Cherry Blossoms

I know it's a bit late but during the first week of April were treated to the beautiful sight of citywide cherry blossoms. While I never made it down to the actual 'festival' in Yeoido, our little intersection is lined with these blossoming trees as are the neighboring parks. . .here are a few snapshots for you to enjoy as spring progresses into the 'green' season!

Happy Spring!

License to. . . Drive

It took two hours, a bus ride, 18,000 krw, a 'physical,' and an multiple choice exam but in the end, I arose victorious as the proud possessor of a Korean Driver's License! I say possessor rather than owner because apparently, somewhere along the way I was forced to fork over my Michigan Operator's License which I was promised will be returned to me as soon as I return my newly acquired license, along with proof of my leaving Korea in the form of a plane ticket.

In turn, I don't really 'own' this new license as it's apparently supposed to be returned. Well, half the reason I got one was that I thought it'd be a cool souvenir so we'll see if the KDLA (Korean Driver's License Authority) ever gets it back. I can always let 'em keep my MI one and simply buy a new one. . .or then again, a better idea, I'll just tell 'em I lost it. . .or maybe I will 'lose' it, I mean, they can't deny returning my license to me. . .can they?! I'll let you know in four months!

This morning I caught the 1142 bus outside Dootavil headed towards Nowon Station where I bailed out and marched north for about 400 meters. On my left I easily found the Dobong Driver's License Examination Office surrounded by what looked like a giant obstacle course. I've seen such tracks before and apparently they are for the most novice of drivers who must first conquer these proving grounds before heading out into the gauntlet of Seoul itself!

Inside the building reminded me of any ole' DMV, institutional and banal. I found my way to the foreign desk at window 5 and managed to skip ahead of the lines waiting everywhere else. Yes! I was easily able to convey what I wanted by telling the clerk that I was headed to Jeju (more on that in a bit) in a few weeks and wanted to be able to rent a car while I'm there. She understood and got me started on the paperwork after first checking my Alien Resident Card (ARC), Driver's License, and Passport. Seeing that all three aligned, she returned the ARC and Passport to me and sent me off to fill in a large form using a laminated translator form for assistance.

Welcome to Dobong Driver's License Examination Office, Nowon-gu

After satisfactorily (is that really a word?) completing my forms, I was sent downstairs to the Physical Examination room. This worried me a bit until I remembered how quick and painless my initial health check was at Eulji Hospital. I paid a woman 5,000 won and was asked to step behind a curtained door. There I was asked to align my feet with a pair on the ground and stare at an eye chart ten feet head. Using the provided spoon thingy I covered one eye and then the other reading the letters that the attendant pointed to. I immediately detected a hint of apathy coming from this woman which was confirmed as I blurted out the wrong letter on the top row as I had thought she wanted me to read the whole row, not just the letter she was specifically pointing to. However, she seemed to either not notice or not care about my blunder and passed me all the same!

A handful of stamps later I was sent back upstairs to Window 5. I was congratulated and then given a specific set of instructions to carry out, assisted by a nice little hand drawn diagram. I forked over a head shot I had taken a Lotte Mart the day before which was then affixed to my form. The bottom part of the first page was removed and then I was sent off to Window 1. Here I paid 6,000 won for what looked like two postage stamps. I then took the stamps over to Window 3 where they were affixed to my form for me. Of course, at each step along the way my identify was confirmed by checking my ARC, Passport or both.

Passed my 'Physical'

After getting making sure my stamps were on nice and tight I was sent to the second floor where I was ushered quietly into a large lecture hall like room filled with computer stations. I was told to turn off my phone and stash my bag in one of the small cubbies up front. I then was seated at a touch screen computer where I was given instructions as to how to respond to the 20 multiple choice questions I then faced. This was hilarious!

The woman downstairs, in an effort to relax me I imagine, reassured me that the test was no problem for foreigners. She was almost right. Not only was the wording of the questions absolutely hilarious and somewhat incomprehensible, but the subject matter bordered on absurd. Ironically, one of the questions asked which of the following statements would be most absurd,' and I was at a loss, unable to find the 'all of the above' selection!

While I'm pretty sure I nailed the ones about stopping at red lights and proceeding through four way stops with caution, I'm not entirely sure about what the 'reversible lane' is used for, what crime yields the maximum penalty or what the relationship is between air pressure and gasoline consumption. For the latter I went out on a limb and assumed that lower pressure meant higher consumption in that less oxygen in the air would mean the engine would have to work harder. Anyone wanna help me with this one?!

