I wake today with a mix of contrasting feelings that shouldn’t really go together, but somehow balance each other out; a sense of excitement and anticipation combined with an overarching sereneness that I’m not sure I’ve ever previously experienced.

I just feel so calm and relaxed and joyful; this is totally at odds with how my life normally is, but I like it very much. I could get used to living like this.

Today I have picked my first three places on Namhae to visit – one EXO filming location and two ‘must see’ sites that have been named on several internet travel lists.

Our first stop for the day is Seomi Garden. The story behind this horticultural masterpiece (as I view it) appears to simply be that it was built by a chap who liked gardening. Simple as that. Apparently, he used to live in Seoul, discovered that he enjoyed gardening and wanted to improve his skills. Therefore in 2009 he moved to Namhae and began transforming some overgrown terraced rice paddy fields into the botanical garden that now exists there.

The thing about Seomi is, it is so laid back and natural, it’s easy to not view it as a designed botanical garden. You might glance at it and simply think in some ways it’s just a bunch of natural growing plants, a little chaotic. Or you might notice it has been created by someone because of the presences of ponds, paths or furniture, but it looks untended or uncared for. This isn’t the case at all. The whole point of Seomi is that you should feel ‘relaxed and rest easy’ (as the designer puts it) while wandering and immersing yourself in nature. And in my view, Seomi nails that concept completely.  

For me, Seomi Garden is an unexpected treasure. Very much like Pyeongsari Park yesterday, I have come here specifically because it was used for EXO’s filming, however the garden is a magical place in its own right and should be acknowledged for this.

I arrive at Seomi after driving up a very steep and rather narrow mountain road, there is nothing else around it at all, and in fact I was starting to get a little worried I was lost or had entered in the wrong address when I suddenly turned a corner and discovered myself in the small gravel car park.

There is nothing in the car park save a small booth which contains an automated ticket machine. The garden operates on almost an honour system, you buy the ticket and put the ticket stub in a small jar sitting on a table, but there is no one here to check or confirm if you’ve paid. In fact, I only saw one person who was obviously staff (he was watering the plants). While blogging right now I have just read an article about Seomi which said only the owner works here, so now I am wondering if that was him and am wishing that I’d stopped to tell him what a wonderful garden he has created.

Anyway, I arrived and did battle with the ticket booth (Korean only) and successfully managed to get it to spit out a ticket at me. There was only one other car alongside mine, so I was in for a lovely quiet walk around the garden.

The initial rush of pure excitement hit me the moment I entered the garden as I recognised it immediately from ‘Travel the Ladder’. It seemed at every turn as I walked around, I came across yet another view, building, or pathway that I instantly recalled. I smile and feel a happy warmth at each encounter.

But as I mentioned previously, mingled with sheer giddiness is unexpected awe at what an incredible place this is when you pause for a moment and give it real consideration. The garden is wonderfully thought out, spread over the old terraces in twelve separate areas, each with its own distinct style and planting. In essence, it is a living art museum. It is filled with colour and life. Insects buzz and flutter from plant to plant. There are well placed seats to enjoy the natural environment, each with unique sight lines of the garden itself and the valley it overlooks. It is manicured but natural at the same time. It is clever, so very clever, in its construction.

A fantastic example of the thought and creativity that has gone into this garden can be summed up by this photo…

I rounded a corner and came to an abrupt halt. This scene caught me off guard because I literally felt like I’d walked into a painting. This painting…

And it isn’t just the fact that there has been a pond created here, filled with lilies and had a bridge installed; it’s the thought that had gone into how the viewer will experience it, as I just have, rounding the corner and having that immediate blast of familiarity overwhelm you.

As you meander through the garden, each of the twelve areas has small and specific features that make you pause, some for a moment, others a little longer, and just makes your brain go ‘Ah!’ or ’Hmm’. Every piece of Seomi is just pure delight to experience.

And of course, for me there is the extra EXO layer that we cannot ignore.

I circle the garden twice; I sit and immerse myself in each section, listen to the sounds of the countryside, look at the sky, and breathe deep. It’s such a surprisingly pretty and serene experience, I really do wish that I didn’t have to leave and could have this place on my doorstep to visit all of the time.   

My next ‘must see’ destination turns out to be not really worth the effort, and so I am out of the car and then back in just a few minutes later. I have come to Sachon beach, and am not at all sure how this particular beach ended up on the list of top places in Namhae, because there is nothing distinct, interesting or even particularly pleasant about it; it’s just a very non-descript piece of sand at the end of a slightly run-down street.

As I discover a little later on this week, there are far nicer beaches to spend time that I would 100% recommend. So, let’s skip this one and move on to our last stop.

Darangyi Village is a mixed bag of sorts. While I fully enjoyed (and recommend) coming to visit and walk around this area, I am also aware that I have hit it at the wrong time of year to fully appreciate all of the cultural elements it has to offer. Put in its simplest terms, this village is famous for its rice paddy terraces and how pretty it looks from both the top and the bottom of the hill upon which it has been founded. At some point during the year, I’m guessing when rice is being planted or harvested, you can sign up to take part in helping out and get to hang out with the cows they still use to performing their farming by hand.

Today though, no such activities are on offer, but that doesn’t make the area any less interesting or pretty to wander through, getting lost in the interconnecting little roads as I make my way to the base of the hill.

The view out over the sea is clear, bright, and very blue. Following the trail I come across a few ajummas who are in the fields and working to prepare the crops here for the winter that aren’t rice related. I love the ajumma farmer fashion on display.

As always seems the trend with me, as I am strolling along, snapping photos left and right, I stumble across an interesting sign…

Hmm. I study it for a couple minutes and then it dawns on me, there is an interconnected hiking trail that goes all the way around Namhae! Well, this blows my tiny mind and I get incredibly excited at this thought. Obviously not for this trip, people. But hey, you never know what the future may hold…

Still, I’m here now, and very obviously standing on the trail which is quite helpfully marked by lovely bright ribbons which seem very enticing just to follow for a little bit…

You might be happy to hear that it is my footwear today that puts a cropper to any long adventures. While I love my crocs for general easy walking, they simply aren’t made for rock scrambles, which is what this path turns into about 10 minutes further down the line. Satisfied I have at least seen what ‘could be’ in the future, I turn around and head off in search of sustenance.

Namhae being coastal, I really feel I can’t miss out on trying something seafood-based while here in the village. I passed several restaurants earlier on my way down the hill which I now go seek out, all the while talking internally and assuring myself I will be brave enough to go into one and order food alone. Yes, I am still suffering from this worry even though having been here two months already.

I spend a few minutes hovering outside two restaurants that sit next to each other; one has a nice outdoor seating area but no menu in sight for me to study before I approach, the other has indoor seating only but I can clearly read what is on offer through the window to practice what I want to say beforehand.

The menu wins out, and in I go, placing an order for haemul kalguksu – seafood noodle soup.

Absolutely no complaints, and once again I cleared everything in every bowl. Was I stuffed afterwards? Completely. Was it a struggle walking back up the hill to the car? Totally. Was it worth it? Without a doubt and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Well, I guess that means tomorrow I will be needing to burn some calories. It looks like I’ll be off in search of a mountain to climb!