Yangpyeong: A Hidden Gem Near Seoul

Semiwon Garden is a botanical garden filled with large lotus ponds. Even though the lotus flowers only bloom in summer, the park is open year round. There are various ponds filled with colored lotuses and water lilies. We went at the beginning of the lotus season so not all the flowers were bloomed, but the ones that had bloomed were beyond gorgeous. As were were walking around the park we got a see a family of ducks resting near the pond. 

Dumulmeori is a short walk away from Semiwon Garden and has a separate entrance fee. You can take a bridge from one to the other, so you don’t have to leave the park. The name means “head of two waters.”, which checks out because the Bukhangang River and Namhangang River converge here. Dumulmeori is essentially a riverside park with lots of seating and food stalls. There is not much to do here compared to Semiwon Park but there is a snack here that is quite popular.

Dumulmeori has a Korean styled hot dog stand called Dumulmeori Lotus Hotdog. In Korea the word hotdog usually refers to corndogs, but Korean corndogs are on another level. What makes a Korean style hotdog really unique is the sugar coating on the breading. These hotdogs have lotus leaves mixed into the breading, and it comes in two flavors: spicy or mild. Michael and I got one of each so we could try both flavors.

This quaint cafe is located in the mountainous countryside of Yangpyeong. 소풍, or “sopung” is the Korean word for picnic, which makes sense as there are huge picnic baskets located on the fields in the back of the cafe. Next to the cafe is a building where you can order food and rent picnic equipment. It was very hot that day so instead of sitting in the grass we opted to sit on the porch, but there is a lot of seating inside as well. The exterior of the cafe is lush and bursting with plants, produce, and decor.

It felt like a dream as we sipped our ades (Korean sparkling water) in the summer sun. There are a variety of drinks and desserts that are labeled in English, and the staff are very kind and some can speak English well. Most importantly, there were several very friendly cats residing there. The calico cat Younghei loves to speak and receive lots of love so be on the eye out for him, he must be cousins with our cat Nellie! We could have easily spent two hours there just enjoying the peaceful nature. It is the perfect quiet place to have a good conversation.

This place has been on my bucket list for years, and it’s how I initially found Yangpyeong. It’s a huge vintage camera shaped building in the middle of the country side. Inside the camera is actually a cafe which was created by the owners, who dreamed of owning a cafe next to their house, and made it a reality. Because of this, the owners encourage people to write down their own dreams. After you order, they give you a book with examples of dreams and you can write down whatever you want to accomplish, large or small.

The cafe has two floors and we sat on the second floor to enjoy the view through the window lens. It’s a smaller sized cafe with vintage cameras and polaroids plastered all over the walls. As we were writing our dreams we enjoyed a latte, lemonade, and a beautiful croffle topped with ice cream. The environment was really lovely as we were surrounded by nature so we were very relaxed. It was the perfect atmosphere as we were writing our dreams that we would like to accomplish in the next five years. There are a variety of pencils, pens, and markers so we could illustrate our ideas as well.

After writing our dreams, the owner scanned it and put it in a book so when we complete it we can come back to the spot and see our original hopes. She gave us a polaroid of our dream so we can always remember what we wrote. The owner was very helpful, kind, and encouraging. It was a refreshing breathe of air being reminded no matter what age we are it’s always okay to dream. After writing our dreams, the owner helped us take pictures outside suggesting what poses to do, she was so nice and we really enjoyed the experience.

For our late lunch, we drove to Sinnae Boribap. This restaurant is out of the way from the heart of Yangpyeong but due to the quiet nature of the countryside, we knew we would be eating some good food. The main menu items are duck meat cooked in various ways and boribap which is barley rice. Michael had never eaten duck at a restaurant so he was quite excited to try. The staff recommended we try the duck bulgogi which is offered with half or a whole duck. Also, we had to try the barley rice since it’s in the restaurant name. The barley rice came with a variety of vegetables so we could make a bibimbap.

Our last stop was Yongmunsa Temple. Nestled high up a valley on Yongmun mountain, this temple was constructed in 663 during the Joseon Dynasty, and remodeled during the time of King Sejong. This isn’t one of Korea’s most notable temples, but we found it surprisingly beautiful. There are a few things that make Yongmunsa Temple interesting. To get to the temple requires a long but easy stroll up a beautiful mountain road. There is a small stream and the path is well shaded, so it was a great place to take a walk.

Surprisingly, Yongmunsa Temple is home to the largest ginko tree in Asia, at 15m in circumference. At least, that is what they claim. According to Monumental Trees, it is next only to a ginko in China, depending on how you measure. Of course there is a website dedicated to tree sizes… Also, it’s at least 1,300 years old, making it the second oldest ginko in the world. It was truly beautiful, with a massive appearance like I’ve never seen before. I love seeing the ginkos in Korea, especially in fall, so it was very lovely to see.