I eventually finished all 20 questions and hit the 'end' button, wholly expecting to fail the test as I wasn't really sure about any of the answers! I was surprised when I was immediately informed by the screen that I passed with 85%. Not bad, only three wrong! I managed to hold in my excitement as the room was filled with other test takers who looked as though they fully intended on using the allotted time of 50 minutes. Once out in the hallway however I couldn't hold it any longer and literally burst out laughing at the absurdity of the test I had just taken and, miraculously, passed! This of course drew a number of strange looks so I bolted back downstairs to Window 5.

Not sure what my stamps bought but they sure do look pretty

I was congratulated on my 'victory' and then again ushered down to Window 1 where I forked over another 6,000 won for another pair of stamps. These two were again affixed, via Window 3, to the other side of my form. Finally I returned the completed material triumphantly to Window 5. I was told that my license would be ready in 40 minutes and to pick it up then. Nooo problem!

Seeing as how the rain of the past two weeks had finally cleared and the temperature was starting to push 70, I figured it'd be a great time to head outside and do some reading in the sun. Of course, I was alone in the this venture as all the Koreans quickly scuttled past covering themselves with anything they could find in order to prevent the evil rays of our dearest and nearest start from hurting them.

Korean Azaleas in bloom

Other than the gawking school girls who passed I was left entirely alone until just before returning to the office. An elderly gentleman rode up on a bike and began talking to me loudly about East Lansing, Michigan as I was wearing an old soccer shirt. He began going on and on about America this and that being great (I think) and then decided to show me an interesting article he read in the paper this morning. Something about how the wives of both Spain and France's Prime Ministers are, well, hot. I'm not entirely sure what his point was but I think he was making some reference to how pathetic it was that such a subject was news worthy. I agreed with this barrage of words, which was more like a rain shower of spittle, an encouraged him to enjoy his day. . .elsewhere!

He did eventually leave but not before telling me that I look like I'm from the Church of Latter-day Saints, which, according to him is a good thing as he often attends their services. At this pointed I was tempted to, but thankfully didn't, point out that the book I was reading (Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer) was in fact entirely about this burgeoning religion and it's not-so-nice offshoots. Perhaps he was better at English then he let on and somehow noted what I was reading about. Perhaps he was in fact an LDS member. Either way, it was creepily coincidental!

How friendly everyone was! Even the signs!

Just under and hour later, as my unexpected conversation lasted much longer than I would have liked, I returned to Window 5 where I was presented with my very own Korean Driver's License! I tried one last ditch effort to get my MI license back but my request seemed to almost offend the woman so I quickly let it go, figuring it wasn't the end of the world. While I haven't had a lot of interaction with Korean Government, thankfully, I can't imagine their bureaucratic processes being any less, and certainly not any more, flexible than those I've grown accustomed to. . .so it was a losing battle from the beginning!

Nevertheless, I am now the proud possessor of my very own Korean Driver's License! Wish me luck!

Can't stop me now!

Seoul Grand Park

Last Saturday we finally decided to embark on a long awaited adventure to Seoul Grand Park! As it's located just off of light blue Line 4, we were able to hop on the metro at Sanggye and grab a seat for the almost hour long journey. While still accessible by subway, the Park is actually located just south of Seoul's city limits.

All Aboard to Seoul Grand Park

Although LP informed us that we would have the opportunity to visit a zoo, contemporary art museum and Seoul Lane amusement park, it failed to mention that one would need an entire weekend to thoroughly enjoy the full experience. Coming up out of the subway we followed the massive crowds towards the park's administrative building where we picked up an English guide map.

We decided that a visit to the zoo was certainly in order but couldn't quite figure out where it was. Turns out we had a few different options to get there as just entering Grand Park doesn't mean you've arrived at the zoo. For a nominal fee (under a dollar) you can take an animal themed tram running up to the entrance, about a half-mile up hill. Or, for the more environmentally friendly crowd, there's always the option of walking. And, last, but certainly not least, for the ski bum who just didn't get enough time on the chair lift during the winter, there's always the Sky Lift!

Sky Lift to the zoo anyone?!

At first we decided to pass on the different mechanical modes of transportation and began the hike up up towards the entrance. As we browsed our newly acquired guide map we realized that the Sky Lift actually takes you up and over the zoo, much cooler than we had originally though. So, even though we were half way up, we decided to run back and grab tickets to go up in style.

Turns out there's not one Sky Life but two as the first one stops at the entrance to the zoo and the second one takes you all the way to the back so you can then walk downhill, as the zoo itself is set in a rising valley between two mountains. We were a bit taken aback at first by the 9,000 won ticket price for a simple chair lift ride. But, realizing that the opportunity to see a zoo from the air only comes every so often, we splurged! Enjoy the views!

