keep an eye on the maps around the park.

Getting there:
Our trip to Boseong started at the Sasang bus station (Sasang exit 5) much like most of our other trips.
Tickets to Boseong from Busan are 18,700 Won (~$17)  and the bus ride is comfortable enough for napping, and we all know that’s what’s most important on a 4 hour bus ride. Just ask for Beoseong at the ticket counter.
You’ll have to transfer to a smaller (and greener!) bus at the end of the line when you get to the Boseong bus terminal, the fare is cheap, and it takes you straight to the green tea fields.

To get from Gwangju to Juknokwon (bamboo forest) bus 311 from Gwangju’s U-Square Express Bus Station. The fare is around 2,800 Won.