In Seoul, we did most of our travels via subway. The Seoul metro was rated the best subway system in the world by CNN  because of it’s cleanliness, technology, and ease of use. We were sad that we would be leaving such an amazing mode of transportation when we moved across the country to Yeosu. But then, we discovered something equally spectacular! Trains! We have ridden the KTX a couple of times before and were really impressed by the high speeds and how nice the train cars were. The KTX tickets, however, can get a little pricey. This past weekend, we decided to try a different type of train, the Mugunghwa. Named after the national flower of Korea, the Rose of Sharron, this economy train is still quite nice and speedy and also costs less that a third of the price of the KTX!

Suncheon Garden EXPR // KOREA

So, we have decided to start documenting our train  travels around Korea. We will visit other cities and provinces in search of new adventures, and we will tell you all about them here on our blog!

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For our first train trip, we went to the nearby city of Suncheon. A short 15 minute ride and 5,200 won later (about $2.50 each), we arrived! Suncheon is known for their Garden Expo. In case you have never heard of such a thing, a garden expo originated in Europe around 150 years ago and was meant to showcase different gardens around the world. The Suncheon Garden Expo was held last year and was the first one in Korea. Today, the expo site remains open and the gardens still taken care of. The entrance fee was 5,000 won each, and totally worth it.

We underestimated how big this place was. Featuring different gardens from around the world, exploring the entire place would take you all day! We arrived in the late afternoon, because the night before we had been up until 5:00 am Skype-ing my brother’s wedding. We walked around the grounds for around three and a half hours and still did not see it all!

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We really enjoyed the Korean gardens and how tranquil they were. There are other gardens showcasing different countries around the world, however. We simply needed more time to fully enjoy them all!

The entire place was simply incredible. We have never seen such interesting gardens and art installations. There was even a hedge maze… but of course it was no match for Ryan’s staggering stature! It was quite funny to hear people gasp as they noticed his head sticking out from above the bushes.

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We plan to go back soon and revisit this beautiful place. We will definitely make a full day of it the next time!