Exploring the Autumn Flower Festival at Gamaksan
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- blog.naver.com
Famous for the Geochang Autumn Flower Festival, Gamaksan offers a beautiful experience.
I would like to share my experience from the festival.
This year, to drive up to Gamaksan during the festival, you need to make a reservation in advance.
Those without a vehicle reservation must use the shuttle bus.
The shuttle bus pickup location is at 147, Daesan-ri, Namsang-myeon, Geochang-gun.
There are guides at the spacious parking lot, making it easy to park.
The fee for driving up is 6,000 KRW per vehicle, while the shuttle bus costs 3,000 KRW round trip per person.
Shuttle bus services start from 7 AM.
The last shuttle bus on weekdays leaves at 4:30 PM and on holidays at 4:55 PM.
The final return bus on weekdays is at 6:30 PM and on holidays at 7 PM.
I drove up, but I thought it would be nice to travel by bus for a change.
From the Namsang-myeon shuttle bus parking lot, it takes about 10 minutes to reach Byeolbaram Hill at Gamaksan.
At Byeolbaram Hill, where the Geochang Astor Chrysanthemum Festival is held, I followed the signs to the second parking lot.
Autumn flowers like the Korean chrysanthemum and the goldenrod were in full bloom, creating a festive atmosphere.
If you walk up past the chrysanthemum area, you will reach the Gamaksan Observatory, which overlooks the entire Byeolbaram Hill.
Since I hadn't eaten, I headed to the food market located to the right of the observatory.
On the way to the food market, I also stopped by the Flower Star Market.
They were selling beautiful flower pots, including Astor chrysanthemums and saffron.
The food market offered a variety of local delicacies from Geochang.
I planned to buy items from the Flower Star Market later since I didn't want to carry them around.
The food market at the Gamaksan Astor Chrysanthemum Festival is operated by two women's associations from Sinwon-myeon and Namsang-myeon.
Prices for food were similar to last year, with bibimbap at 9,000 KRW, fish cakes at 1,000 KRW, and cup noodles at 2,000 KRW, making it affordable.
The usually crowded first parking lot was spacious this year due to the shuttle bus operation.
After enjoying a delicious lunch at the food market, I began to explore the blooming status of the Astor chrysanthemums.
I visited on Monday, September 21, and found that about 60-70% of the Astor chrysanthemums were in bloom.
Now, during the Chuseok holiday, I imagine they are in full bloom.
At five out of the seven festival locations, I collected stamps to redeem for jelly at the operations headquarters.
The required stamp locations were easy to find.
The Astor chrysanthemums at Gamaksan bloom in various colors, including purple, white, pink, and light purple, with the purple ones being particularly beautiful.
This year, there were also new sculptures, beautifully representing Korea's Sogang Mountain.
To get an overall view of the festival, I climbed up to the Gamaksan Observatory.
The newly painted observatory felt fresh and uplifting.
From the observatory, you can see Deogyusan, Geumwonsan, Hwangmaesan, and Jirisan.
You can also see the town of Geochang with a population of about 40,000.
There is also a silver grass maze below the observatory, perfect for photos.
Entering the bamboo art piece called 'Breath' through the maze, I felt a sense of relaxation.
Finally, I visited the star photo zone and completed my stamp collection.
When I brought the completed stamp pamphlet to the operations headquarters, I received Geochang apples and cherry plum jelly.
Before heading back to the parking lot, I stopped by the Flower Star Market to purchase the Astor chrysanthemum pot and Wonyang grapes I had my eye on.
The fresh grapes were 10,000 KRW for 2 kg, offering great value.
They packed them in a non-woven bag for convenience.
Around 3 PM, while resting in the shade, a cool breeze from Gamaksan made it feel chilly.
The Geochang Byeolbaram Hill Flower Star Festival runs until Sunday, October 11, so if you are planning an autumn outing, it would be a great idea to visit this weekend.
You can enjoy the colorful Astor chrysanthemums and the expansive views of Gamaksan, making it a perfect spot for autumn flower viewing and a scenic drive.
Source :https://blog.naver.com/geochanggun/224422030216
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