The Iceberg

In about two weeks I’ll be saying good-bye to Yeosu and hello to Anyang.

I’ve enjoyed the past year in Yeosu. About six months in, I used to say that Yeosu was a nice place to visit, but not to live. However, as the time to leave approaches, I have somewhat surprisingly discovered that the place grows on you and it is with mixed feelings that I move on. But, when push comes to shove, I am more of a big-city type. Plus, I suspect living in the outskirts of Seoul will provide more fodder for the blog.

On that note, I will spend my remaining few days here sharing my impressions of Yeosu.

Like most things in life, many of Yeosu’s charms and vexations are inextricably linked in the same elements. Whether or not one enjoys the place largely depends on his or her personal outlook, or perhaps even one’s mood on a particular day. When I reflect on the time I’ve spent here, this proves to be the recurring theme. I’ll begin with Yeosu’s location.

Yeosu is a small, isolated city of about 300,000 people. It is located on a talon-shaped strip of land that extends from Korea’s southern coast, sort of a peninsula on the peninsula. To access any other part of Korea, one must first venture north on a four-lane highway for 45 minutes to the city of Suncheon before setting off in any other direction, so any desired visit to larger cities like Gwang-ju, Busan, or Seoul is no easy trek. There is an airport located between Yeosu and Suncheon, so you can fork over about 75,000 won for a one-way flight to Seoul (plus about 10,000 won for a taxi to the airport) and get there in about 50 minutes. Bottom line, if you’re not willing to expend money or time, you’re going to spend the majority of your time in Yeosu.

On the other hand, Yeosu’s isolation lends it a sort of “other-worldly” atmosphere that I haven’t experienced in any other city on the peninsula. Though it is a city, and therefore offers the bare amenities that any other city possesses (hospitals, restaurants, drinking establishments, E-mart, etc.), the pace of life here is incredibly slow. You can travel to pretty much anywhere in town in less than fifteen minutes and the taxi fare will never exceed 4000 won. In Seoul, if you traveled the same distance, the meter would often run to nearly 10,000 won. The same goes for crowds. Venture out to Yeosu’s nightlife areas on a Friday or Saturday night and you’ll find the number of people on the street is sparse. Yet, if you enter a bar or club, there they are. If complete isolation is your thing, simply hop on a boat and make your way to one of many islands off the coast, where the population rarely exceeds the hundreds.

In summary, Yeosu is a nice place to escape the hustle and bustle. One can’t help but purge the big-city tension that stealthily makes its way into your neck and shoulders. However, if you’re not careful, you’ll find that the stress can easily be replaced by cabin fever.