Heyri

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We left earlyish from Seoul, around nine thirty in the morning, as we wanted to get there fr around 10, when the galleries, shops and cafes were meant to open. We took the bus from Hapjeong station. The queue for the bus was really long, and we let the first one go, as we didn't want to stand. Luckily the buses come every 10 minutes or so, and we managed to get a seat. The bus journey took about an hour as we headed north from Seoul, you can deffo tell you're getting closer to the north as there is a bigger military presence.

Heyri Art Village is a community for artists, writers, painters, musicians, architects, and other creative types to live and work, and create in. I think the village has been around since the 1990s and there is a mixture of houses, workshops, museums, galleries, restaurants, cafes, concert halls, and bookshops. The village is still expanding and new places continue to spring up. It is still a work in progress.

We got there not long after ten, and it was nice and quiet. We took the opportunity to have a good wander around in the peace and quiet, before the hordes arrived. Maybe because of the time of year, too, also made it quieter, as some of the shops and museums weren't open, and didn't open until 11 am. The weather was cool and sunny a perfect combination for being outside. We wandered around taking loads of photos of the quirky buildings and other bits and bobs.

We headed to the Dalki theme park. Dalki (Korean for strawberry) is a Korean cartoon character. We didn't go into the theme park, but there were loads of characters outside and murals on the walls to take pictures of, and we were happy doing that. We had wanted to go into the gift shop, but it looked closed (lack of staff) and the door was locked. I think this is where Korean children's obsession with poo comes from, as there is a character called Dongchimee, who is obsessed with poo and has a big turd on his head and a snotty nose. A charming character! His name also refers to something Korean children love to do to others the evil ddongchim (shit needle), where they prod the unsuspecting person up the arse with their hands clasped together middle fingers outstretched like a needle.

It was snack time by this point and what better than some ddongbbang (똥빵) poo bread. There was a shop selling some near the Dalki theme park. Poo bread is not unique to Heyri, you can buy it in a couple of places, I think I've seen it for sale in Insadong. Poo bread is not as disgusting as it sounds, and is in fact quite tasty. It's a doughy kind batter, shaped like a lump of turd, filled with red bean paste. Lovely when they are fresh and piping hot.

We spent more time wandering around the village. The village is pretty big and there are lots of things to see. We headed to the other side f the village, which seemed more unfinished. There seemed more empty space, and the exhibition halls weren't open and didn't seem finished. As we wandered further it seemed a lot more residential. This must be the bit where all the artists live. There was a caravan sales park at the back. these tings were huge, very posh, and about ten times the size of my apartment. We wandered out of the village and spotted Paju English village, what a beast! It is an actual village and the building looked like an old style American university.

By this pint we needed a break. So we had a quick look in some shops and then headed to Jubilee Chocolatier. We each bought a small box of handmade chocolates to take home. The chocolates were expensive 2,000 won each. But let me tell you they were delicious. Well worth the money, and I would by them again. They had a good selection of different flavours. I was intrigued to try the lemongrass one, not that amazing. However the red heart chocolate, which looked like it could of been a disappointment, was by far the best. It was filled with passion fruit, a total surprise. My god, it was delicious. We ordered some hot drinks and sat up in the cafe for a good hour having a natter.

We had missed one street, when we were walking around earlier, so we headed back over there. There was a Zara outlet shop we headed into there and emerged with a new coat each. We took a load more photos, everything in the village is cute and or quirky. There's just so much to photograph. There were lots of cool murals about as well.

By this time we were starving. It was well after three and time for a late lunch. We headed to the Farmer's Table, which is near the village's entrance. The Farmer's Table is famous as it was used in the Korean drama 'Boys Over Flowers', which I can safely say I've never seen. K-dramas are too centred on romance for me, I like something a bit less cute. Anyway the Farmer's Table is divided into two parts. A cafe part, where we ate, lots of people kept coming in to take pictures, so I think this part was used on the tv series, and then a more formal restaurant, which had very high prices. We ordered a salad and a Gorgonzola pizza. It was a bit pricey for a cafe, but you are paying for the location. The food was nice, the salad had lots of different stuff in it, but nothing freaky, like Korean salads can have, and the pizza was covered in fresh tomato.

After a quick look in the book shop above the restaurant, everything was in Korean, so we looked at the travel guides for Kyoto spotting where we had been. We headed out of the village. The first bus was heaving and we walked back to the stop before where we got a seat on the bus easily. The bus ended up packed as a million people gt on at Paju outlet village. The drive back was torturous, the bus was packed, boiling hot, and of course, we got stuck in a load of traffic. I definitely want to go back to Heyri and visit some of the museums next time.

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