Company for the day (:
3 hours bus ride.. much of which was spent in dreamland (I woke at 5.30 am)
Jeonju Hanok Village - what the locals call the only tourist attraction in Jeonju (psst, it was quite boring and the entire place felt so commercialized)
**DA FAMOUS JEONJU BIBIMBAP**
Beansprout Rice in Soup (hangover soup)
Popular Black Sesame Patbingsu (trainee pastor's treat!)
Jeonju Gyeonggijeon
(Built to preserve the portrait of King Taejo)
Our marvelous guides for the day: Trainee pastor (extreme left) and friend (extreme right)
He bought the admission tickets (to the place above) for us and when I tried to pass him the money, his reply astounded me. He gently declined my money and remarked that it was his treat - it was an act that in his words, mirrored "the depth of (God's) love". The amazing thing is that before this trip, he didn't even know any of us and yet, he could find in himself, the capacity and ability to welcome us with all his heart and treat us like we've known each other for years. He's from the same church (but different branch in Korea) as the girl in blue and having heard from fellow church members that she was visiting Jeonju and was interested in Easter church service, he just drove down to the Hanok village to meet us and bring us around (even if there was no service that day). It's surprising frankly, to see how friendly and genuine these people are, even to strangers. Religion certainly unites (people's hearts) but to extend this warmness unreservedly to even her friends - that takes a great deal of character. Though the time spent together was short, they've earned my admiration and.. I guess it's through encounters like these which make us want to become better people ourselves.. To be willing to give without expecting anything in return, to share one's joy with others and perhaps, colour the world with a few more happy smiles.
Guard on the left was dozing off while (not) standing at attention..
Fan museum that I didn't get to visit because no one seemed interested ><
Jeonju's known for its production of traditional paper (eg. used in fans).
On our way to Omokdae, we came across this mural painting residential area! Prettayyyyy!
The picture on the right used to be one of our "guide's" grandfather's house
Trainee Pastor kindly invited us for tea at his church - what a lovely coincidence to get the Winnie Pooh mug ^^
Us with the lovely Church girls (:
Trainee pastor and his fellow church members brought us to their Jeonju Metropolitan Museum of Art, despite their busy schedules.. I felt incredibly amazed and yet, humbled by their unassuming friendliness and warm hospitality.
Visit to Makgeolli village where I had my first sip of Makgeolli!
Back to Seoul - a long, tiring 3.5 hours ride back. (snoozes)
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