A Trip to Yeosu to Visit Dad: A Weekend Getaway
August 14-15, 2025
Since my husband and son won't be able to make it to Dad's memorial next week, we decided to visit my parents' house in advance.
My husband took an afternoon off, and my son had school, so he headed straight to Yeosu after classes.
For the first time, we took the Ulsan-Haman Expressway and crossed the Yi Sun-sin Bridge to Yeosu!
Usually, when we go to Yeosu, we take the route through Suncheon without crossing the Yi Sun-sin Bridge because we're primarily visiting Dad. But this time, we were running late, and we planned to see Dad on our way back to Ulsan, so we took the bridge.
The sunset hour.
Watching the sunset over the sea, dyed purple, filled me with emotion.
Mom had dinner with her grandchildren at my younger sister's house, so we decided to grab dinner as well.
We arrived in Yeosu around 8 PM, and most of the restaurants were closed except for Korean BBQ places and pubs.
I remembered enjoying the pork ribs at Sansu Galbi in Yeoseo-dong, so we considered going there. However, my husband had a company dinner at Matchandeul two days prior, and my son had dinner with his girlfriend at Goindol, so they both had pork recently. While we were pondering, we saw a popular Dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken) restaurant near Sansu Galbi and decided to go there instead.
Our first time at a Dakgalbi place in Yeoseo-dong - <Here Dak>!
The crowd gave us high hopes.
Side dishes.
Though not pictured, they also provided lettuce and chili peppers for wraps. There was a self-serve bar for additional side dishes.
We ordered 3 servings of Dakgalbi - medium spice.
You can choose between mild, medium, and spicy. We went with medium.
Large pieces of vegetables and clean, well-prepared chicken.
I can't even remember the last time I went to a Dakgalbi restaurant - it's been ages!
We also ordered fried rice to enjoy after finishing the Dakgalbi.
The next morning.
A McDonald's opened near Mom's house, and I was going to get McMuffins for breakfast. However, Mom insisted we have at least one meal at home and quickly prepared breakfast with what she had in the fridge.
I told Mom the afternoon before that we were coming to Yeosu. She said she wished I had told her earlier because she had a meeting that evening and needed to look after the kids at my sister's house. She apologized for not having time to go to the market.
I explained that we were visiting early since we couldn't make it for the memorial service, just to see her face. She said, "Why put Moon's husband (referring to me) through the trouble of traveling back and forth? Don't bother coming!" But we still visited.
She hurriedly made aged kimchi stew and steamed eggs.
Mom wanted us to stay for lunch, but my son had a soccer game with his friends in the afternoon...--;;
Since it was a holiday weekend, we expected traffic, so we left early after breakfast.
While we were eating breakfast, my sister's family said they'd come by to see us, so we saw my sister and nieces/nephews before leaving.
It was a hot but sunny summer day.
The road to see Dad was filled with lush greenery.
Although not pictured, there was also a crape myrtle grove, making it a great road to fully experience summer.
Dad! Your eldest daughter, eldest son-in-law, and eldest grandson came to visit!
We took the Ulsan-Haman Expressway back as well.
The expressway from Haman to Ulsan via Miryang has so many tunnels!!!
But the lush mountains between the tunnels made it feel like a scenic drive.
Mom packed four kinds of kimchi for us.
Since I only told her the day before that we were coming, she said she couldn't prepare any side dishes. So she packed four kinds of kimchi for us - last year's napa cabbage kimchi, altari (ponytail radish kimchi), Dolsan mustard leaf kimchi, and scallion kimchi.
We've been living without kimchi for almost 2-3 weeks, but thanks to Mom, we're kimchi rich!
Oh, and although not pictured, Mom also packed zucchini & salted shrimp stir-fry and cucumber salad, both made with vegetables she picked from the rooftop garden that morning. She also steamed and froze Dolsan glutinous corn because my son likes cheese corn.
For lunch on the way home, we got hamburgers at Burger King (no picture because we were busy organizing the kimchi).
For dessert, we had coffee with a honey yellow peach, brewed with coffee beans gifted by my sister-in-law, and a Chosun Hotel cheesecake sent by my brother-in-law. It was a delightful coffee time with my husband.
My son, after eating his hamburger, went out to play soccer in 36-degree Celsius weather...--;;
Our dinner.
My younger sister sent me a Baemin gift certificate for my birthday, so we ordered sashimi from Baemin for the first time in a while.
And last week, I went to Kaja Liquor to buy wine and found a Spanish wine that we enjoyed at the Spanish Club. So, I bought it.
Sashimi and white wine - yum yum yum.
We ordered a small portion of sashimi for the two of us, but just as we were about to eat, my son came home, saying he was tired from playing soccer in the heat. He hadn't eaten dinner with his friends, so he joined us.
At the Haeundae Spanish Club, we had the wine for around 60,000 won, but at Kaja Liquor, it was in the low to mid 20,000 won range.
It's a white wine made with the Verdejo grape variety, with a pleasant sweetness and subtle flavor.
Perhaps it wasn't chilled enough, or maybe the food pairing at the Spanish Club was so perfect that it tasted better there. It wasn't as delicious as I remembered from the Spanish Club, but it was still a pleasant wine.
Next time, I should try it with cheese & crackers or fruit!
After the wine, we started talking non-stop again.
My son was still hungry, so he wanted ramen. We made him a pot of chewy ramen to finish off the night!
Ramen for dinner is the best!
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