It has been a while since my last domestic trip.
This time, I decided to go to Mokpo.
For Koreans, it’s a city that almost everyone recognizes by name,
but surprisingly, not many people have actually traveled there.
Compared to how well-known it is,
Mokpo doesn’t get chosen very often as a travel destination.
It feels different from popular cities like Busan,
Gyeongju, Jeonju, or Gangneung.
I’ve been to Mokpo several times.
I’ve visited with friends,
been introduced to good restaurants by a friend from Mokpo,
and even taken a spontaneous trip here with my girlfriend.
About eight years ago,
I also stopped by Mokpo while traveling around the country.
But then I realized something.
I had never really traveled Mokpo properly, alone.
During that nationwide trip, I was by myself,
but Mokpo was more like a base camp before heading to Jeju.
I stayed here mostly to rest and recover,
without really going around the city.
This time, I wanted to take it slow.
To really look around Mokpo.
With that goal in mind,
I booked a train ticket to Mokpo.
Of course, experiencing Jeolla-style cooking
and visiting Mokpo’s famous restaurants
is also an important part of the plan.
The trip is four nights and five days.
It’s not a short schedule at all.
For a trip focused solely on Mokpo,
four days is more than enough.
Some might even say it’s long.
But if the goal is “good food,”
it’s actually not enough.
I don’t eat much.
Two meals a day is usually my limit.
And since I don’t really drink during the day,
a proper meal with alcohol only happens at dinner.
So with four nights,
that means only four chances for a proper meal with drinks.
Just a side note,
this is why my trips often end up like this.
Not much going on during the day,
and wandering around drinking at night.
Destination: Mokpo.
Schedule: four nights, five days.
With the plan set, I booked the train ticket.
Mokpo is the final stop of the Honam Line.
You can get there by KTX.
In the past,
all Honam Line trains departed from Yongsan Station,
but KTX departs from Seoul Station.
Even on a weekday,
it’s not easy to book a KTX ticket.
Honestly,
I booked a KTX from Seoul Station without thinking much.
If I had booked an SRT from Suseo Station,
the trip would have been more convenient.
Why did I assume the Honam Line didn’t go through Suseo?
I guess it’s been too long since I traveled by train.
On the day I returned from Mokpo,
I realized I could go back to Suseo and quickly changed my ticket.
Next time I go to Mokpo, I’ll take a train from Suseo.
Though I’ll probably forget again by then.
I boarded the train at 12:10 p.m.
The trip to Mokpo takes about two hours and forty minutes.
That’s a bit late for lunch after arrival,
so I bought some kimbap at a convenience store and ate it on the train.
The woman sitting next to me had bread for lunch.
This is what trains departing around lunchtime feel like.
The train that leaves Seoul splits into two at Iksan.
One goes to Yeosu,
the other to Mokpo.
It probably won’t happen,
but if you get on the wrong train,
you’ll end up somewhere completely different.
The train arrived in Mokpo right on time.
Stepping off the train, I was surprised.
Seoul had been very cold.
But Mokpo wasn’t.
I brought only one thick padded jacket to pack light,
but it felt like I might get too warm wearing it.
And during the day, I actually walked around without my coat.
Mokpo really does feel like a southern city.
Of course, once the sun went down,
it did get cold.
It wasn’t warm enough to skip the padding entirely.
I spent a little time at the station plaza.
It was a strange feeling.
I couldn’t remember the last time I traveled alone within Korea.
And standing in Mokpo,
a city that isn’t completely unfamiliar
but not entirely familiar either,
felt oddly refreshing.
I found myself looking forward to the days ahead.
I didn’t book a hotel near Mokpo Station.
The area around the station is part of the old downtown,
and many of the accommodations there felt dated.
The newer places were mostly guesthouses, which didn’t suit me.
I wanted quiet time to myself.
So I booked a clean, newer place in the new downtown area,
around Pyeonghwa Square.
Mokpo is a small city,
so even taking a taxi to the new downtown would cost less than 10,000 won.
Still,
I felt that taxis didn’t suit a trip meant for moving slowly and observing.
So I searched for bus routes instead.
In fact, I barely used taxis on this trip.
Maybe twice?
Only in remote places where buses didn’t come often.
I had plenty of time.
And in situations like this,
taking the bus — even if it means waiting —
felt like a better way
to experience Mokpo.
And now,
the Mokpo travel posts begin.
Please look forward to Mokpo’s food, and its old downtown, explored slowly.
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