Tongyeong has its own unique color

Life is so unpredictable. I feel this looking at myself who has been living in Korea for 3 years now marrying a Korean guy from Gyeongju and traveling around Korea living as a travel writer. I travelled around Gyeongju a lot and even many rural areas in Gangwon-do, Chungcheong-do, Gyeongsang-do and Jeolla-do but I had never been to Tongyeong before. I’ve always wanted to go and I finally had the chance to visit Tongyeong. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't great. A typhoon had just passed the area but the weather was still unpleasantly humid and it was raining a lot. But the honey bread I had when I just got to Tongyeong refreshed my mood 180 degrees. It was so sweet and it just melted in my mouth.

I’ve always thought Tongyeong would be similar to Busan but Tongyeong was something totally different. Tongyeong had its own unique color. I very much enjoyed experiencing Tongyeong Nubi and Najeon Chilgi. It was a meaningful experience being able to learn all the traditional cultures that had been passed down over centuries and make them myself. I wasn't good at working with the sewing machine so I had to repeat sewing and unsewing constantly and some of the patterns were sewn in the opposite direction but when I finally finished making a pair of slippers using Tongyeong Nubi, I was so happy and proud of myself. Najeon Chilgi was not easy either. I couldn't imagine how much patience it would require to attach those fragile mother of pearl pieces to tiny chopsticks. And those huge closets or drawers people had to work on! I felt so much respect for the craftsmen.

Probably the most dangerous place in Tongyeong was Bomnal Bookstore. All the books were so cute and beautiful I feared they would leave a hole in my wallet. The Jeon Hyuck –lim Museum of Art with a unique design, all the ‘poetique’ souvenir stores that were very small but very cute and the beautiful view from Seopirang Village still linger in my head. A day was too short. I really hope to come back and experience more and see more of Tongyeong.