Up and over the pond

The Children's Gardens, not quite yet in bloom

We disembarked our first Sky Lift ride at the entrance to the zoo where we picked up tickets for admission for only 3,000 a piece. We were shocked to enter the zoo and see the line for the second Sky Lift running down a pathway for hundreds of meters. While we did pay for two trips on the lift, neither of us wanted to wait in line for an hour just to get to the top of the zoo. So we didn't. Instead we decided to simply start exploring and then use the ticket to come down from the top later, as the Sky Lift operates both ways.

It wasn't long before we stumbled into the Africa Pavilion, which is identifiable not only by the giraffes, rhinos and elephants but by some brilliant signage as well.

Welcome to Africa!

In case you couldn't tell by the animals. . .

There's always great signs! Jambo!

Wandering out of Africa we crossed a dry creek bed and arrived in Australia only moments later. Here, on the outskirts of the zoo we shot the breeze with the kangas for a while as they munched on lunch. Nate even found a dead one but decided against alerting anyone. He didn't wanna stir up any unnecessary trouble!

Lunch Time in 'Roo-ville

It take long for us to wander from Australia over to an oddly decorated building that identified itself as an Insectarium. To be honest, I don't believe that I had ever previously visited such an attraction so of course, we had to indulge. Once inside we both immediately began itching ourselves as the creepy crawlers in every cage do not make you any more fond of the insect world! So, we scuttled through quickly in Korean fashion, only slowly down as we exited through the amphibian room housed in a humid green house at the end of the building. Two floors on insects was more than I needed, but now I don't have to go back!

The Insectarium!

Hanging' with Frogs

When the line grew too long for me to take the elephant slide, down through this big guy's trunk, I decided to just hop on top instead. I could've spent all day at the Children's Playground but I would have likely stepped on a few in the process. So we bailed.

Trunk This!

As always, the primates proved to be an absolute riot! Even the humans got in on the ridiculous action as it seems Koreans were taught at a very young age that feeding the animals in the zoo is not only acceptable but recommended. Nate and I hung around and watched in awe as the cute little guys below were fed everything from salted french fries to bananas and Korean churros. Why and how this last Spanish snack exists in Korea is beyond me but they are nearly ubiquitous! Anyways, momma monkey (shown below) clearly realized that by showing off the cute youngster hanging from her chest she could pull in extra goodies. It worked like a charm!

Using the baby as bait. . .typical

Inside the Oriental Pavilion we got a great look at a some extremely boring gibbons and a pair of inactive yet nonetheless terrifying, crocs. No, the picture below was not exactly brilliant National Geographic timing on my behalf. Rather, the big guy was simply lying there with his mouth agape, I'm sure just waiting for a small child to fall in!

Say 'Kimchi!'

Finally at the back of the zoo we found our way to the Sky Lift but realized that we had much yet to see in the zoo. Just out the lift's exist we spent a while staring a a bunch of lazy big cats that were impressive only by reputation. Though none lent themselves to any amazing photos, as you'll soon see the bears did, the jaguar was by far the champion of beauty as her silky coat threw back the light of the sun with such a vengeance it looked as if she were aglow!

Anyways, bring on the bears! I was particularly excited to see this exhibit as only days before I had finished John Irving's first novel, Setting Free the Bears, which he himself completed at the ripe age of 25 as a Master's thesis! Though I had tried reading it before, it took me until this second time around to truly appreciate the absolute hilarity of a story so random, perverted, nonsensical and riveting that it could be by the same man who created Garp and Owen.

While I didn't at first have any intention of going through with Siggy's plan to release the bears, after seeing how good natured and friendly they were, I sure would have liked to. Not only did they take time away from their 'hanging out' to pose. . .

Now that's just chillin!

...but they were kind enough to wave as well!

A friend of Siggy, no doubt!

Waving goodbye to the bears, and vowing to come back later with the keys, we moved onwards towards a more familiar scene in the bison pavilion. Other than the signage and Korean kids feeding them hamburgers (just kidding) it looked almost like taking a walk in Yellowstone. Oh, but with fences too.

North America is represented!

Though we arrived at the Dolphin Show Hall just in time to catch the last show, the line again crept through the crowds further than we could see and thus opted against going in. At least there was a cool statue outside.

I'm my own dolphin show.

At this point we found our selves stuck in the middle of the zoo almost ready to go as we had seen nearly everything, but the lions (which are separate from other 'big cats'). The only problem was that we had a Sky Lift ride already paid for and neither one of us was brave enough try and negotiate a refund in Konglish. So, we did the only reasonable thing, gave the tickets away to a poor family waiting at the bottom of the line. Just Kidding. Rather, we walked all the way down to the bottom of the zoo where the line had finally disappeared and hopped on, only to go back up to where we had just come from!

But hey, at least we got to ride in style over all the animals!

A Zoo from Above!

Back up top we hurried quickly down again, only stopping to check out the lions who proved to be equally inactive as their other feline friends. By this point the sun had begun to sink and it was time to throw the sweat shirt back on which meant it was definitely time to get outta Dodge!

