When foreigners visit Korea, they want to have delicious Korean food. Also, the recent Mukbang trend shows eating a variety of delicious food is fun. There is a growing recognition that it is better to enjoy eating and be happy. So, I’ll introduce travel courses where you can enjoy delicious food and heal your mind at the same time.
Damyang is located in Jeollanam-do and is adjacent to Gwangju, but it is well-known for being a small, quiet country town with bamboo forests and nice scenery. The town’s air is fresh and its residents seem relaxed. From Daegu to Gwangju, it takes two and a half hours by bus, and it takes an additional 40 minutes from Gwangju to Damyang, arriving at the Damyang local bus terminal. Here is a tip. If you don’t want to carry all your baggage and don’t have a place to deposit your belongings, the Damyang local bus terminal has a cafe where you can store your baggage. If you buy a beverage there, you can leave your baggage for free.
The first course in Damyang is the noodle street to appease your hunger after the long bus ride. Damyang is famous enough for noodles to have a whole noodle street dedicated to cheap and delicious noodles that you can have on low bamboo tables in front of the noodle store with the cool river wind. There are anchovy noodle soups and young radish mixed with noodles on the menu as well as eggs steamed with bamboo leaves as a side dish. I recommend them because they are very delicious to eat with noodles. After that it’s time for a nice walk. The second course is just walking the metasequoia- lined road. I tried to drop by Metaprovence, a small tourist village, first, but I think it is better to take a walk after eating. Damyang’s metasequoia-lined road is the most beautiful boulevard. Even though summer is very hot, it is cool under the shade of the tall trees. While walking slowly, I can feel the whispering wind while surrounded by the green trees. The peacefulness can also help me heal from my hectic daily life. If you feel up to it, it is good to have bamboo ice cream along the metasequoia-lined road.
After enjoying a walk, the third course is Metaprovence. Metaprovence is a European themed travel destination based on small villages in the south of France and located next to the metasequoia-lined road. There are a variety experience programs, sites and food and cultural facilities like an outlet mall and pensions. The village is a very beautiful place, so I can understand why people take so many pictures here. You can see many pictures on social media sites. It is like a theme park that brings animation into reality. Every wall has a mural like the Little Prince or angel’s wings, so it’s a great spot for taking pictures. The pop art paintings and fountain in the square are also interesting. The place is not completed yet, but I think it will be great once it is done. The fourth course is Juknokwon in Damyang, which is famous for its bamboo forest. Juknokwon has been a popular filming location for TV dramas and has long been a famous tourist attraction. When you go into the entrance of Juknokwon, the bamboo forest welcomes you. In the bamboo forest, there are signs describing the filming sites and there are pavilions, chairs, and hammocks made out of bamboo to relax in. Also, there are cute panda sculptures for children. Juknokwon has not only the bamboo forest, but also a Hanok Experience Center, a waterfall, and an Art Center.
The last course is eating Daetongbap, rice steamed in bamboo, and Damyang tteokgalbi, a type of grilled short rib patty, which are the most famous foods in Damyang. Actually, this is the course most anticipated by me because I heard from my friend that people who visit Damyang should eat daetongbap and Damyang tteokgalbi. Daetongbap is Damyang’s local dish of glutinous rice or rice, black soybean, jujube, ginkgo nuts and pine nuts steamed in bamboo. Other areas call this Juktongbap or Daenamutongbap (rice in Bamboo). Damyang tteokgalbi is minced Korean beef shaped into a patty and pan-fried. With a variety of side dishes from the Jeolla Province to accompany daetongbap and Damyang tteokgalbi, these beloved dishes made a happy ending to the trip. The one thing to keep in mind regarding a Damyang trip: it is a small country town, so its transportation is not good. I recommend that you take a taxi because it is a cheap ride from the noodle street to the metasequoia-lined road or Metaprovence. You can also rent a bike and to go around Damyang. When I traveled to Damyang, I really felt satisfied. I highly recommend this place if you want to take a trip.
