For my trip I decided to visit 3 destinations within Chungcheongnamdo; Seosan (6 nights 7 days split into two), Asan (2 nights 3 days) and Dangjin (3 nights 4 days). I had a good idea what I wanted to do in each place as I had researched on Instagram and Naver blogs prior to each visit. First up was a long weekend in Seosan over Chuseok. I stayed in the Brown Dot hotel which was conveniently located next to the beautiful Seosan Jungang Lake Park and just a 15 minute walk from Seosan bus terminal. I immediately caught a bus to Haemi Eupseong as I was worried I wouldn"t have long before it closed for the day. Arriving at the main gate, I was captivated by all the different sizes of the stones on either side; a lady pointed out the Chinese letters engraved on the stones to me, which I wouldn"t have noticed otherwise. While strolling along the inner fortress wall I watched families flying kites and relaxing on the grass. I climbed up a hill and then down some stairs to walk through a small bamboo wood. As I approached the top of the hill again, I looked over Haemieupseong to see a beautiful sunset. There is a gorgeous gingko tree in front of a courtyard and almost opposite that tree is the Locust Tree which is over 300 years old and holds a sad history. I wanted to get my first stamp for the stamp tour here but I arrived to late to get a booklet. So, as it was starting to get dark I decided to go and grab some dinner. I found a nice indoor area full of nice places to eat and decided on Daedong restaurant. I ordered chueotang (loach soup) which tasted amazing and came with rice and delicious side dishes. I caught a bus back to the Seosan bus terminal and walked around a little before returning to the hotel to sleep. The next day was a busy one. I first stopped by Seosan indoor market for some kimbap as I planned to be out walking for some time. After some time and many people helping me, I eventually caught a bus to Gaesimsa. I had a lovely time walking around the temple grounds, it was so peaceful and didn"t have too many visitors. Some of the buildings look very unique because of the different sized pieces of wood used to build them. I had read that I could pick up a stamp booklet here too but I could not find the information office. Luckily, there was no stamp in the box anyway so I took a photo next to it for verification purposes then set off walking up the hill to the left of the temple in the direction of Bowonsa. The paths are all very well maintained and signposted clearly so it was a very enjoyable walk. When I arrived to the Bowonsa temple ruins site, the first thing I noticed was the huge five-story pagoda, Palbujungsan, which is believed to have first been built during the Goryeo Dynasty. It has a very imposing look and has beautiful carvings of the eight guardian deities on all four sides of the base stones. I decided to enquire about the stamp book at the tourist information office and hurrah, finally I received one! So, my first stamp was here but actually classed as Gayasan, which I will be hiking next time I visit Seosan. The lady in the office also gave me a verification stamp for Gaesimsa when I showed her my picture with the stampless box. We then got chatting and she very kindly offered to drive me to the cattle ranch and the rock carved Buddha triad. Unfortunately there were no cows out grazing so I took a photo of the scenery and got my stamp and we drove on to the Buddha statues. Anne had to leave as she was working but I promised I would drop by on my way back so she could give me a tour of the remaining ruins at Bowonsa. So, off I climbed, up to the triad Buddha statues. I arrived as a tour was taking place so I waited patiently and tried to understand some of what was being said with my limited Korean abilities. I hadn"t realised they would be so big and the Buddha in the middle had such a lovely smile, it was really detailed. I asked someone to take my photo and she proceeded to take photos from all different angles, which I was very grateful for. I was also informed that the best time to visit is between 9-11am. The Buddhas" smiles change depending on when the sunlight hits the rock. I would like to go back some day and see just how different their smiles are. On my way down, I remembered to get my stamp and walked back to Bowonsa for my guided tour with Anne. I was able to learn a lot about the various ruins thanks to her help and it was nice to see how much she seemed to enjoy her job. I arrived back to the hotel exhausted and ordered a Subway sandwich. My second full day in Seosan was equally busy. I started with a morning walk around Jungang Lake Park which was glistening in the sunlight and the many lily pads surrounding the pavillion in the centre are a sight to behold! I waited and waited for a bus to take me to Samgilpo Port and eventually one showed up. It was quite a long but pleasant bus journey. I was greeted with the wonderful salty smell of the sea and people shouting as they sold seafood off their boats. I bought some hotteok (sweet pancake) from a sweet deaf couple near the harbour; it was delicious, so I went back for one more! I took a photo of the huge fish statue and found the stamp tour check point. I walked to a coffee shop and ordered an iced chocolate because it was quite hot outside. From there, I took a taxi to Hwanggeum mountain because it was getting late and I didn"t want to be waiting ages like with the bus before. I arrived to the mountain base, collected another stamp and then was on my way up. It"s a small mountain so didn"t take long to reach the peak. I had bought some kimbap from a convenience store at the harbour so I relaxed and ate that while gazing out at the beautiful sea view. After eating, I walked over to the other side of the mountain and right on to the beach. It"s a nice place for families to visit or couples to enjoy a picnic. To the right I found Elephant Rock which was glowing as the sun was starting to set. I didn"t stay too long because the tide was starting to come in a bit further up and I was tired from being in the sun all day. On arriving back to the hotel I opted to eat at Seosan Burger restaurant which was just round the corner. I highly recommend eating here. The burger I had was absolutely delicious; better than most places I had tried in Seoul. Feeling rather full, I returned to my hotel room. The following day Anne kindly invited me to join her driving around to several places on my stamp tour. First, we drove back to Haemieupseong so I could get the stamp I missed and so Anne could give me some information about the history. She also took me Haemi Martyrdom Trail which was sad but very interesting at the same time. For lunch Anne treated me to a wonderful bibimbap meal at Hyangsu Garden. Everything tasted so fresh and I especially enjoyed the soup. Feeling stuffed, we drove to Ganworam. Ganworam is a small temple by the sea that becomes an island when the tide rises. It"s a lovely little temple and there were lots of people on the surrounding beach digging for shells. I took some lovely photos, collected yet another stamp and we were on our way again. Our final stop and probably my favourite of the day, was Buseoksa Temple on Dobi mountain. From the Guardian Deities at the entrance all the way up to a rock carved Buddha and a bell pavillion, everything was colourful and with beautiful detail. The highlight was relaxing outside of the sweet cafe with some daechucha (jujube tea) and a stunning view. What a wonderful day it was and thanks to Anne I didn"t need to worry about taking any public transport. I said goodbye as we arrived to the bus station for my return journey to Seoul. I couldn"t wait to go back to Seosan and finish the stamp tour!