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Start
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Sunrise Park
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Apricot Flower Festival
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Hadong Hwagae Jangteo
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House of Choe Champan
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Guest house
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Unjoru
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Ssanggyesa Temple
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Hwaeom Temple
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Finish
Along the Flower Road, Along the Watercourse, Apricot Flower Festival in Maehwa Village of Gwangyang
I say the festival that represents Gwangyang of Jeollanamdo is Apricot Flower Festival held in Maehwa Village. The 18th Gwangyang International Apricot Flower Festival was held for 9 days from March 14 to 22 and it's a big festival representing Korea where over 1.1 million people visit every year. I was there on March 17 and only the half of the flowers bloomed. I guess the last day of the festival, March 22(Sunday), they will bloom 100% so if you're planning to go to Gwangyang soon, I suggest you to visit here on time. So, shall we smell the scent of apricot flowers?
Canon EOS 550D | f/9.0 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 14:11:06 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
The entrance to Maehwa Village is crowded with cars at this time of the year. It was a weekday but the village was full of cars and guess what it's going to be like on the weekends.
If you want to be less stressed due to heavy traffic, you should park your car around Seomjin River and walk about 1km. The roads turn into one-way streets around the area during the festival so you just walk along with people and you'll see a parking lot at a riverside.
Canon EOS 550D | f/6.3 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 14:43:54 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
After you park your car and you'll see a big event hall selling regional special products and food at the entrance to the village. If you already had enough walking, you could eat Beotgul captured in Seomjin River.
Beotgul is named after a big oyster when it has the best taste around the time the cherry blossoms bloom. The oysters are as big as an adult's palm, which is special that lives where the sea and fresh water meets.
Canon EOS 550D | f/9.0 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 16:02:55 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
Seomjin River looks beautiful with sands on the floor, doesn't it? Across the river, it's Hadong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do. With the river between them, one side is Jeollanamdo and the other side is Gyeongsangnamdo.
Canon EOS 550D | f/5.0 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 14:50:40 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
If you come up a little bit to Maehwa Village from the parking lot, you'll see apricot blossoms everywhere. That's why the whole village smells like apricot flowers so my eyes and nose were happy. The scent was really strong.
Canon EOS 550D | f/4.5 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 14:53:30 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
Everybody seemed happy like they hadn't been out with friends for a long time so they were enjoying and taking pictures under apricot trees. It makes me happy as well.
Canon EOS 550D | f/4.5 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 14:54:05 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 50mm
Where the sun shines, flowers bloomed in full. It would've been really nice if they bloom like this every spring on my roof. I would like to plant some in my yard as well.
Canon EOS 550D | f/4.0 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 15:01:47 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 50mm
Apricot flowers crawling over tiled roofs look beautiful don't they? There are three kinds of apricot flowers, green apricot, white apricot and red (black) apricot flowers. Especially among red ones, some of them are dark red so they're called black apricot flowers which made them fourth kind.
Canon EOS 550D | f/4.5 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 14:52:11 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 50mm
This white flower with pink calyx is white apricot flower. You see buds that didn't bloom yet? When it blooms at the end of March, last days of the festival, it shows off its best look.
Canon EOS 550D | f/4.0 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 15:03:48 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 50mm
Red apricot flower is attractive as well. You think red ones have stronger scent?
Canon EOS 550D | f/7.1 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 15:04:25 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
Village people opened a temporary market during the festival at the entrance of the village. I couldn't stop laughing to hear the Jeollado dialect of old ladies. ^^* The tree over their heads is the first apricot flower tree in Korea planted in 1917.
Canon EOS 550D | f/7.1 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 15:04:48 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
Under the blue sky, the very first white apricot flower looks amazing, doesn't it?
Canon EOS 550D | f/8.0 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 15:09:28 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 33mm
If you're passing by the tree, you shouldn't touch the flower. When the flower falls off, it doesn't produce fruits and the farmers will be really disappointed.
Canon EOS 550D | f/10.0 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 15:11:11 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
This is a green apricot flower farm in Maehwa Village that has over 3,000 Jangdokdae(platforms for crocks of sauces and condiments). Every Jangdokdae has green apricot and doenjang made of green apricot fermenting doenjang, which is the biggest size in Korea.
Canon EOS 550D | f/4.5 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 15:17:19 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 50mm
Spring must've come. I see Japanese cornlian cherries and magnolia here and there.
Canon EOS 550D | f/4.0 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 15:21:01 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 41mm
On your way up to the village, you'll see a pavilion, and we were resting listening to music that a young couple was playing. It must've been a part of festival and looking at them while we smelled the scent of refreshing apricot flowers was quite an experience.
Canon EOS 550D | f/9.0 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 15:17:59 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
The village kinda looked empty because the flowers didn't bloom 100% but the flowers will cover the whole village around the last day of the festival.
Canon EOS 550D | f/9.0 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 15:24:33 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 50mm
There were thatched houses in the middle of the village. People are not living here, just made for tourists to take a rest. They made the village look more romantic.
Canon EOS 550D | f/5.6 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 15:44:24 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
The village is located in a good land facing Seomjin River. It has a mountain at the back and a river in the front, it shines so it's full of warm atmosphere.
Canon EOS 550D | f/9.0 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 15:27:07 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
The village has wondumak(lookout huts on stilts), pavilions, thatched houses and benches for tourists to rest. Green spirit among the trees made me convince that the spring has come.
On the sides of the road, mugworts were growing and spring starflowers as well.I admire the fact that they don't need guidance when to bloom yet they blossom on time.
Canon EOS 550D | f/3.5 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 15:35:43 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
Red apricot flower fell down on the floor. You shouldn't touch the branch or flower even if they're adorable. If you touch them the farmers will be devastated.
Canon EOS 550D | f/5.6 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 15:42:41 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 17mm
This is the filming site of the MBC drama
Canon EOS 550D | f/5.0 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 15:39:33 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 29mm
This apricot flower is not pink, it's a little bit dark red. This is the Heukmae(黑梅; red apricot) flower. Red apricot bloomed next to Gakhwangjeon in Hwaeomsa, Gurye, was named because it's relatively darker yet red. I say it's the most beautiful among apricot flowers.
Canon EOS 550D | f/4.0 | iso 100 | 2015:03:17 15:44:57 | Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode | 37mm
Wow~ amazingly beautiful, isn't it? This apricot flower with green calyx is green apricot flower and it makes the flower more white. You can see every kind of apricot flower grown in Korea here in Maehwa Village of Gwangyang. Plus, you don't have to worry about the parking and entrance fees cause they are free. This year, the festival lasts until March 22, and it is held every March so you should definitely go if you travel Gwangyang.
+ Address : 55, Jimak 1-gil, Daap-myeon, Gwangyang-si, Jeollanam-do
+ Telephone : 061-797-2721, 2731
+ Entrance and parking is free
+ Website : click
