Manseong-ri Beach, Yeosu, South Korea

I love the beach. I can't think of any other way to live other than on or near an ocean with a great beach in my backyard that I can visit whenever I want either as a planned trip or on a whim on a quiet, sunny afternoon. It doesn't even have to be summer; beaches are equally as peaceful and breathtaking during the winter months.

I've only got a few things on my newly-formed Korean to-do list, and seeing as many beaches as possible is near the top. This past Sunday I saw Manseong-ri Beach in Yeosu, a few kilometers north of the world expo.

As Korea's only black sand beach, it was beautiful. I don't think it is volcanic sand like Santorini, because the sand isn't nearly as black and consists largely of pebbles and rocks instead of fine black sand, but it is lovely nonetheless, and definitely worth visiting at least once during a stay in South Korea. It is also incredibly easy to get to: Take a train into Yeosu, which the new line takes you right into the new Yeosu Station just outside of the Expo center, and get a taxi to Manseong-ri Beach, about a 3,500W taxi ride away, that takes you through the only natural stone tunnel in the country. Of course, in natural Korean style, the tunnel is only one-way and is as scary as it sounds, with oncoming traffic ducking out of the way in carved out pockets in the side of the tunnel just before a head on collision.

Natural Stone Tunnel

The beach is also on more of in inlet, as you cannot look directly out to sea. Instead, neighboring Namhae Island (which I visited last summer) can be seen across the body of water that is also a main shipping lane into the Yeosu Port and gives way to large shipping vessels.

That's Namhae Island over there

My sister, brother-in-law, and I spent a few hours here and had another 'first', too. While I wasn't hungry (in preparation not to get motion sickness on the 3 hour train ride back into Daejeon), I went with them and watched as they both experienced eating their first freshly killed and still moving octopus bibimbap. Bibimbap is the Korean version of salad, but made with a rice base instead of lettuce leaves. Mixed in is kim (dried seaweed), hot peppers, red pepper paste, and possibly a few other things like fine slices of carrots and cucumbers. Theirs came with freshly killed and chopped up octopus tentacles that were still wriggling around in their bowls, on their chopsticks as they picked up each piece, and in their mouths as they chewed and eventually swallowed. While it is something I would have liked to experience, too, I am allergic to shellfish and am not sure if I would be allergic to uncooked octopus as well, and didn't want to risk it, along with risking possible motion sickness on a three-hour train ride. Maybe next time, a lot closer to home, and by a pharmacy stocked with epi-pens.

As they were enjoying their lunch on the hill overlooking the beach, my eyes kept gazing down to the beach, to the sand and water. Eventually, I left them to their bibimbaps and made my way to a nice spot on the beach, near a floating platform that functioned as a base for those coming and going on banana boats and water rafts pulled by jet skis and speed boats. It looked like fun, but, alas, there was a line for that, too, and I didn't want to spend my few precious hours on the beach waiting in line. They eventually met up with me and we spent our time catching some sun on the hot sand and cooling off in the ocean water before eventually leaving in time to catch the train back into Daejeon.

Banana Boat and Raft Rides

Banana Boat

Sisters :)
Yes, I'm wearing a suit. It's just strapless and you can't see it.