Monday, May 30, 2016

Sokcho & Seoraksan National Park

Our first road trip in Korea was to Sokcho and Seoraksan National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage sight that is located on the far north-east side of Korea.  There are two Buddhist temples that are cultural landmarks within the park, a large Buddha statue, a gondola leading to breath taking views, waterfalls, and many other forms of natural beauty.  I have heard that the fall foliage is a remarkable sight during the Seorak Cultural Festival in October.

We spent two nights in the city of Sokcho, which is one of the many cities that share the national park.  Upon our arrival, we went straight to the national park for hiking and quickly realized that the locals don't kid around when it come to their love of hiking gear.  We must have looked like complete amateurs, but we made up for it with our Deuter baby backpack.  On the second day, we continued to explore the park in the morning, and in the afternoon we relaxed on the beach by the Abai Village, home to North Korean expatriates who enjoy sharing their traditional cuisine.  In the early evening we took a hand drawn ferry, called a Gaetbae, across the canal to cook our own Korean seafood BBQ and enjoy ice-cream near the fish market.  What a lovely weekend!

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