Yangsuri in Fall

I am convinced that one of the most beautiful places in Korea is Yangsuri, a little town just an hour east of Seoul. It is called Yangsuri because it's where the North Han River and South Han River come together (yang= twin, su= water, ri= town). While quite popular with Koreans, Yangsuri isn't on the radar for most forigners yet. Yangsuri is great in spring, summer and fall with lots of things to see and do from hiking to visiting the Semiwon (lotus garden), to walking around the Dumulmori (두물머리) and Mullekil (물래길) (green path on the map above). I must consider myself lucky because I spend most Sundays here visiting my boyfriend's grandmother's house. This past weekend, we took a walk around the whole town and even discovered some places that we never knew existed!

It's fairly easy to find your way around the Mullekil because markers like these mark the path. We skipped the Semiwon since it's way too late to see lotuses and walked towards the Dumulmori first.

View of the Semiwon from across the water

They are working on constructing some more walking paths here, they say they are set to be complete by the end of October. I was there the last weekend in October and they still weren't ready yet, but then again, things go quickly in Korea. I wonder if its done now?

It's the perfect time of year to see the maple leaves in their brilliant reds and ginko leaves in their golden yellows.

Dumulmori

It's only a short 10-15 minute walk from the start of the path to Dumulmori. It's a rather romantic spot day or night. It's easy to see lots of couples and parents with children roaming about here. 

We took a back way out of the Dumulmori path and discovered some perfect fall scenes. I kind of felt like I was walking through a postcard.

We wondered around for a while and picked up the mullekil again around the other side of the town and continued our journey. We saw lots of farms around here. Since this area is the source of the drinking water in Seoul, they have very strict water quality standards here. All farms here are organic by law since pesticides are not allowed here. In fact, they don't even allow fishing here to keep the water quality as high as possible.

We ended our journey in our favorite place to walk, a small part of the mullekil right next to Yangsu Station (probably the best place to start your walk if you're arriving by subway). The ground was comepletely covered in yellow ginko leaves, showing signs that winter is on it's way.

Be sure to get out soon to see the last of the foliage in Korea before it's too late! Winter is just around the corner!

Directions: To get to Yangsuri, take the Jungang subway line to Yangsu station. It is approximately 1 hour from Wangsimni Station in downtown Seoul. It's a great day trip, or you can spend the night in one of the many small hotels around town. Start the Mullekil just across the street from the station.