Cheongju: The Unexpected Stop That Changed My Trip
okay, so here's the thing about cheongju-i wasn't even supposed to be here. my train to seoul got delayed, and i found myself wandering around this city with nothing but my backpack and a dying phone battery. but sometimes the best stories start with a wrong turn, right?
i just checked and it's 4.4°C there right now, feels like 2°C with that damp humidity hanging in the air. not exactly tropical, but hey, that's korea for you. bring a decent jacket if you're coming this way.
walking through the streets, i kept noticing these little coffee shops tucked between traditional hanok houses. one place, *bean alley (no website, just follow your nose), had this guy roasting beans in the window. smelled like heaven. someone told me that the owner used to be a DJ in seoul before "retiring" to the slower pace of cheongju. no idea if it's true, but i like the story.
"You haven't seen cheongju until you've tried the dakgangjeong at midnight,"
a drunk local told me outside a 7/11. i took that as gospel and found myself at madam jang's (tripadvisor.com/cheongju-dakgangjeong) at 11:47pm, wondering if i'd made a terrible life choice. i hadn't. those sweet, spicy chicken pieces might've been the best thing i ate all week.
if you get bored, daejeon and seoul are just a short train ride away. but honestly? cheongju's got enough hidden corners to keep you busy for days. the heungdeok temple site (koreanheritageservice.org) was practically empty when i visited, just me and some ancient printing blocks that changed the world.
i heard that the cheongju national museum (museum.go.kr) has this weird collection of ancient toilets. didn't have the courage to check it out, but hey, maybe you're braver than me.
the weather's been doing this weird thing where it's technically spring but feels like someone left the freezer door open. locals just shrug and keep going about their business. there's a lesson in there somewhere.
ended up staying three extra days because i met this group of art students who dragged me to a dokkaebi (goblin) hunting expedition in the hills. we didn't find any goblins, but we did find the best makgeolli* (traditional rice wine) i've ever tasted. sometimes the journey really is about the detours.
this isn't the seoul travel guide you've already read a hundred times. it's just one sleep-deprived blogger's messy love letter to a city that wasn't even on my radar. and honestly? i'm better for it.
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