Though we didn't have time to check out the light installations in the contemporary art museum or the roller coasters of Seoul Land, we did at least get one thing we were looking for. A great picture with a great big cat!

A Day at the Zoo!

Sokcho and Seorasksan National Park

And now. . .the long awaited update from our weekend jaunt to Seoraksan National Park.

Finally getting around to this post a month or so later I won't, though I could, give you all the details. Rather, I'll try and let the pictures do the majority of the talking. The ones I put up should give a decent picture of the trip though between Nate and I we have about 300+. So, if you're looking for greater visual clarification, just ask!

To get to Sokcho from Seoul we caught an 8:15 (yes, a.m.) bus leaving from Gangbyeon Bus Terminal. Turned out our 20,000 won didn't just buy us seats on any bus but rather number 1 and 2 on the luxury express to Sokcho. We were traveling in style!

Now that's luxury!

All Aboard to Sokcho!

Our front row seats offered us a spectacular view of the passing city directly out the oversized front window. At the same time, our seat location meant that if some immovable object were to appear in front of the bus, we would be the firs two to meet it, flying through the aforementioned windshield!

Olympic Stadium and the Han River from the bus

Up front we were also afforded a view of the bus' thermostat, which read nine degrees Celsius when we first boarded. Not long in to the trip, meaning, not long in to my nap, I awoke drenched in sweat. A glance upwards told me that the temperature had quickly risen from nine to 24 degrees Celsius, presumably from the many human bodies crowded aboard. Now 75 degrees ain't bad if you're walking through a shady park but sitting on an early morning bus dressed for a day of hiking, well, it wasn't exactly nice!

I did eventually doze back off only to be awoken by the bus lurching off of the main highway. Clearing my eyes I was surprised to see that the surrounding countryside (or mountainside to be more exact) was covered in snow! Only a few hours ago I was in the relatively mild Seoul city center where I had dressed for a day of un-snowy hiking. Oops!

Reststop Buddies

While stretching my legs I was asked by an enthusiastic group of men to take their photograph. After doing so, they eagerly ushered Nate and I into another picture with them, taking turns playing photographer so each would have his own chance standing next to the foreigners in the picture. After pausing only long enough for everyone to pee and the men to have a cigarette, or five, the bus took back off again, this time, downhill.

Not soon after pulling out of the reststop did the landscape change drastically. The tall snow covered mountains quickly gave way to dry brown rolling hills. After a few miles heading east through this rather barren landscape, we eventually came to a coastal road and turned north. This new route offered spectacular views of the East Sea (also known as the Sea of Japan).

Every few hundred meters a new beach spread out before us yet each one was as inaccessible as the last, guarded heavily by barbed wire and rows of watchtowers. Though I had read about this in LP before heading out, I was surprised to actually see beach access cut off to what would have otherwise been a great summer hang out! Apparently, being as far north as Sokcho, one must face the omnipresent threat of. . .the North Korean Navy!? I'm not entirely sure how much is for show and how much is for real but I sure wasn't gonna test those waters. Nevertheless, at one beach along the way we did spot a pair of surfers in full body suits doing their thing. . .then again, they could have been spies sneaking in under the guise of afternoon surfers!

After making a number of stops in what we presumed to be the city of Sokcho, we finally pulled into the Sokcho Bus Station a little before noon. While my LP map suggested the the nearest information station would be about a 20 minute hike down the road, we luckily encountered just such a venue right outside the terminal! At the little kiosk we picked up not only a number of Sokcho maps and booklets but also advice on how to get to Seoraksan National Park, located a few miles back down the road we road in on.

Welcome to Sokcho Intercity Bus Terminal!

From the terminal it was only a short walk around the corner to the front of City Hall where, after not too long, we were picked up by the 7-1 local bus. 1,000 won and 15 minutes later we were dropped off at the entrance to Seoraksan National Park!

Good Ole' 7-1, Sokcho-Seoraksan

Immediately upon exiting the bus I was stunned by the beauty, and vastness of the surrounding landscape. While we now stood in the midst of enormous snow covered peaks, only a few minutes before we had been literally on a sandy coast line. Not to mention that earlier that morning we had been in the world's second largest metropolis.

We made our way towards the park's entrance but not before doing a little souvenir shopping along the way. Nate and I both picked up bandannas that doubled as maps of the park. At the time I wasn't sure why exactly I bought one other than that it was too cheap to pass up and the idea of a map bandanna was simply alluring. Little did I know that it would eventually serve me as a helpful headband and later an interesting wall decoration!

