Damyang
On Sunday, I went to Gwanju and Damyang with Steph, Ray, ji yi and hyo joo. Damyang has a well known bamboo forest that was an absolutely beautiful spot to walk around. Damyang is a beautiful spot. There horse drawn carriages going constantly as well as the crazy old people whizzing around on scooters. I particularly enjoyed the walkway when we first arrived. I loved the trees. The sign there said the trees were planted between 200-400 years to help prevent floods. I should add they were rather fun to climb too. :)
We walked a little while longer and we came across a stone step bridge going across the river. Loved it! Canada needs some of these!
We grabbed some lunch then made our way to the Damyang Bamboo Forest. Another name for the forest according to Wikipedia is Juknokone (죽녹원). It costs 1000 won to enter the park, well worth it. There is a small vendor spot a short walk up the hill where they sell (a yummy) alcohol made from bamboo. We had some drinks then kept walking. It seems that lots of couples come here and carve their names into the bamboo. Cute.
The park has also been used to film movies at. One movie filmed there was called R-Point.
Various types of bamboo grow within the park. All of it very sturdy. There were many stops along the way where would could stop and rest before carrying on with your journey. We stopped at one stop for a few minutes to catch our breaths (never eat a huge meal then go on a long uphill walk). After a few minutes of rest, we kept on our way and went to go look at a bamboo village that was under construction. We also saw in the distance a hill with some burial mounds on it. We turned back at this point and were heading towards the exit. We wanted to do some shopping in Gwanju. I noticed that on the way out, there were lanterns hung everywhere. This is done for good luck (good harvests, good health, love, wealth). We hopped the 311 bus back to Gwanju where we carried on. I’d recommend going to Damyang. It’s a neat little town with a very beautiful forest. Bring a camera, sunscreen, and good walking shoes!
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