Naju Yeongsan River Hwangpo Sailboat - 영산강황포돛배

I've been wanting to go on the Hwangpo Sailboat rides along the Yeongsan River for several months now, but I had been holding back and waiting for someone to go with me. Finally I had my chance because I had a friend visit me during my vacation period, so I dragged her there. It was a scorcher of a day with a heat index of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit; thankfully on the water it was much cooler with a breeze. 

You can take the 160 bus from Naju bus terminal and get off at the first stop once the bus crosses the river to get to the boat rides. It is fairly obvious to see from the bridge that crosses the river.  We were charged 8,000 won per person for the ride, even though the sign said it was only 4,000....I am not sure if we were ripped off or if it had something to do with the time of day, season, or etc that we were charged more. Before paying you are required to fill out an info sheet with your names, contact info, gender, and show an ID to get your ticket. Life vests must be worn while riding the boats as well. 

We rode the boat with a group of 5 older men who were clearly enjoying themselves. They offered us everything from beer, makgeolli and soju to drink, which we politely turned down. So instead they gave us ice cream and wouldn't take no for an answer. The guys tried really hard to strike up a conversation with us, where we were from and why we were in Korea. They told us we looked beautiful, pretty, and like barbies.... they wanted to make it clear that they thought we were pretty ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ. Flattering or too much?? They even wanted to take photos with us...and even though they sent us some pictures I know it wasn't all of them. It was a bit amusing though, as they had my friend pose with one of them and do a 'Titanic' pose at the bow of the boat. He was respectful, posing with her while making sure not to make body contact with her. Since they were drinking they got to be a little too much toward the end of our trip, but thankfully enough one of the guys told his friends to knock it off and just leave us be, which I appreciated. The guy driving the boat was looking out for us too, making sure the men didn't overstep any boundaries and even told us both once to move seats so that we could sit in the shade and not get sun burnt. He seemed like a nice man. 

The river was a bright green due to lots of algae accumulation in the water. I overheard the men on board the boat talking about how the river resembled a green tea latte. ㅋㅋㅋ I think it was an appropriate comparison. It made me curious why so much algae was growing in the river. I wonder if it is because fertilizer from all the nearby agricultural land is getting into the water systems and causing algal blooms in this summer heat. Nevertheless the river was beautiful.

We saw this rock formation on the cliff side while on the trip that is famous as well, as it is supposed to resemble a man and woman kissing. From a distance you really could see the image in the cliff face. It was cool to see, but I was unable to get a decent picture of it. The river and surrounding area itself was really gorgeous, with the green water, mountains, and cranes flying past. Taking a traditional style sailboat along a river that historically was a main route for inland trading was a unique cultural experience that I am glad I finally was able to try. 

Shimhyang Temple and Naju's Cherry Blossoms

This weekend I decided to stay home and explore the area more. My main goal was to find and photograph the beautiful cherry blossoms that had exploded in bloom over the last week. I had always wanted to see Korea's blossoms, so I knew that I couldn't miss the opportunity. I met up with another friend that lives in Naju and we went for what turned into a very very long walk. I had heard there was a lake nearby that had blossoms around it, so we set out for it.

As we were walking we came upon several cherry trees here and there that had blossomed, so we took many photo stops. The main mountain in Naju, Mt. Geumseong, had many cherry trees spotted along it, which was quite a site, with patches of what looked like white/pink puffs along the mountainside. We decided to try and see if we could get closer to some of the trees that spotted the mountain and that is when we stumbled upon Shimhyang Temple.

According to the sign placed in the temple, "Shimyang Temple [...] is a branch temple of Baekyang Temple as the head temple in the 18th District of Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism that succeeds to the long veins of traditional history and culture. It is said that Shimhyang Temple was established by the great Buddhist priest Wonhyo during Unified Shilla Kingdom and the name was Mireukwon at the establishment. The temple is also said to be the birthplace of Buddhism for our national guardian as King Hyunjong prayed for the peace of Tungustic people in Manchuria in 1011 (the 2nd year of King Hyunjong in Goryeo Kingdom) thereafter. There are records that the temple was repaired heavily in 1358 (the 7th year of King Gongmin) and reconstructed by Mongsu in 1789 (the 13th year of King Jeonjo). [...] Shimhyang Temple as a whole is appointed to be Jeonnam Province's Cultural Heritage No. 88, in order to acknowledge its value and history. [...]"

