That would be our collective sigh from this past weekend. After last week's "entertainment" and the frenzy that is Thanksgiving, we were in need of a break.
A few weeks ago, I booked us on the trip to Mt. Seorak and convinced some very sweet friends of ours, the McCulloch's, to go with us. Up until late Thursday, I wasn't sure if we were going to go since the base was on alert status from the events from earlier in the week. But lucky for us, we were released to go.
Seorak is located on the northeast coast and is the third highest mountain in Korea. This is the same mountain range Ronnie went hiking in back in October, and I have really been wanting to go myself as I had heard it was beautiful.
So, after the craziness of Thanksgiving, we piled into a bus on Friday morning and headed for the mountains. It took us about 3 hours by bus to get there, but it flew by. The girls are finally able to entertain themselves for a few hours by coloring, reading and just looking out the window. I was even able to catch a light cat nap because they were behaving so well.
We were booked in the Sorak Tourist Hotel, which is within the national park and right at the base of Gwongeumseong. The hotel was smaller but family owned, which made it very cozy. This was our view from our hotel...
If looking at that while you're lying down in a comfy bed doesn't instantly relax you, there may not be any hope. We dropped our bags, grabbed a quick bite, and off to the mountain we went.
First up, the cable car and Gwongeumseong. Legend has it that this castle was built by two men who wanted to protect their land peacefully. The cable car ride was quick, but a little painful... Sarah was a little scared of the height at first. But it was well worth it. The view was utterly fantastic - you could see the East Sea and most of the other peaks in the area. Ronnie climbed to the top with the McCullochs and said it was even better up there.
Next was the Biryong Waterfall. The girls had had their fill of hiking, so we went back to the hotel, while Ronnie pressed on with the group. Biryong means flying dragon, and is kind of what the falls look like. It was a nice hike through the bamboo forrest, then you get to Yukdam Falls, and press a little further to Biryong.
After all the days events and some fantastic pizza, we settled into our hotel for a quiet night's rest. Early the next morning, we woke up for our hike to Geumgang Cave. Mother Nature surprised us with a gift: the first snow of the season. It was beautiful to watch blow in down the valley, and luckily it was gone as quickly as it came.
The girls and I hiked most of the way, but turned around at Biseondae because the hike was going to be mostly vertical from there. We returned to get a snack at the hotel while Ronnie went on with the group. The hike was pretty difficult, but the cave had a spectacular view and there was a small shrine inside.
When they finally returned, it was time for us to head to Waterpia. Again, if this vacation couldn't have been more relaxing, then they send us to the land of hot tubs, massaging water jets, and dry saunas.
Sunday morning brought us bright blue skies. I took this picture from the roof of our hotel as the sun was rising.
I did a quick hike with the group up to Sinheungsa Temple, one of the Buddhist temples in the park. Once we got back, we all loaded into the bus and headed for Naksan Temple, which is right on the East Sea. The grounds were beautiful, although it was devistated by fire a few years ago. The sea was beautiful against the bright blue sky and we had a fantastic view of Seoraksan.
After a quick lunch, we headed back to the "real" world but quickly agreed that we must revisit this area before we leave next year.
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