Finally making it to the gate we both coughed up the 2,500 won entrance fee that would have easily been avoidable had we simply kept walking past the small ticket booth that we both almost overlooked. For an additional fee we could have bought tickets up the cable car which I was finally able to talk Nate out of based on the grounds that it literally led to nowhere. Although it was a hard sell, I'm glad we didn't take it as we barley were able to see everything that we did before the weather eventually turned!

Enter Seoraksan National Park!

With no real idea of where to go and miles upon miles of hikeable trails in the park, we decided to forgo Daecheongbong, the park's highest peak at 1,707 meters, and head instead towards Heundeulbawi and Ulsanbawi, which for all we knew, were a pair of famous 'rocks' in the park. According to an information sign, the first part of the hike was to be easy while the last hundred meters or so fell into the difficult arena. Even so, for a hike of only a few kilometers, I thought that the estimated time of about four hours was somewhat exaggerated. We obviously had no idea what we were getting in to!

Seated Bronze Buddha

Not far into the park we came across an enormous seated bronze Buddha, labeled just that. While there was no temple covering this immense statue, people readily shuffled up the stairs to drop to their knees and offer prayers and incense at the figure's feat. Not wanting to untie my oversized hiking shoes I decided it best to venture no closer than the stairs.

Soon the paved open walkway of the park's entrance gave way to a stone covered path cut out of an ever thickening forest. As we made our way gradually uphill we passed dozens of middle to highschool aged students, apparently on a variety of field trips, as many didn't seem to be hiking by choice! When we weren't battling too-cool-for-schoolers for footing on the rocky path, we were able to stop and take in the incredible beauty of our surroundings.

Just a walk though Seoraksan

Every few hundred meters the scenery would change completely as we passed numerous creek beds, most of which were dry, temples set in to the foothills, mountains that shot up from nowhere and endless forests of strange but somewhat familiar pine trees. My only regret is that we weren't there about two weeks later as I can only imagine how beautiful the area would have been in full spring blossom!

Clearly the 'new' bridge in town. . .

As the crowd around us thinned the trail began to grow steeper. With each bend in the path I swore we had to be approaching our first destination, Heundeulbawi. Only after declaring that we were 'almost there' a half dozen times did we finally emerge on a small plateau guarded by a small mountain temple and an enormous wobbling boulder. Well, to be honest, the boulder wasn't wobbling but we had read that if pushed just so, it can in fact be moved.

Heundeulbawai, or 'Rocking Rock' is well known throughout Korea as the majority of it's residents have at one time or another taken the opportunity to try and roll this teetering boulder off the each of the cliff on which its balanced. While to this day no one has been successful, the nation of Korea has plenty of snapshots of people doing their best Superman impersonation (see below).

Both Nate and I took a whack at it and, while it at first seemed impossible, the boulder does in fact get rocking side to side when enough force is applied at just the right, very short, intervals. This later discovery lead me to question the reliability of the text I read that claimed no matter how much force is applied, the rock will never fall from it's current position. . . .I know a guy named Newton that might disagree, but then again, he probably wasn't scared to sleep with the fan on either.

Supermaning at Heundeulbawi

After taking the obligatory snapshots at Heundeulbawi, we continued up the trail towards Ulsanbawi. Immediately the path took a sharp upward turn which was quickly noted by our sleep deprived bodies. For what must have been an hour or so we climbed a seemingly never ending path that head straight up towards the base of an incredible cliff. The large looming rocks we correctly assumed were Ulsanbawi. Unfortunately, what we did not correctly surmise is that we would eventually be climbing the rocks themselves. From the trail it seemed as though the bottom of the rocks was the goal, not their peak!

The story of Ulsanbawi

"According to the legend, Ulsanbawi comes from the city of Ulsan in the southeast of Korea. As Mt. Geumgangsan was being built, Ulsanbawi walked to the north as the representative of the city. Unfortunately, Ulsanbawi arrived too late and there was no more room. Ulsanbawi was ashamed and slowly trudged back to the south. One evening the rock went to sleep in the Seorak area. Ulsanbawi felt the area was so beautiful there that it decided to stay for good. The view of Mt. Seoraksan from the rock is outstanding." -The Sky to Sea Activity: Sokcho The Sokcho Tourist Information Center

Even as we approached the bottom of these giant rocks I for some reason presumed that I had finished and that the stairs, viewable in the background of the below picture, were simply, I dunno, for show?!

Where's Adam!?

As we stopped to catch our breath I chatted with a couple from the south part of Korea who try and make it out to Seoraksan a couple times each year, both for the exercise and the incredible scenery. From where we sat, it wasn't hard to imagine why people would return to this spot year after year. Though the park is obviously smaller than our Stateside national parks out west, when you're up in the midst of Seoraksan and can't see anything but the surrounding mountains, it's easy to imagine that you're in the middle of the Rockies. . .though here some of the hikers wear highheels.

