For anyone living in Daejeon, like most cities with concrete and metal surrounding its inhabitants, traffic congestion and the smells of modern living, it’s hard to find the quiet place out in nature.

One might find the nicer spots near the river or certain small parks dotted around the city, but finding a location where the nature of trees dominates the environment or an expansive lake captivates one's vision, is obviously never to be found in any city. However, a fifteen-minute ride out of the east part of Daejeon can change all that.

Jumping on the motorbike at the end of a teaching day and riding out of the city for fifteen minutes brings me into the nature of Okcheon. Some days I could just ride for an hour and never come across more than half a dozen cars.

I might even stop for a break and hear nothing but crickets and birds, not a sound from any cars or people.

I do enjoy exploring the huge Daecheong dam lake/reservoir that stretches across most of the area, on never-ending roads that snake through small farming villages outlining this large water mass. The road itself is long and twisting along the edge of the water, with constant breathtaking scenery.

On a stressful teaching day riding along this road can help to release the attachments and stresses from a classroom environment. However, within the first few kilometres on the road, my favourite cafe calls out to me.

 

The Pangsion Cafe in Daecheong lake

It overlooks a beautiful lake that wraps around most of the jutted land, hosting this now popular cafe and restaurant for many Koreans living in Daejeon. Obviously needing one’s own transport is more convenient to visit this perfect brunch location.

For those who might feel like something different with not too much traveling, but a nice day of exploring the country alone or with friends, a quick bus ride could be a nice change from the fast-paced city.  

During spring the lakeside road is arched for a few kilometres with Cherry Blossom trees. So it certainly adds to the quite magical experience if it might be your first time exploring this area during this season.

These days Pangsion area is very busy with many families and couples enjoying the lunch menu and admiring the view.

A second coffee shop has opened nearby and a few more car parks have appeared since I first found the place back in 2013.

It has certainly developed from a simple cafe to a thriving bistro restaurant. With a pricy but enjoyable brunch menu and a second restaurant expansion next door, the table view on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon can be matched by few other places.

After lunch, a casual walk around the area is certainly also possible. There are one or two extraordinary modern housing designs nearby, breached by a few small farms. One can even walk up to the other coffee shop near the entrance and view the other side of this lake.

The overnight pension option

There are also pensions nearby that can allow some groups to enjoy the whole night with an outdoor BBQ, although there are no convenient stores nearby for this, so stock up well if you plan for an overnight stay.

I remember staying here for a few nights at a pension literally next door in 2013 & 2014 with friends. It was during a Chuseok (Korean thanksgiving) and the cafe was not quite so popular at the time, so we were the only people at this lakeside.

A few of us had cars and so we packed food and alcohol for a few nights, along with swimming gear and inflatables. It was one of the best Chuseoks I can remember. We all swam and floated on the water, dipping plastic cups into floating cocktails buckets. One time I remember a few of us floating on tubes in the middle of the lake as the sun dropped and the moon came over us. We shared a bottle of whiskey amongst the floating circle. It was a surreal moment as the water and air were quite warm and the night so still, but there we all were in the middle just floating quietly and slightly tipsy.

I am not sure this kind of fun can be had there again, as a few more houses have popped up in the area and it's certainly much busier than before. However, this was how I found the location in the first place, returning to it on a regular basis on my own, just because I now had a motorbike.