Warning: it's going to be a very photo-heavy post, and with no food photos (egads! ). But I really hope you stick around because I wanna share some of the amazing beauty that I experienced this past Saturday.
After our picnic lunch on the sands of Mallipo Beach, my family headed to the 'Chollipo Arboretum' which is literally a few minutes drive from the beach. You can even see the shores from one side of the garden.
For a little background info, this botanical garden was created in 1970 by Mr. Carl Ferris Miller, an American who first came to Korea in 1945. He fell in love with the country and made it his permanent home. He even became a Korean citizen and gave himself the Korean name Min Byung Gal . He and this arboretum have received many awards and has been recognition by the United Kingdom's Royal Horticultural Society, the U.S. Freedom Foundation, and the Korean government . There are apparently around 12,000 different plant species, including 400 different magnolias, and countless kinds trees and flora!
I honestly had no idea what to expect when we got there, and I was blown away. The place is simply overflowing with beauty and tranquility.
Everywhere you look is completely picturesque and it makes you feel like you've entered a new world. I was definitely impressed with how well the grounds have been kept and how much detail has been paid to the entire landscape.
The entire area is around 147 acres and it took us around 1:30 minutes to walk through the main trail. There were a lot of different paths and nooks and crannies, so we did miss a few things along the way. But even still, there was just so much to see, admire and photograph! I could've spent hours just sitting on a bench, reading a book while being surrounded by all the greenery and fresh air.
These are literally only a fraction of all the different flowers we saw:
I was thrilled to get to see hummingbird hawk-moths, which I've only previously seen in pictures! There were so many in one area of the garden just hovering around the flowers, doing their thang. ^^
Unfortunately, we didn't get to see any of the garden's famous magnolias because they only bloom in the Spring. But I absolutely plan on going back here because with each new season comes new flora, colors, butterflies, and auras. I'm sure this place will look stunning in the fall too, with the gorgeous autumn color palate. I'm not sure how one would get there without a car, but I highly recommend that people check this place out! It's like a little patch of heaven.