The temple holds many national and cultural heritage treasures. I thought that the temple was very beautiful and simple. With what looked like fairly fresh paint, the temples were bursting with vibrant color. The temple was a nice stop during our walk, providing us with some beautiful scenery and a little history all at once.

After our visit to the temple we continued on towards the lake. We found some really rustic looking concrete stairs that were covered in green moss and grass and decided to see where they led. Turns out we found a much prettier shortcut to the lake then the map we had been following. Cherry blossom petals were raining down all around us thanks to the light breeze by the lake and the view was stunning. There were blossoms everywhere. I didn't know what to photograph first. There was also bamboo flute and saxophone music coming from somewhere nearby that really set a peaceful atmosphere. The area was filled with people, couples, families, and friends that had come to walk along the lake. It was a very romantic setting. We walked along the lake and I must've taken over 200 photos of the blossoms. They were whiter than I had expected. I had thought they would be a deeper pink in color. They were still wonderful to look at though. The contrast of the white flowers against the dark blue of the lake and the bright sunlight made for some really great photography. Here are some of my best blossom photos...I will really try to keep it to a minimum. If you want to visit and see these blossoms in person,  I recommend visiting at about the end of the first week of April. They can be found at 한수제 (the lake) along 경현길 or Gyeonghyeon-gil (the street name).

The Main Street, lined with Blossoms

Blossom Close-Up

The pinkest blossoms I saw

Along the mountain path

The Main Street, GyeongHyeon-gil

The blossoms, 한수제 lake, and mountain together give a breathtaking image

The street was also lined with vendors selling street food and popped rice. For the first time I saw how popped rice is actually made which was interesting. Popped rice is a very popular Korean snack, and it has a very simple taste. My friend and I spent most of the afternoon sitting in the shade, listening to the music and watching as families came and went, taking photos and enjoying the beautiful Saturday's weather.

The Restaurant - Naju Gomtang House

After our expedition, photography, and relaxation we needed to have dinner, so we hunted down the famous Gomtang (Or beef bone soup) restaurant in Naju and had dinner there. On the outside the restaurant looks incredibly small, but it is surprisingly large once you enter. Naju Gomtang is unique in that it consists of heel and brisket meat which is added to the broth. The menu itself is also quite small, consisting of really only three choices. The first choice is regular gomtang, while the second is gomtang with sliced beef and rice, and the third choice is simply sliced beef. With a menu so simple, but such a packed restaurant, you know that the eating must be phenomenal.

My Meal

Sliced Beef Gomtang (수육곰탕)

The Menu

As you can see, the restaurant is very famous, and many Korean television shows have visited this location and featured their dish. It is delicious, I recommend it to everyone. If you want to have Naju style gomtang, what better place to try it then Naju itself!

Naju Image Theme Park

In regards to Naju Image Theme Park, I would first like to recommend properly researching the transportation to and from the park prior to visiting. During my visit, my friend and I simply took a taxi from the northern region of Naju straight to the park. I do not recommend this. The theme park is much further than I had originally assumed so it cost us 27,000 W to be driven there. It was only when writing this post that I realized that there is a 180-1 bus that can be taken from Naju station to the Gongsan bus stop and that a taxi can be taken from there to the park for a much cheaper price.

EDIT: I visited the park for a second time and found more reliable transportation. From Naju bus terminal take bus 105 directly to the theme park. The bus ride is about 50 minutes from the station, and leaves Naju bus terminal at: 7:15/9:20/11:25/13:05/14:45/16:45/18:25/20:35. The same bus will pick you up from the across the street from the park at: 7:10/8:35/10:45/12:50/14:30/16:10/18:05/ and 19:40. Round trip on the bus costs about 3,000 Won. The 105 bus is yellow in color and smaller than the 160, 196, or 999 buses that come to the terminal since it is an inner-city bus.

When we went to leave the park there also were no taxis at the site and we were somewhat stuck there. We had no phone service and were unable to call a taxi on our own. Luckily enough we were fortunate to find a young couple our age and asked for their help. We asked if they could call a taxi for us, but they happened to be going in the same direction as us and were kind enough to give us a ride. I was so thankful to the both of them for being kind enough to help us. I will always be grateful to the both of them and regret not getting their contact info. Thank You Wonderful People!!

