It is hard to believe that it has been a year since we were diving the wreck of the ‘America’ near Singer Castle with Jay of St. Lawrence Aquatics in upstate New York. We heard tell about an indoor dive pool in Daegu
, and with a four day weekend ahead of us we jumped at the chance to do a little scuba refresher before hitting the open water again…Then we found out that the pool was in the center of Duryu Park…The same Duryu Park that hosted the Chimac Festiva in July?!
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Chimac= chicken and maekju (beer). A whole party centered around the beloved combination of chicken and beer. We saw our first K-Pop band at the open air stage while we lounged with a few thousand other like-minded folks- taking it all in from our blanket on the lawn with a large box of fried chicken, various dipping sauces, the ubiquitous pickled radish and of course a couple liters of omija beer.
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I was thrilled to find a brew that was local and artisanal…a nice change from the regular light bodied swill of Cass and Hite. Mmmm… A delightful summer evening in Daegu.
But I digress.
The pool is a beautiful state of the art facility. We were greeted by a friendly staff, equipment rental, tank fills, nice locker rooms, a little shop where you can pick up a new mask or fins, picnic tables with coloured umbrellas where you can hang out and prep your gear. A couple of classes were going on, but we headed for the bottom of the 15 foot pool, where there were hoops to swim through, a mirror to check your form, and a peaceful place to practice buoyancy control. Duryu dive pool, you rock!
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After a lovely scuba swim, a wander around the park itself was in order… Pass the area wild with bike riders of every age, and you will come across beautiful Cathedral Pond and the Daegu Arts and Cultural Center (“Photograhic Narrative” -a big photo bienninal will be on display here September 12- October 19). A myriad of walking paths and picnic spots make Duryu hard to resist during nice weather.
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Daegu Tower rises above it all, the perfect landmark to prevent getting lost and a beacon to help guide you back. We left the park, went around the bend, and found a little snack shop that offered up cheap eats like gimbap and a few types of mandu (one of our faves, if you haven’t already guessed). We chose bibim mandu 비빔 만두: a plate of fried dumplings accompanied by a fresh salad, topped with a tangy spicy sauce.
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The Daegu tower, our beacon back to Duryu… |
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Back in the park, walking along the tree covered path, we made plans for our next visit.
Tandem bike riding: seems to be all the rage these days!
How to get there: take line 1 (Red Line) towards Daegok and get off at stop number 124, Daemyeong. Take exit 1 and turn right out of the exit. Follow Daemyeong Ro towards Duryu park. Head towards the spire and you will find the pool, cultural center, and recreation areas. Taking line 2 (Green Line) towards Munyang and getting off at stop number 226, Duryu, will take you to the North side of the park, home of the Chimac Festival. All directions are from the Banwaldang transfer hub.
Wonderful!!! Thank you for sharing and letting us see the walk that you are walking! Great work !
How absolutely lovely! Beautiful photos, amazing descriptions , I’m there with you !