Day Trip to Incheon's Chinatown and Weolmido Theme Park

Though I've been to Incheon countless times, I have only seen the airport. On a chilly weekend in February, I decided to change that.

I took Seoul subway's line 1 all the way to the end to Incheon Station.  The train ride is mostly above ground and let me see bits of Korea that were brand new to me.

As you exit the station, there is no way to miss the entrance to Chinatown.

Founded around 1882, when Incheon's port opened to trade with China, Incheon's Chinatown is still home to the families that relocated to Korea's trading town.

Also home to Korea's beloved Jjajjangmyeon, this neighborhood is a hot spot for food and that is exactly what I was there for.

The more popular food carts were already crowded by the time I arrived around 2pm, but once you ventured off the main street there were plenty of stands free of lines.  It's pretty difficult to get lost in this little neighborhood, especially with maps all over the place guiding you from one site to the next.

It took me about an hour to lazily stroll the whole area, then I stopped to get some of that food I was after!

First up were shrimp dumplings, 2 for 4,000won.  They were served piping hot and were delicious.  The restaurant had a huge line for lunch but you can order dumplings straight from the window without waiting!

Next was the hongdubyeong (2,000won), a Taiwanese style bread that is essentially two pancakes filled with anything delicious. There were tons of different stands, but they all offered a choice of red bean, mango, chocolate, cream cheese, or green tea.

I got the chocolate and it tasted like the best chocolate chip pancakes I've ever had! 

I then headed to cafetea100 (티백도) right next to the subway station. The tea house had an extensive menu and prepared their tea in a traditional way using clay pots.  The hot water is poured over the pots while making tea in order to keep the clay moist and to keep the pots from cracking. (Map here)

The quiet cafe was a great escape from the bustle of Chinatown.

From there, I hopped on the 45 bus right in front of the station and headed to Weolmido Theme Park!

The area surrounding Weolmido theme park is a nice place to walk around and enjoy the view of the ocean.  You can also wander the theme park free of charge! You pay per ride so you're free to walk around and people watch!

The boardwalk area was interesting to say the least, with a massive swarm of seagulls looking for shrimp chips to the rowdy concert filled with old people busting their best moves.

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