날씨가 좋으니까 수원에 갑시다

Going to Suwon(수원-水原) was not because there was something that I want to do or see. I was simply captivated by the name "Suwon". Suwon, if translated, literally means "water plain" something like grass plain. When I think of grass plain, I will naturally picture the vast grass plain of Mongolia. So I was thinking that Suwon might have some breath-taking "water plains" to offer as well.

The subway from Myeongdong Station to Suwon Station took about 45mins to an hour and cost 1,400won. On arriving at Suwon Station, I was greeted by a shopping mall that housed both the rail and subway station. On exiting from the shopping mall, I found my way to the tourist information counter, a short walk from the station. The lady at the counter introduced Hwaseong Fortress(화성-華城) to me in flawless Chinese partly because she studied in Tianjin before.

팔달문-八達門

Following her instruction, I boarded the bus headed for Paldalmun(팔달문-八達門). I alighted at Paldalmun and walked my way to the Hwaseong Haenggung(화성행궁-華城行宮). Hwaseong Haenggung was the filming site for 'Daejanggeum' and 'The King and the Clown' which I later discovered. The entry fee for Hwaseong Haenggung was a token 1000won.

Hwaseong Haenggung was in fact only a small part of the Hwaseong Fortress. The fortress was so big that I just did not have the energy or time to walk one round of its perimeter. There was supposed to be this Hwaseong Trolley(화성열차-華城列車) with a cospicuous dragon head that drove tourists around the fortress for 1,500won. If I had just gotten onto one of it, it would have saved me a lot of walking. 다리가 정말 아파죽겠어요.

When I left Suwon for Seoul, I did not manage to see any "water plain". I was kinda of disappointed but I thought if I could have a few more days at Suwon, I might discover some interesting water features that befit the name Suwon. Well, whatever the thought may be, it will have to be next time.