Arboretum in South Daegu for everyone

Is it even possible to rehabilitate a dumping site into something recreational.. a safe haven for everyone?

at the main entrance of the park with man-made
water fall behind us

How fast would the transition take from a huge parcel of wasted land into some thing that is eco and family friendly? Well, I don't really know how long it took for the people in South Daegu to do it.. but they did it.

Our friends, Sunny and David, took Jeff and me to Arboretum after basking ourselves with sumptuous Korean style feast. It was 5 minutes drive from where we had our lunch to the park. We were welcomed with very neat man-made water falls (that runs from 10am to about 6pm or so) and a bulletin board that maps out the location.

South Daegu's Arborium: The huge parcel of land used to
be a dumping site for nearby cities.

The park is free and open to everyone. The whole area is divided into different sections or kind of vegetation. I would say that this is paradise for photo-fanatics such as yours truly.

Mind you though that there are certain things that are prohibited and these are:
*no littering
* no smoking
* no picking of flowers or any kind of vegetation
*and I think camping is not allowed as well.
You can bring your own food, snacks and even jugs of water. But if you were like us on an impromptu decision, you can simply purchase food and refreshment from the park's very own store.

And so.. without much ado... on a fine Summer's day... we began our tour at Taegu's Arboretum.

• Sunny lead the trail for us. We started on the south trail, just leading around the parameter of the park. It was a nice slow walk and very much shady because of the tall trees that surrounded the area. The plants on the right btw, according to Sunny.. are edible. I have yet to try them and who knows, I might like them as well. 

 

The picture on the right is one of the stores that can be found in the park. It sells almost everything from souvenir items (e.g. fans, hats, towels) to refreshment such as milkshake -- my favorite!!

You may think that the whole store is quite empty. It got more visitors later in the day. Like any other weary and tired travelers, they ordered cold bottles of water and milk shake too like what we had in the picture.

This is one of the many sections of bonsai in Arboretum. Aren't they pretty and magnificent? I bet whoever did all of these had magical hands. Below were some of my favorite bonsai trees.

Not only do they have bonsai displayed in the sanctuary, they have them placed in an open garden.

My hubby couldn't believe there's an apple I think from that bonsai.

There is also the weird (for lack of a better word to describe it) types of plants and trees. The shrub (?) stood out from the rest of the green plants.

Sunny reaching for the leaves.
The two bonsai pictures below are from another sanctuary within
the park

an odd looking bonsai where most of its leaves and branches
decided to grow on one side.

Another path way to a different world of serene beauty and peacefulness

trees used as decorations

Bonsai meets Goliath

The park is also equipped with several ponds with wheels such as the one above.

 Right across the pond is this section of wide open space.

The fountain serves as the rotonda not far from the bonsai section of the park. 

I bet this fountain would look pretty at night but alas, we couldn't late to see it. Underneath the water btw is is a huge flat map of the world. 

 Another section of the park that leads to tranquility. 

The photo above are fossil woods imported from Indonesia (or as Sunny puts it, donated by Indonesia). These were naturally petrified (or silicified). It is part of the park's museum located within the area. 

 Welcome to Daegu's Forest Culture Exhibition where it showcases various trees, plants as well as the history of the park.

 The museum is very educational. If only most people (hint from the islands) would value our forest and all that..

Meet Mr. Angry Otter. A petrified mammal that is displayed at the lobby of the museum.

After touring inside the museum, we headed out. This pond suffered from extreme drought. lol.

 Another path leading to plants and more greeneries. 

Getting tired? There are so many benches such as the one above and below for you to rest on. 

Captured moment with moi and hubby.

Since the park was enormously big and we got there past 3pm, we decided to head back home. Our friends led us to the shortest route towards the main entrance. This meant that we would have to go through the vegetable section which.. really, we did not mind at all. 

 The family of gourds ^^

Under the shade of heavenly vegetables

Path to the main entrance

The whole trip was exciting and simply breath taking. I wouldn't mind coming back here. So if you're here in Daegu, don't miss out their very own forest park.

Husband and moi enjoying the scenery. The whole park is simply breath taking. With mountain draping behind us, who wouldn't love this place?

*there's always room for editing. tee hee.