A view worth coming back for!

After pausing sufficiently long enough to be laughed at by hoards of hikers who simply climbed on by without stopping, we eventually turned to face the enormous metal stair case that hugged the side of what seemed to be a near vertical face. Starting up it quickly became evident that the remainder of this hike would in fact be 'difficult.'

It's getting colder!

Climbing higher and higher, the altitude became apparent as we began to pass more and more patches of ice and unmelted snow. The particular mini-glacier you see behind me above eventually fell in a deafening roar, just as we made our way around and bend and out of its sight. Even without seeing it, we guessed what had happened and on the way back down, confirmed our suspicions.

The only way to describe the rest of the hike upwards is grueling. Sure, there were stairs and we didn't have to do a whole lot of scrambling, except at the very top, but even so, it went up, quickly. As I tried clamoring up the stairs without stopping (a feat I will posit as impossible), we passed at least a couple people who had literally resorted to going up on all fours, determined to make the summit, not so much by their own will but by the demands of their climbing partners who clearly egged them on!

Made it to 875m!

Alas, we did eventually 'summit' Ulsanbawi only to be greeted with a spectacular view of the northern part of Seoraksan Park and the dwarfed city of Sokcho below. Out in the distance we were able to see the East Sea but a thick haze blocked out any chance of sighting Japan off the coast. Though that didn't stop a gang of young Korean men from screaming out in anger towards the east, presumably with regards to Korea's recent loss to Japan in the World Baseball Classic.

I done did it! 875m

Though it was tempting, we opted not to have our photo taken and placed in a big 8x10 plastic folder that could be worn around the neck. I didn't feel bad though as the vendor at the top selling such a ridiculous souvenir did not seem to be short of customers at all!

Having seen enough, and beginning to get a bit over crowded at the relatively small summit, we turned back for a harrowing journey down what must have amounted to almost a thousand stairs. We of course paused for numerous photo shoots along the way as Korea has made us both pick up the side hobby of amateur nature photography. . .enjoy!

Solitude

Heavy Lifting!

Loner

Descending back down the way we came, we took a pause at Heundeulbawi to peek into Kaejoram, a temple literally carved out of the mountain. Said to be built in the year 652, it has apparently undergone a good amount of upkeep while still retaining a very ancient, and cave-like atmosphere.


We finally made it down to flat ground and immediately plopped into the first chairs we came across. While we would later feel bad for not patronizing the neighboring food stall, as the man working there was very kind to us on the way up, and down, I wouldn't have passed on our meal for anything. We ordered a bottle or makgeolli, or Korean rice wine to start as it's a Korean mountain climbing tradition that we have learned to embrace enthusiastically. When our drinks came without the normal side of anchovies and vegetables we decided it best to order some real sustenance, even though I had packed a bag pack full of nuts and berries, for some reason assuming we would be without civilization for days on our single night excursion.

With an unfamiliar Korean menu we did the best we could and ordered up something with the word kamja which I recognized as potato. Turns out we correctly selected and order of kamjacheon also known as potato pancakes. Nearing passover time I found this coincidence to be slightly more than amusing, especially as the pancakes were absolutely fantastic. No, no sour cream or horseradish to douse them in but even so, they were deeeelicious! And to wash it down with mountain style kimchi and a bottle of makgeolli, mmmm what a treat! Just don't ask me whose are better, Grandma's or the Mountain's!

Ulsanbawi from Camp Eats!

While lunching we met a nice group of young Korean men who were studying broadcasting and making a documentary about their day climbing Seoraksan. I had noticed them earlier trying to take candid video of Nate and I so clearly they were excited to talk to us and actually ask our permission to film a few shots. No clue what our role was to be but with a number of friends huddled around us at a table it made for a great shot. I gave my e-mail address to one of the guys who promised to send me the pictures but alas, it doesn't look like we'll ever receive them. So, you'll have to settle for one of Nate and I having potato pancakes on the mountain!

Lunchin'!

As we finished up our lunch a large sheet of clouds rolled in and swallowed up the sun that had warmed our climb so nicely. Growing chillier by the moment we decided it was time to head down and get outta the park before the weather really turned nasty! On the way down we did take the time to swing by Shinheungsa Temple, set right at the foot of the surrounding peaks.

Kicking it in the temple courtyard

Rocking out with the temple guards

We found our way back out the front gate and caught the 7-1 bus back towards town. With no real idea of what to go or where to stay, we decided to hike it towards the water. Darkness soon fell around us though in Korea it's often not a problem as cities are more than well lit and crime is simply non existent!

