Chuseok in Seoraksan

Hi friends! Can't believe it's been more than two weeks since my last post - it felt like just yesterday! Time has been flying by as Korea is finally starting to feel like it is transitioning into the autumn season.

Getting close to that North Korean border

As I mentioned in my last post, the Chuseok holiday was quickly approaching, so much of this post will focus on what happened during that time. Chuseok could be compared to America's "Thanksgiving", although the history and traditions are a bit different. As a celebration of the good harvest, Koreans visit their ancestral hometowns and share a feast of Korean traditional food. This holiday is celebrated for three days, and starts on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar (sounds confusing!). Last year, I celebrated all the traditional customs with my homestay family, but this year, my friend Emily and I wanted to take advantage of the long weekend and do some sight-seeing. So, instead of sitting cross-legged for hours on end and eating fried spam, we traveled up to the Northeastern part of S. Korea to a city called Sokcho.

Sokcho, South Korea

Sokcho is a very popular tourist destination, as it boasts a lovely coastal beach and arguably one of Korea's most beautiful national parks, Seoraksan. One of my bucket list goals during my time in Korea is to hike throughout the major national parks, and Seoraksan is on that list! I was eager to get the journey started and see how my expectations lived up.

Entrance of Seoraksan

Emily and I spent three days and two nights in Sokcho, one of which was a full day at Seoraksan National Park. Sokcho itself is a very beautiful city, with so much that catches the eye: ocean, mountains, fish markets, etc. Our first day was spent exploring Sokcho, enjoying the beach, and an appetite for delicious seafood. When checking into our hostel, we ended up running into the other ETA in Gwangyang (Josh) and his girlfriend - neither of us knew the other was heading to Sokcho - and had a good laugh about it. We ended up joining them for dinner and hanging out while planning our full day at Seoraksan. Emily and I were pretty exhausted from all the travel (4 hours from Gwangyang to Seoul for me, then another 3 hours from Seoul to Sokcho), so we crashed early in hopes of being well-rested for the next day's hike!

Ulsanbawi

We woke with an early start, and headed to Seoraksan on a short 30-minute bus ride. Because it was a national holiday, Emily and I were worried about the crowds, which turned out to be not so bothersome after all. Upon arrival, Emily and I were overwhelmed by the beauty of nature. Seriously one of the most beautiful national parks I have been to!

Another beautiful view in the park

We made a schedule to first hike to Ulsanbawi, a famous landscape that is frequently seen on Korea tourism advertisements and brochures. Ulsanbawi is composed of six granite peaks and offers a breathtaking view of everything around it. It was about a 4km hike to the top, and although it was short, it was steep! The entire hike (ascend/descend) took about four hours, which included multiple rest stops and scenic views for photo opportunities along the way. It was one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen, and I understand why Korea likes to promote this attraction!

Biryong Waterfall

After hiking down to base, we enjoyed an ice cream before heading out to see the waterfalls. I am really glad that we chose to hike to Ulsanbawi before the waterfalls for two major reasons: 1) The park was starting to get PACKED, and everyone was headed to Ulsanbawi, and 2) The hike to the waterfalls was much more leisurely and flat compared to our first hike. The hike to Biryong Falls was only 3 km (one way), and it took us less than an hour to get there. It was a pleasant journey to Biryong as we hiked along a suspension bridge and passed a few smaller waterfalls along the way. Once we arrived, there was a large area to sit along the rocks and enjoy the view. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to swim in the water, so we just had to appreciate from afar.

Pajeon and Makgeolli

Our last stop of the day was the cable car trip to another peak to watch the sunset on the evening of the "super moon". Before heading there, Emily and I refueled with pajeon and makgeolli. Pajeon is basically a vegetable pancake with squid and octopus mixed in. So delicious! It is best combined with a rice wine beverage called makgeolli, which has a milky look to it, but it is difficult to describe the taste. Each city throughout Korea is "famous" for different types of makgeolli, all of which have their own flavors and additives to it. It's not my favorite alcoholic beverage, but it mixes well with what we were eating!

Super Moon view from Korea

Anyway, after drinking a little too much makgeolli, we headed to the cable car which was a short five minute ride to the peak. I think being atop of the peak during the sunset was my favorite part of the day. I have never seen a site so beautiful over Korea with the mountains surrounding us and the lovely oranges, reds, pinks, purples, and blues of the sunset. We took pictures EVERYWHERE and with good reason. Although we couldn't see the super moon from Asia, it was still bright and full before us. A great ending to a perfect day!

This weekend is another extended one in celebration Hangul Day, a national Korean commemorative day marking the invention and the proclamation of Hangul, the alphabet of the Korean language, by the 15th-century Korean monarch Sejong the Great. I will be heading to a Lantern Festival in Jinju as well as Korea's very own Oktoberfest in Namhae. Be on the lookout for some awesome pictures and stories to follow!

Sunset view

Meta sunset view

Enjoying the view