Conquering Heyri Art Valley on buggy

If you could go back in time to relive just one day in your life, which day would it be? For me, that’d be the time when Pangzi and I cruised through Heyri Art Valley on a rented buggy.

That was about the only day he had behaved himself. As the chilly autumn wind blew across our faces, the exhilaration of racing up and down the streets of Heyri Art Valley turned us into screaming goofy idiots. Pangzi gripped the buggy tight and me tighter. The moment belonged to us and us alone.

“Ahhhhhhhhhh! Daddy, is Heyri Art Valley a zoo?”

“No, it’s a contemporary art village. The giraffe you see behind us is an art installation.”

“Ahhhhhhhhhh! Daddy, why are the buildings here so different?”

“Because Heyri Art Valley is a special place in Seoul with many museums and exhibition spaces, just like Gillman Barracks but more exotic.”

“Ahhhhhhhhhh! Daddy, why are we not in a theme park in Korea?”

“You can see things here in Heyri Art Valley that you can’t elsewhere. Like this vintage double decker bus behind us. Now it’s an art piece.”

“Ahhhhhhhhhh! Daddy, why do I see only Hyundai and Kia in Korea?”

“Who says so? Isn’t that a cool Volkswagen?”

“Ahhhhhhhhhh! Daddy, is she trying to kill us?”

“That’s Lara Croft from Tomb Raider. She only shoots naughty children. Here you can see many characters come to life from video games and comic books.”

The buggy ride was barely 30min for KRW15,000 or about $15, but enough to take us to most parts of Heyri Art Valley. The place was not small, and I figured it would take at least an hour to cover every corner on foot. More time would be required for a proper visit.