Maehwa is the flower which bloom when the Plum tree bear its fruits. Maehwa is also called Plum Blossom because its form and color which is really similar with Cherry Blossom. Maehwa or Plum Blossom usually bloom 2-3  weeks earlier than Cherry Blossom in Korea, between  March 10-25 every year.

The common color of Maehwa is white, but you can also see some pink Maehwa.

In South Korea, Maehwa only blooms in certain area as the biggest one is in Gwangyang, called Cwangyang Maehwa Village, 4 hour away from Seoul.

The annual festival held during the peak of Maehwa each year. in 2017, the festival is between March 11-19.

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One of the highlight when you visit the festival is you gotta try the famous Plum Ice Cream for only 3000 won.

The magical white Maehwa is so beautiful and being a perfect place to have photoshoot. Luckily I went there with Hendry Yadhisna, a profesional photographer who also works for Sweet Escape Travelling Photography by Axioo.

Photoshoot is not complete if you donot have model. This time the model is our lovely friend Monica.

The festival ends on Sunday, March 19th, but you’re still be able to see the Maehwa until March 25 the least (my prediction, since we still have no rain for the whole next week).

It’s quite complicated to reach this place as I recommend you to take daily tour from some agency departing from Seoul such as trazy, wemakeprice, etc. But if you wish to travel alone, here’s the information.

[HowToGetThere]

• Take direct bus from Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal to Hadong Bus Terminal (Bus runs 9 times a day, start from 06:30 until 22:00)
• From Hadong Bus Terminal, you can either take a local bus bound for Daap-myeon (다압면) for 1-1,5 hours or take taxi for 10-15 mins and get off at Maehwa Village (매화마을).

[Tips]

• Check the official website or recent photos on instagram before you visit, every year the condition is different. This year the Maehwa flowers fall down earlier as they have strong wind recently.
• Visit on weekday and early in the morning to avoid crowd.
• If you wish to travel with daily tour from Seoul, reserve some weeks in advance because it’s gonna be sold out so fast.
• Wear bright color of clothes to look better in photos.

*more info 

visited on March 17th, 2017

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