I took my first trip outside of the Seoul area this weekend, down to the very southeast corner of the country. This was a trip arranged by a great internet site my coworker told me about called Adventure Korea, and it was government subsidized as well so it was incredibly cheap. It was government funded because of the upcoming G20 summit in November, they're trying to promote tourism and travel within the country.
No good trip starts without a nice early wake up, and I met Sarah outside my building just before 6am on Saturday. An hour of bus and subway rides put us in the express bus terminal in the middle of Seoul. Once there we hit up the Duncan Donuts for some coffee and then walked up to street level to find our bus. That part wasn't too hard, we just had to look for the group of thirty or so white people all standing together. Then it was onto the bus and out of the city.
The ride down was absolutely gorgeous. It was about five hours down to our destination, and I was staring out the window wide-eyed the whole time. This country is so very green. The entire drive through the country side was bordered on both sides by mountains, a blue-green in the early morning light, and every mountain was covered from top to bottom in trees. Below the mountains were neatly ordered yellow-green fields of rice and the occasional patch of ginseng. Small villages popped up usually when we crossed a bridge over a little river or stream. I tried to read for a little bit but couldn't concentrate at all because I was constantly looking up to watch the amazing scenery roll by.
Around 1pm we came into Tongyeong and stopped for lunch, some delicious Korean barbecue, beef cooked on coals in the middle of our table, had some beer and got to know a few of the people on the trip. After we finished we drove over to the coast and got ready for a trip up the Mireuksan mountain. This is a small island mountain rising up only about 1300 feet, but the ride to the top was awesome. I say ride to the top because that's what we did, ride. We took Korea's longest cable car up, just shy of 2 kilometers long. From the top we got a spectacular view of the city below, and the Hallyeo National Marine Park out to the east. This is the only marine park in Korea, and it is really amazing. There are over three hundred small to medium sized islands stretching off the coast here, each one beautiful, green, and covered in trees. With the binoculars there was a sign that said you could see to Japan, but the day was a little hazy and our view of the distance was not clear enough. We took the cable car back down and then got back on the bus for our next destination.
We made a short stop at a place called Moon Park, known for it's great sunset view, but it was very cloudy so we moved on soon. Another quick stop at a fishing museum, then it was down to a little fishing village. We rode out on a boat to a fishery and spent some time casting lines into a grid of fish nurseries. I know, a little like fishing in a barrel, but I was one of only four of us to catch a fish so that was at least a little exciting. After an hour of that the light was fading pretty fast, so we got back into the boat and headed towards land, and dinner.
Dinner was a fish stew, like all Korean meals, served communally. More beer at dinner and more getting to know the fellow travelers, a very good meal. After that was done we rode out to our accommodation for the evening, four tall wooden buildings with windmills on the front of each. A little curious, but very comfortable so no one was complaining. Beer and catch-phrase with some friends made for a great evening, and finally I retired around midnight.
Another early morning the next day, leaving the hotel at about 6:30am for a ride down to the harbor. There we got on a big ferry boat for an hour long ride out to a particular island. The ride out was quite interesting, it was raining and the waves were a little choppy. At least four people threw up off the side of the boat due to a combination of hang over and sea sickness. Finally we made it to Somaemuldo Island, and at first it seemed like nothing special, just another tiny village perched on a tree covered island. We hiked up to the top and my mind was changed about that. On top was an old customs watch station that was in use in the 70s and 80s, just a hollowed out building now but from the roof there was an amazing view of the many islands out in this stretch of water. A short walk down a path to the other side to the peak showed us an absolutely spectacular view of the second part of the island. A sloping green lawn with a big white lighthouse was silhouetted by the ocean behind it, truly beautiful. Back down from the peak we took another path down the back side of the island to get over to the lighthouse, down a big big set of stairs, across a land bridge usable only during low tide, and up another big set of stairs put you right at the lighthouse. The view looking back was just as great.
The Koreans we saw on the island came in two categories, over prepared and under prepared. There was either a group decked out in matching hiking gear, from the boots to the poles to the jackets to the backpacks, they looked like they were going on a week long trek instead of a day hike, or a guy in a business suit and his girlfriend in a miniskirt and high heels. One common factor though, they had to look good. There are no different fashions or looks out here, only looking good.
Back onto the boat for the ride back, had a good time riding at the front watching the amazing scenery float by, until the waves got a little bigger and splashed up over the front, soaking the four of us who were standing there. The sun was poking it's head out though and from the upper deck between the rays and the wind we dried off pretty well. Back to the harbor and up the hills a bit for some more seafood for lunch. A delicious stew of crab, muscles, and oysters. By the end of the meal everyone was full and exhausted, so we thankfully piled onto the bus for the ride home.
I was able to sleep for a good chunk of the ride, and we got back to Seoul at around 8:30pm. Back down underground, weaving through the rather large crowd of Sunday subway shoppers (pretty much a big mall underground at this station) I had a feeling of great nostalgia from California, ragged and dirty with my backpack on taking public transport back into reality, getting more stares than I usually would. Finally, completely worn out, I made it to my bed and slept long and hard.
Overall, fantastic weekend. Here's a few pictures, the rest will be on facebook soon. Much love everyone!!!
the fish I caught
YAY!!! Pictures!
ReplyDelete