Mummy's Solo Day 4: Naju to Gwangju

Camp had finally come to an end and it was time to say good-bye to the children. It was a tiring 3 days because of all the brain-wrecking required and the children sure had lots of energy. Now, it was time for us to refuel ourselves. We were brought to another restaurant for lunch before heading to Gwangju. 

The famous crab stew on the way to Gwangju. It got really crowded after we sat down. Tour buses even came by to drop loads of patrons. 

We could see (and taste) the reason for the crowd. The crabs were really awesome. A set like this cost 20,000 won. Still a lot cheaper than what you can get in Seoul. And the taste...priceless. 

After a very satisfying meal, we were dropped at our next accommodation - Holiday Inn Gwangju. A relatively new business hotel located near the convention. The room is spacious and clean and we were so tired after the camp that we all laid in bed immediately, contemplating whether to sleep or to explore the area.

Wide space welcoming the guests

Cafe in hotel lobby

Our room for the next few days

Love the toilet! Lots of space in the standing shower area for us to pamper ourselves.

A choice of soft or firm pillows. If you need all your pillows to be firm, you can contact the housekeeping staff. 

Kimdaejung Convention Center is located just a short walk away from Holiday Inn hotel.

After an hour of rest, we decided it was better to explore the area since we would only be there for a short 2 days. First stop, a cafe highly recommended by the locals - Thesis Cafe. It is located just beside Kimdaejung Convention Center. Just look out for the mirrored building. It has two different floors and as we were there on a Saturday, it was very crowded and it took us a while to find a seat.

We missed the mirrored building as we were expected the name of the cafe to be clearly labelled at the top of the building.

Industrial-looking coffee place. 

Open view of the coffee roasting. 

Coffee drips right in front of your eyes. 

We ordered a tiramisu ice cream and two cups of tea. Sorry, I could't remember what we have ordered but I do remember liking the tiramisu. I am not a fan of tiramisu but this one hits the nail on the head as the taste of rum was made subtle by the taste of the ice-cream. 

The people sure love their coffee. The cafe closes at 12 midnight!

Next, we headed to Gwangju's main shopping district!

As Seoul's T-money is not accepted in Gwangju, we had to buy a ticket every time we took a train. Regardless of the distance, it costs 1,200won every trip. The ticket is in the form of a token. 

Station: Culture Complex. 

Their famous bakery, with years of tradition.

Fresh bread kept coming because they were swept off the trays so fast by the constant stream of customers. 

Wanted so much to buy them all! 

A pavilion stood in the middle of the modern shopping district. The log was attached so no one would ring the bell. Imagine the sound reverberating through the area. 

Next, we headed to the traditional market. Station: Yangdong Market. 

It was already evening by the time we got to the market  it wasn't crowded. 

A famous eatery - visited by ex-South-Korea president when he was elected. 

Featured on television programmes

Lots of photographs as proof of its popularity. 

Kimbap. Not the star of this humble restaurant. 

Pig intestine soup!!!! Two of us are not fans of animal intestines so we went for the rice (hidden under all the ingredients) and the soup. Nonetheless, still very delicious. Put a bit of the prawn and bean paste in each scoop and the taste is enhanced. We kept going at the dish and finished it in a jiffy 

Ordered a dumpling soup as well, in case we did not take to the intestine soup. Do not look down on the simple looking bowl of soup. Each dumpling was overflowing with ingredients and the soup had little dried shrimps in it, adding much flavor to the soup. 

A walk around the market after dinner. 

After a warm meal, we headed back home, determined to start our exploration early the next day...that is if Miss Fatigue doesn't get the upper hand...