Last Updated on October 22, 2015 by Nancie
Welcome to week 251 (10/22/2015) of Travel Photo Thursday! I have been yearning to get out of Seoul, and last Saturday I finally did it. I day tripped with the Royal Asiatic Society to Danyang, North Chungcheong province, exploring Gosu Cave, Woraksan National Park, and cruising Chungju Lake. The drive took a little longer than expected due to huge amounts of smog/pollution across the entire peninsula this week. Thankfully, we had a great bus driver who navigated the smog and heavy traffic without incident. Once we got to where we were going the weather was picture perfect!
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Our first stop was Gosu Cave, which, with luck would have it,we arrived just before lunch and the afternoon crowds. The route inside the cave is well laid out, and easy to navigate. Towards the end the stairs got a little steep, but nothing to worry about. I didn’t really care for the circular staircase, which seemed to go round and round forever. It was just a matter of not getting dizzy, and making sure that my feet stayed on the steps. The cave was discovered in the 1970s, and it is designated as a national monument. The caverns, stalactites, and stalagmites are pretty to look at. Photography is a bit of a challenge with the not so great lighting.
A brief explanation of the importance of the cave, and the entrance leading up to the cave.
We meandered through the cave along well built and maintained man-made paths. There was a bit of stair climbing, and I honestly could have done with the circular staircase. I am such a wuss! 🙂 The light made photo taking a challenge. Here are a couple of my better shots.
Here you can see people navigating the catwalks.
We stopped for lunch at a traditional Korean restaurant serving vegetarian fare. The tofu soup was delicious as were all the banchan. Even the acron (featured in this photo), not usually one of my favorites, mixed with cabbage and gochujang was tasty. You might also recognized the egg dish from my recent visit to Gwanghwamun Jip. The remaining side dishes were mostly vegetables and roots gathered from the local countryside.
Then it was off to enjoy blue skies, and stunning scenery, as we cruised on Chungju Lake. The lake is a result of the Chungju Dam, the countries largest dam project. I loved the rock formations!
One of at least two bridges that span the lake.
Our final stop of the day was the Cheongpung Munwha Folklore Village , which is a reconstruction of Cheongpung Village. The historic village was submerged after the construction of the Chungju Dam. It took three years to relocate the historic building to this site overlooking ChungJu Lake.
Village entrance…
Honestly, I have seen so many Korean traditional buildings over the years, they really don’t excite me. However, the glorious fall colors and the lake views were outstanding. The fall mums added the perfect touch of color along the pathway.
We couldn’t have asked for a better day; sunshine and perfect temps.
The Royal Asiatic Society offers regular weekend excursions across the country. If you’re going to be in Seoul over a weekend, you might want to check out what they have on offer. The tours are affordable, well organized, and a perfect way to see what lies beyond Seoul.
If you’re planning to visit Korea, autumn is one of the best times of the year to travel the peninsula. The temperatures are balmy, no humidity, and lots of sunshine. Check out the Korea Tourism website for what to see and do.
Please welcome our co-hosts this week: Jan from Budget Travel Talk Rachel from Rachel’s Ruminations
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36 responses to “Korea: Fall Colors in Danyang, Korea”
What a beautiful day out – so much to see (pretty photos!)
I would really love to live in South Korea, my daughter & I visited Seoul last year and there is just so much to see and do, and whenever I see/read stuff about it it makes me want to move there….maybe one day! I particularly love that last photo with the fall colors and mountain being framed by the trees!
Hi Hannah. Yes, there is definitely always something to see and do here. Spring and Fall are the best times of the year.
The lake is beautiful Nancie and the sky was so clear and blue! Lovely autumn colours. I liked the look of the food and it seemed really authentic. You are lucky to be in the midst of such an interesting food culture Nancie.
Hi Jan! The food here in never dull, and the rural food is always authentic and good. We had glorious weather that day, after the nasty smog lifted.
Lovely photos! I particularly like the lake ones – and the one of the bridge really reminds me of the Golden Gate Bridge for some reason. Enjoy the fall weather!
Hi Jill. I loved that bridge, too. I think it’s the color.
The food sounds delicious, Nancie, but the views and your photos of them are absolutely gorgeous! Fall is such a beautiful time, great tip about visiting then. Enjoy!
Hi Marcia! Nice to see you here. I was very taken with the views, too. I find that usually if there’s water, there’s a view. 🙂
Thanks, Nancy! Yes, water does provide spectacular views. I’m beginning to notice the colors on the trees here in NYC. Sometimes, it feels like fall’s taking its own time but it’s coming.