Wandering through town we passed a number of 'love motels' but decided to keep wandering towards a bit more, well, happening area. Though Sokcho is a relatively large town, every street we turned down seemed to be dead and usually, this is not a good sign in Korea. So, we kept on walking. Turns out wandering led us into some nice surprises as we came across a group of locals playing around in a parking lot. While we initially were going to simply ask them for directions towards a 'populated' area, we ended up kicking and throwing balls (soccer- and base-) with them for quite some time. Alas, all we got out of our friendly pitstop was a good work out which, at that point, neither of us really needed!

Somehow we did eventually make it to the beach and were greeted by a brightly lit boardwalk. Walking closer we began noticing fireworks taking to the air all along the beach. No, we didn't have impeccable timing for the annual show but rather people were buying them from the corner stores and setting 'em off themselves all along the beach.

Sokcho Boardwalk by Night

As it began to drizzle, we grabbed some refreshments from the corner store and headed out to the beach to sit, relax and enjoy the 'show.' Eventually we gave in to temptation and bought some fireworks ourselves. Even as the rain and wind picked up, people remained on the beach, enjoying the firelights of their neighbors.

Fire Flies

I too had some great fun with giant sparklers. It took only took a few tries to grab the picture below!

That's me!

As the rain grew to be too much we darted in to the corner convenience store where we again implored about something to do in Sokcho. The shop owner grew excited, asked us if we would like a club to which we agreed as long as he could figure out how to get us there. Now, I'm not entirely sure why we would have agreed to this after a day of hiking, still in our sweaty and again wet clothes but, it turned into quite the fun little adventure. The man gave someone a call and told us to sit tight as we would be picked up.

A few minutes later a mini van appeared outside and he ushered us is. The driver quickly swept us away to a large building adorned with neon lights that read Arabian Nights. We were led inside past a number of men in business suits congregated in circles smoking outside. Around the first velvet lined corridor we came out in to an enormous room of 50+ 'dining' tables that made a semi-circle around a club like dance floor. Complete with booming music and laser lights we were undoubtedly in the middle of Sokcho's nightlife.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, we didn't last long as our waiter insisted that we purchase a pair of beers for 10,000 won each. He eventually discounted them I believe by a dollar or so before telling us politely that he would see us again but that we would be asked to leave now. No problem! Thanks for letting us sit for a bit though!

Back out in the rain we figured it was hotel time for sure. I thumbed though LP desperately looking for direction. Coming to an entry about the castle shaped Samsung Love Motel, I suddenly remembered that we had passed by such a building only a few hours before. I called the number in the book and asked if they had rooms available for 40,000 won, the prices listed in LP. They agreed, or at least I think they did, and we hopped in a cab, only to arrive a few minutes later.

The Samsung Love Motel in Sokcho

With the 40,000 in hand I reassured that we could get a double room. Money quickly exchanged hands and we were taken upstairs! Fantastic! While we shunned the first room as it seemed to have only one sleeping set up (on the floor), we were shown to a second with an actual real life bed. As doubles clearly aren't an option in love motels, the owner, or worker, kindly brought in a yo or floor mattress for the second set up. For less than $40 USD, we'll take it!

After changing out of wet socks and what not we slipped out for a late night snack of kamjatang, potato soup. Unfortunately, the soup lacked potatoes and instead was filled with giant rib bones of some creature that too lacked any meat. This meal was far from satisfying but, being beyond exhausted, I had no trouble getting to sleep on my thing floor mattress back at the love-tel.

Sunday morning we woke early and headed out into the gray morning. We first ventured back towards the water front where we passed two separate parties of hikers whom recognized us from the day before. We then walked out and along the water to a pier that stretched out towards a small island, Jodo, inhabited primarily by birds.

Morning on the Boardwalk

Along Sokcho Beach

At the end of the pier we stopped to take pictures under the love tree and I can only imagine thousands of couples do each summer as Sokcho's beaches are flooded with tourists wanting to escape the grind of life in Seoul.

Hanging in the Love Tree

As we stood and looked off towards the horizon, we noted a boat in the distance growing larger. We waited long enough to watch it pass and head towards a dock near the city center. I joked about it being the 'ferry to Russia' that I had read about in LP. Turns out, I was right. . .

Nate longing for an escape to Russia

Sokcho Beach from the pier

As we wandred north along the beach towards the city center, we were eventually forced up off the sand by a long wall of barbed wire that we had seen previously driving into the city.

Protection

Sokcho Seawall Selfie

Continuing north we eventually came to the Cheonghodaegyo Bridge which spanned the Cheongchoho Lake separating downtown Sokcho from, well, wherever we were. Unfortunately, the older part of the bridge didn't exactly span the full way but stopped on a pier unconnected to the downtown mainland. While a new bridge seemed to lead right into the heart of town, we learned upong further inspection that the bridge wasn't exactly, well, ready to be used yet. See the picture below for clarification!