The Naju Image Theme Park was built as a film set for movie and drama filming, so it is quite far into the countryside. When I arrived I was surprised because there were no other buildings around except for a few dairy farms. The film set was impressive. The first entrance visitors walk through is the main wooden entrance gate. Beyond that there are photos and hand prints of many of the famous actors and actresses that have filmed at the site.

Main entrance with drawbridge

After this visitors will reach the drawbridge and larger entrance to the outer town. The outer ring of this historical set is where the commoners would live. This is where the simple wooden houses with wooden shingle roofing were located. There was a stream that ran through the outer town and livestock pens where goats were kept. Chickens ran about the area along with some very tough looking roosters that clearly owned the roost. A single miniature horse also occupied the area by the main gate and welcomed visitors. I liked this set because you could actually enter some of the buildings and look around. They were empty and bare since there is no current filming happening at the location, but it still was interesting to look around. It was this lower town that held most of the shops as well, including the one food place where we had lunch, a pottery souvenir shop, and rooms that had musical instruments and costume props in them. I really felt like I had stepped into a drama at this theme park. I have not seen any of the dramas that were filmed here, but I am excited to watch them in the near future and curious if I will recognize the scenes as places that I have been before.

Mini Horse Welcomes You

Typical Housing in the Outer Town

Main Entrance

After passing through the outer town there was another large gate that lead to the inner town. This is where noblemen and scholars would typically live and work. The houses here are also made of wood, but are more upscale and sturdily built than those in the lower town. These houses often had an outer deck or gathering area accompanying the house itself and were suitable for higher classes.

Past the inner town was the main attraction, the palace. Since this is a set the palace is smaller than some actual ones that I have visited, but it was still very interesting. The main area of the palace was close to a large square in shape with large lookout posts at the front entrance. The main throne room was to the left upon entering, as well as the houses and rooms for the royalty living there. If you continued straight into the palace there was more housing and a shrine for prayer. There also was a constellation map on a large stone near the shrine. Out the back side of the palace there was a path up the mountain which led to a very nice lookout area, allowing you to see the entire palace from above. Here are some of my best shots of the palace itself. Since we arrived fairly early in the day there were not that many people at the palace, so I was able to get some great photos without people cluttering them.

This is the main palace throne room
(there were several throne rooms located in the palace itself as well as below it for scenes)

One of the Palace Walkways

Overlooking the entire palace from above!

The Palace Shrine

EDIT: The photos above you may recognize if you are a Korean drama fan. It was here that scenes for both the dramas Scarlet Heart and Goblin were filmed. It was here that in Scarlet Heart the 4th prince (played by Lee Joon-gi) performed the rain ritual which would change his status. It is also here in the drama Goblin where Kim Shin (the Goblin) is betrayed by the jealous prince and the palace scenes were taken. If you are a fan of either drama, these may be places you want to visit, photograph, and reenact some scenes.

The fancy pond and area where the queen would have lived

The same pond in the summer time!

This last photo ... I would like to live here. It was so beautiful in a traditional way. I would like to live in a place this beautiful, but with some modern amenities of course...

Beneath the main throne room of the palace there were many different sets for various scenes set up. I liked these as well because it was fairly interactive and there were a lot more places that you could put yourself in the scene then in most places. There were some places that were off limits, but less than I would have expected.


Some of the historical dramas that have been set here include: Jumong, Kingdom of Wind, and Isan.

- Jumong is set in the kingdom of Goguryeo and is about the life of the kingdom's founder - Jumong. The drama aired in 2006-2007 and has 81 episodes.
- Kingdom of Wind is set in the three kingdoms period, which aired in 2008 with a total of 38 episodes.
- Isan is aired in 2007. This drama has a total of 77 episodes and is about the life of King Jeongjo, the 22nd ruler of the Joseon dynasty.

From the looks of it...I have three very long dramas to add to my watch list...

Overall I had a lot of fun at this theme park and I definitely would recommend it to others. The park also offers other activities such as horseback riding, archery, pottery making, and trying on costumes. Since I went in the winter these options were not available yet, but I still found enough to entertain me for several hours.

Naju Image Theme Park Address
Jeollanam-do Naju-si Gongsan-myeon Singok-ri San 2
전라남도 나주시 공산면 덕음로 450 (공산면)