I’m not a big fan of caves, not sure why. But I am a big fan of fall, I think it’s my favorite season out of the 4. Too bad we do not have it here in the Middle East. Hehe.
I am fascinated by unique architecture but if you’ve so many already, I guess your eyes will see it as a normal thing. So yes, I did love that shot of the traditional Korean house. :p
Hi! Yes, I think the traditional house is interesting for anyone who is not familiar with them. I’m not a big fan of caves either, and luckily this one had good walkways, and didn’t take too long to get through.
Hi Lydia! Thanks. Yes, it was a beauty of a day. This is really one of the best times of the year to be in Korea.
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Wow, smog so bad that you have trouble driving? I can imagine that living in that it would be such a relief to get out of the city and see blue sky! The fall foliage in Danyang looks lovely. We don’t get such striking colors in the Netherlands.
Hi Rachel. We’ve had nasty smog here all week. It was nice to see blue sky. The colors in Canada are prettier than the colors here, but I still like the fall colors here in Korea.
This looks like a wonderful day trip. I like that they offered a variety of attractions. I’m a fan of caves so always great to see what others look like. Love how that village looks and all the Fall colors.
Hi Mary. I must admit that I’m not a big fan of caves, but this one was okay. I enjoyed the above ground views a lot more!
I’ve always enjoyed your photos of fall foliage in Korea. I’m glad that they made the effort to move the historical buildings when they built the dam. It’s always sad to me when modernization destroys bits of the past. I have had the same problem taking good photos in the low light atmosphere of a cave. Carrying a tripod up all those stairs does not seem like a good solution either. So glad that the skies cleared up when you got out of the city. I hear that Malaysia has it really bad right now with hazy pollution.
Hi Michele. Yes, it seems like this smog/pollution is affecting a lot of places in Asia right now. I was surprised that the Koreans had the foresight to save these buildings. Often here, it’s out with the old and in with the new.
It’s fun being a tourist in your own city sometimes. Caves aren’t really my thing, but I would like to do a cruise on the lake. The rock formations on the lake are very interesting.
Hi Kathy! I’m with you on the caves, but it was a relatively quick trip through. I loved the lake cruise.
251 weeks, what a legend. Sounded like a lovely day out, great pics and beautiful scenery!
Hi Aaron. Thanks. Fall in Korea is beautiful, and we are having a long stretch this year. I’ll take even a few more months of this, minus the smog!
Hi Nancie, What a great day trip this appears to have been. I am not keen on caves, but the lake certainly calls out my name! Sorry to be late to the link up but we’ve had a week of storms that knocked out the internet on two successive days. At least we weren’t hit with mud slides like on the island of Hydra. Looks like the sun might return on this Sunday morning. Have a great week~
Hi Jackie! Glad you could make it, and that the storm is behind you. I hear you about the caves, and the lake 🙂
The scenery is beautiful. I love the fall colours. Your entire day trip to Danyang sounds great. I will certainly check into the Royal Asiatic Society tours if I ever make it to Seoul.
Hi Donna. The best time of the year here for colors is now. Spring is lovely, too. The cherry blossoms and magnolia are show stoppers. This was a great day tour and the RAS always put on good tours.
You and I were thinking the same thing. We both had our minds on fall foliage. Your photos are lovely. Love the bridge photos too!
Hi Suzanne. Yes, it’s that time of year. I’m glad you liked the photos, and Koreans do build some great looking bridges.
We love autumn no matter where we are, but how special to see it in Korea. Hope we can follow in your footsteps someday.
It is a beautiful time of the year here, and do come and visit sometime!
it’s interesting to read how many of us are not fans of caves! But the lake and the fall colours certainly look wonderful. it must have been fabulous to escape the pollution for a day
Hi Jenny. Yes, I am surprised at how many people (me included) really don’t care if they ever see the inside of a cave! It was nice to get away from the pollution, which has been so bad lately.
I just arrived in the U.S. after a couple of months in SE Asia so I’ve just caught the tail end of the leaves. Korea is truly beautiful during that time of year and I’m happy to have visited some spots there. I drove through Danyang during a busy weekend and didn’t get to enjoy it as a result. It was jampacked for the local festival and there was construction going on along the river as well. It looks like you made it during a perfect time. I loved those shots of the river and of the leaves from above. Thanks for sharing this look at Danyang, Nancie. How long do you plan on being in Korea?
Hi Duke. It really was a perfect day in Danyang. The crowds were not that bad. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be in Korea, but probably another 3 or 4 years. 🙂