A Bridge to Nowhere!

Seoraksan National Park from the Cheonghodaegyo Bridge

Argh! As this relatively small inland lake seemed un crossable, we turned around and headed back towards where we came in order to go around the outside of it on foot. While it seemed to be quite the detour, we knew of no other way across. Even so, walking along the lake shore provided us with an interesting view into the life of Sokcho's many fishermen, the majority of whom seemed to lie dormant on Sunday afternoon. Not even the starfish were dancing today. . .

Sokcho's brightest stars

While the whole town seemed to be dead, we did again see signs of life at sea. A ferry boat passed us at one point, exiting the inland lake from a small channel. As I watched, I noticed that the people on board, primarily middle aged women, seemed to be lined up, waiting to approach a man dressed in monk's garb who stood at the front of the crowd. After approaching the monk, the women would then dump a bag of fish over the edge of the railing and return to the line. I can offer no more insight on this situation that what you can surmise from the above details. . .yes, it was strange. If you expand the picture below you should be able to see the monk in orange towards the back of the boat on the first level. Good shot Nate!

An ever so mysterious ferry. . .

Not long after witnessing this magic ferry, we came to a gate that at first seemed to force us to again backtrack as we were already doing. Alas, we realized that just on the other side of the gate people were boarding a small barge/raft that seemed to be attached to a line running across to the other side of the channel! We were saved!

We quickly pounced through the gate and rushed up the 'captain' who pointed us towards a small ticket booth. There, another man asked us for 200 won each in exchange for boarding the boat. He actually needn't have really asked as there was simply a sign saying 200W hanging above a big bowl of coins into which people presumably throw their money and make themselves change.

We hopped on the raft just before things stated rolling. The cable that I at first thought was attached to the boat was in fact stationary and attached to both sides of the channel. In turn, the 'captain' and other men on board took turn using long hooks to drag the barge along by pulling against the anchored cable. An ingenious, efficient, environmental friendly water crossing! What a great mode of transportation!

I probably could have ridden back and forth another couple of times before I tired of the system. Over our initial shock of the twenty cent solution to our problem, Nate dove into the action and helped to 'drag' us across the water where we disembarked on the opposite shore.

All aboard the raft express!

Safe on dry land we headed towards the city center, first passing through the Sokcho Fisheries Market, or Jungang Market. Though some of the raw fish looked tempting, we were both too nervous and uncertain of the situation to take advantage of what many people claim to be an excellent place for sashimi. Oh well, maybe next time, if we have a Korean guide with us!

Sokcho's Jungang Fisheries Market

We followed signs to the Lighthouse Observatory and Sunrise Pavilion, both of which had been visible earlier from the pier at Sokcho Beach. Headed towards the north end of town, we passed Dongmyeong-hang Port in which the majority of signs were written in not only Korean but English, Chinese and Russian as well. I guess the sign wasn't lying when it said international terminal. Turns out the giant boat we spotted earlier was in fact the ferry to Russia! What an odd place to be that there just happens to be a 'ferry to Russia.' Last time I checked that's something I haven't previously encountered in my life.

The Ferry to Russia

Venturing up a small hill I was provided a great over head view of the Yeonggeumjeong Sunrise Pavilion that jutted out into the East Sea. At the same time, Nate decided to take the the small bridge out towards the pavilion. . .can you find him in the picture below?!

Yeonggeumjeong Sunrise Pavilion

Playing on the breakers

Though I'm sure it offers great views of the city, we decided to pass on making the short hike up the Lighthouse Observatory as we felt we had already conquered enough stairs for one weekend's adventure!

The Lighthouse Observatory

Finally, exhausted from a day of hiking and a morning of trekking aimlessly around a seemingly deserted city, we turned back towards the intercity bus terminal where we prayed there would be something, anything leaving for Seoul. We never did brave the famous Dongmyeong Raw Fish Market and instead settled on a glorious lunch of steamed kimchi, kimchijjim.

Back on the luxury express towards Seoul I immediately conked out, only to wake up just in time to snap a quick picture of Ulsanbawi and it's sister peaks that had been covered in snow while we slept peacefully at the Samsung Love Castle.

Snow Peaks

I didn't again stir much until we reached the traffic jam just outside of Seoul where we were treated to a hazy sunset over the Han River.

Sundown on the Han

I don't remember much about the subway right home but I'll tell ya, I was glad when it was over! For a two day get away Seoraksan was just the place. I'm sure I could go back and spend days hiking through the park but then again, why would I spoil such a great trip by trying to repeat it.

As for my next intra-Korea adventure, well, I guess I'll have to wait for another bye week in soccer! Or then again, it might just be coming sooner than I originally intended. . .more on that to come.

What a lot a' hoopla about nothing. . .It's bed time.