Without counting my Tokyo trip last May, I finally ventured out of Seoul for the first time in years — five to be exact. On April’s Fool Day, I went on a quick day trip to visit someone in Gumi, a city in Gyeongsangbuk-do area, which happens to be near Daegu. The trip took two hours by the KTX trains (my first time on the KTX!) after leaving the “dreaded” Seoul Station. What’s my verdict about the KTX? Well, it’s certainly fast, and for 28,000 won for a normal ticket (equivalent to about $23), it’s worth it.

Gumi the City

When I arrived at Gumi, I was greeted with a blast of cold wind upon walking out of the really small station. I fooled around with my cameras and took these pictures of the area right outside the station.

And right across the street? That’s downtown Gumi. Which . . . was not what I was expecting. Okay. I know that Seoul’s the biggest city in the country, but it’s still a bit of a shock to be in a small city like Gumi. I mean, seriously. After I walked around the downtown area, I came to the conclusion that the area was roughly the size of Myeong-dong but minus the crowds. And right on the edge of the downtown area, it was quiet. The quieter city and the lack of crowds and people kind of unnerved me.

The Rest of the Trip

I met the person I had to meet, and we took a cab to a Korean galbi restaurant. I found out that the taxi’s fare in Gumi was cheaper compared to Seoul’s (it started at 1800 won as opposed to 1900 won), and that the cherry blossom trees were already in full bloom! I tried to take a picture of the trees from the cab, but I didn’t exactly succeed. However, I did succeed in getting pictures of the galbi meal. Mmmm.

After the delicious meal, I went to my companion’s house and relaxed there. It was too cold to do anything, and . . . there was nothing to do! However, we did have dinner at this “swellfish” (Bog-uh) place — apparently it’s famous in Gumi area. We had the soup and the tempura. I wished I’d been warned that this fish is poisonous if prepared wrongly. My mum told me that when I came home, and I nearly freaked out. I’m still alive, though, so I guess the fish was prepared right.

Conclusion

I came back to Seoul by nine in the evening. As soon as I stepped outside into Seoul’s smoggy air, listened to its wonderful, chaotic traffic, watched the crowds of people walking by, and revelled in the city lights, I felt relieved. Gumi was different, was a change of scenery and pace, but dangnabit, I’m a Seoul girl right to the core!