The Streets of Samcheok: Coffee with Cats & Penis Park (해신당)

South Korea seems to have the best coffee places, or at least as far as I have tasted. I’m pretty sure there are some amazing coffee places in Europe somewhere but they probably don’t have the scenery and artistry that Korea throws in. This weekend I opted to stay in Samcheok 삼척 (can you believe it? lol) because 1. My funds were running low 2.Going to Seoul every weekend WEARS ME OUT! Because literally I am walking and taking the Seoul Subway all day Saturday and Sunday and usually lurking the streets at night to figure out where I’m going to sleep. I really am a back packer in Seoul with literally all my belonging in my cross body bag. SO I opted for finding fun in my Korean “hometown” and Oh what fun did I find!

Christine, Pheobe, and I had an adventure of a lifetime in the little of town of Samcheok. First we had some amazing coffee and tea, giggled our tails off at Haesindang aka Penis Park (yes you read that correctly) and ended the night with some great Korean food. Who knew Samcheok had a naughty side????

Wow, the English grammar on this is totally off. lol

This Tea/Coffee house called Cafe Lua is known for Cats coming to you while enjoying your drink. The owner raises the cats. Unfortunately it was raining and the prissy felines didn’t want to come out to play. 🙁

The absolute cutest tea cup I’VE EVER LAID MY EYES ON! I wanted to put it in my purse. This was a rose Tea that was out of this world!

Phoebe enjoying the conversation.

Right outside the window is where they hold the yearly Cherry Blossom Festival in Samcheok.

The best dishes ever.

My coffee had on a rose on it!!!!!

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Okay I’m trying to figure out a good transition from Coffee to Haesindang aka Penis Park.

How about I add in these random pictures of the fish place outside the park first. 🙂

Okay!!! You still there? Good! Haesindang 해신당 aka Penis Park is one of a kind. For real. Now after we got done visiting the park I checked my camera and good golly gosh I took over 120 pictures! I mean how could I not????? lol Not many people can say they have been to this park. Also I will only post a few of the “not so graphic photos” because many age groups visit this blog so I will TRY and keep the photos posted to PG-13 status.

This is a REAL park located in Samcheok 삼척 South Korea and is very well known. Thousands of people a year come to visit this Penis Park. I would like to note I was the youngest person there. You have to be 20 years or older to enter anyway but I only saw one other guy who was about 20 something. Everyone else was ages 45 and up!

The entrance.

The gentleman who greeted us.

Mr. Happy? Or Mr.Simple, because I’m Naughty Naughty!
lol Only a Kpop fan would understand this. 😉

As per this penis statue: The Legend of Haesindang 해신당:

A young woman got swept to sea as a virgin and after she died no fish were produced in the sea. The people felt it was because she was a virgin so they started building penis shrines to make her happy and after they did this the sea produced fish again. Another version of the story says that a man went and peed in the water and exposed himself and the maiden was happy so fish showed up in the sea again. To this day penis shrines are still made in her honor!

Christine enjoying the park. This was bench.

This ajushi (name for an older Korean man) was TOO interested in these statues. He had me cracking up.

Christine told me they call these men “dirty ajushi’s.” lol

Getting our pose on.

EVERY SINGLE TIME I tried to take a picture of this guy either my camera was out of focus or someone got in the way. He was tall and muscular like Rain so he IMMEDIATELY caught my attention. 😉 Luck was not on my side though. But I got to enjoy the magic of this park so THE GOOD OUTWEIGHED THE BAD!