The Island That Tells You It's Okay to Slow Down
Fifty minutes by ferry from Wando Port, the moment you step off at Cheongsando's passenger terminal, the first thing you notice is a change of pace. In 2007, this island became Asia's first certified Slow City, and in 2011 its full network of walking paths — 11 courses covering 42.195km around the island — was designated the world's first certified "Slow-gil" (slow road).
True to the name, rushing here feels almost out of place. The photograph accompanying this article shows the Slow-gil in spring, when the rapeseed flowers are in full bloom. Visit now, in September, and those yellow fields are replaced by terraced rice paddies turning gold with the harvest — which is, in fact, closer to Cheongsando's real identity.
These are "gudeuljang-non" (ondol-floor paddies): rice fields built by laying stones like the heated floor of a traditional Korean home, then covering them with soil, complete with their own drainage channels. It's a farming method recognized both as a Korean National Important Agricultural Heritage and a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Walk the first course of the Slow-gil and a narrow, winding stone wall traces the path beneath your feet (sight); instead of crashing waves, what you hear is wind brushing over dry rice stalks (sound); near the coast, the salty tang of seaweed and abalone farms drifts past (smell); a bowl of tot-jangtteok (seaweed rice cake) or abalone porridge from a village shop tastes distinctly different
from its mainland counterpart (taste); and running a hand along the winding stone walls leaves the rough texture of the stones on your fingertips (touch). Scattered around the island are also "Slow Mailboxes" — letters posted here aren't delivered to their recipient for a full year. It's a fitting device for an island with no reason to hurry.
■ Getting there Ferries leave Wando Port passenger terminal six times a day, with a one-way crossing of about 50 minutes. Since Seoul to Wando itself takes roughly 4-5 hours by bus or car, an overnight stay makes more sense than a same-day trip.
For a burned-out traveler looking to get out of Seoul, deciding to leave an entire day unplanned on this island may be the best deal you make all trip — that kind of stillness is hard to buy even with money back in the city.
Where should this column visit next? We're taking suggestions for the next stop on "How Far Have You Been in Korea" — join our open chat to help pick the next destination. (See this paper's open chat guide for how to join.) Korea Tourism Times Editorial Desk