Suanbo Hot Springs & The Gosu Cave

28 February - 01 March 2012 (Tuesday - Thursday)

I planned a ski trip with my buddy, Shirley. We both had the end of February off, so I maximized on our free time and planned a trip to the Sajo Ski Resort in 수안보 (Suanbo) followed by a dip in their famous hot springs. I drew up an itinerary with turn-by-turn directions. It was 7AM, and we were up and ready to go.

Double-checking which buses we could take from 
Shirley's apartment in Gwangju to the Bus Terminal.
We ended up taking a taxi.

We're off to 청주 (Cheongju), not to be -- but soon-to-be -- confused with  충주 (Chungju)

At the  청주  (Cheongju) Tourist Information Center, we discovered 2 things:

1. We needed to take another bus to 충주 (Chungju) in order to get to 수안보 (Suanbo)

2. Ski season was over

So we just traveled 2.5 hours north with a couple more hours to go until Suanbo, where there would be hot springs but no skiing. Decisions decisions. We ate lunch in a nearby food court to brainstorm our options. What trip would be complete without Baskin Robbins? We also had ice-cream to soothe our sad souls.

Well we came all this distance; there was no way we were going back to Jeollanam-do without experiencing the ancient Korean hot springs. By the end of the day, we found ourselves in Suanbo, a seemingly deserted village with more restaurants serving pheasant & rabbit than there were local residents. Needless to say, we were pheasantly surprised by how Suanbo flaunted the bird like a town mascot.

One of many pheasant statues populating the village

We gonna eat you

Looks like the bird from the movie Up

The bird from Up

Little House on the Prairie Pheasant

A Walk in the Snow Pheasant

Charlie's Angels Pheasants

Shop Keeper Pheasant

Pheasants in a Western Featuring a Rabbit

And then we got lost....

A puppy ran up to say 'Hello!'

He had the thickest fur coat & was so adorable~

Suanbo Park Hotel ----->

We finally spotted the huge, sky blue sign directing us to the Suanbo Park Hotel located at the top of a very steep hill. We picked this hotel because it is the only resort with outdoor hot springs and a view overlooking the city. It was a small price to pay --well, it wasn't that small-- for the experience and the perspective. We stayed in a Korean-style bedroom, where we spread the bedding on the floor. The room was minimalistic: mini fridge in the corner, flat screen tv, bathroom with towels, but no soap or shower curtain. All I can say is at least we had the OnStyle channel.

This picture looking back down doesn't do the hill justice.

After booking a room --I swear we were the only guests at the hotel-- we trekked back down the hill seeking a traditional pheasant dinner. How many people can say that they've eaten pheasant in Suanbo? Not too many. Literally. There wasn't a single soul in the entire town, so "not too many" is a modest overstatement. 

We didn't wander far because we wanted to bathe in the hot springs before they closed at 9PM. 

We dined at this fine restaurant.

There isn't too much to be said about pheasant other than that it is a small, game-y bird that doubles as an overpriced meal. Shirley and I shared an order fit for 2-3 people. We didn't even come close to finishing it between the pheasant and the rice and the noodles and the side dishes. I think we were so tired from traveling all day that eating was an obstacle in itself.

Pheasant Shabu Shabu

Pheasant with Korean side dishes

The water from the Suanbo Hot Springs infiltrated up into the indoor and outdoor jacuzzis. The temperature bubbled up at about 53^C containing dozens of minerals that were supposedly good for the body. The standard protocol was for guests to remove all of their clothes, but Shirley and I brought garments to wear in the water. We freely rotated between the hot pool, the cold pool (~70^F), and the sauna (~95^F). It was pretty relaxing.

The next day, we made plans to see the ancient Gosu Cave in Danyang. In order to get there, we took a 40 minute bus back to 충주 (Chungju), then caught another bus going back in the direction that we just came for approximately 2 hours to Danyang.

The bus rides were long and tedious, but the views were gorgeous.

The river is still frozen over.

Frozen river

The ice is starting to crack.

We finally arrived in Danyang, another sleepy town just as quiet and deserted as Suanbo. The weather was surprisingly warm. We peeled off layers as we wandered into town seeking a local bus to the cave. We stopped for directions. A local told us quickly in Korean that we could walk to the cave. Our dilemma was whether to eat lunch in town, then take a cab to the cave ... or take the bus to the cave and risk not eating lunch. "What if there's no food by the cave?" "Let's just eat first." We stuck to what we knew and ate 비빔밥 (bibimbap). "Oh look, they have pheasant soup." "Are you going to get that?" "Nah..."

비빔밥 (bibimbap) 

The Gosu Cave was a short cab ride away over a bridge and past what would have been a confusing fork in the road. I'm glad we didn't walk.

At the entrance of the cave

Ready to explore the cave -- Indiana Jones style

The Gosu Cave is a massive limestone cave formed over 450 million years ago. It used to be inhabited by prehistoric people. Now metal walkways and steep metal staircases weave through the caverns of the cave for the tourists' convenience.

Shirley and I commented on how the inside of the Gosu Cave looked like a phony theme park attraction. The cave looked artificial like the set of the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland or that one ride at Universal Studios. "This looks man-made ... but it's real ..."

Steep stairs lead into the caverns of the cave

T'was like an Indiana Jones adventure

Deep within the Mines of Moria ... Smeagol! I mean, Shirley.

VIDEO #1: Deep inside the Gosu Cave

VIDEO #2: Deep inside the Gosu Cave 

Hot & tired. Craving convenience store ice-cream.

Wilderness Explorer

Hmmm ....

Walking up a slope. Also tired, craving ice-cream.

Artsy wilderness photos

More artsy wilderness photos 

We found a 3.5 hour direct bus back to 청주 (Cheongju),
so we didn't need to travel to  충주 (Chungju) first.

Good-bye frozen river

We traveled 3.5 hours to 청주 (Cheongju) arriving after 6PM. We still had another 2.5 hours to get to 광주 (Gwangju) ... and another hour after that for me to get to 목포 (Mokpo). We had an hour and a half layover in Cheongju because the bus leaving within the same hour only had one seat left. We ate dinner at Lotteria and perused Olive Young, a cosmetic store selling make-up and other health products. Spent a fair bit of time sampling Clio Gelpresso Waterproof Pencil Gel Liner thinking about which color(s) we would get the next time we walked into an Olive Young. "I can't decide between the teal and the purple ... maybe I'll get both!" The pencil is made in China, but manufactured in Italy. The second main ingredient is synthetic wax, which explains why the make-up applies smoothly and remains waterproof. We were so fascinated that we almost lost track of the time and missed our bus.

 

 

 

That day we clocked 8-9 or more hours traveling on 4-5 different buses. That doesn't include the 11 hours that I accumulated from the 5 days prior to that. So much traveling. The warmer weather should present more opportunities to explore over the weekends. Festivals are reemerging throughout Korea celebrating everything from butterflies to cherry blossoms to the parting of the sea. So much to see and so little time!