Cholla-bukto Province Travel Guide

Jeonju, or Chonju as it was known before the Revised Romanization changes a few years ago, is the home to most Korean food. As the seat of the Joseon (Chosun)Dynasty, Korean royal dishes such as Bibimbap were invented here and the food continues to be the best available in all of Korea. This is not overstating the situation and even Koreans will concede this truth. The cheapest, and arguably best, food can be found in front of Jeonbuk National University in Deokjin Dong. Just tell the taxi driver "John book day, jeon moon ah pay" and you will be let off in front of the university gate and food can be found in its many wondrous forms down any of the streets running parallel to the front of the university from the main street running perpendicular to it. To have an experience that you will not forget, you should also go to the Makkoli (a fermented rice drink with the consistency and general ambiance of a nice British ale) House on a road called Paek Jae. To get there, you can say to the taxi driver, "peck jay ro, mockoli (like broccoli)jib ka joo say yo." Go into one of them (look like old adobes in a sense), order "mockoli" and "chon" ("mockoli han gay ha go yo, chon hana joo say yo" (repeat as necessary) and you are in for a treat!!! Also, downtown near Gaek Sa there is a "foreigner" friendly bar known as "Deep In." Any Friday night will reveal the foreigners in town and any would be happy to help a traveller. This bar was first popularized by yours truly and company in 1997/8 and has been popular ever since. You may still find my pic on the wall of shame! Overall, Chonju (as it was spelled then) holds a place in my heart as my first cultural experience and the start of my cultural learning. The museums, palaces, and churches hold appeal, but it is the food, the people, and the Makkoli Jibs on Paek Jae Ro that will forever separate Jeonju from other Korean cities!

If you plan to stay in South Korea for any length of time, be aware that it's quite difficult to find bed sheets, deodorant, and tampons.  Bring some from home especially if you're not near Seoul.

This is a fairly small town. If you want to get breakfast, beware that it will be really hard to find anywhere open. There's a lot of seafood in this area, and the only eating places we found that were open were seafood ones. We ended up driving to Iksan to eat our breakfast at a kimbab chain cafe!