A day of hiking in Seoraksan.
Our first walk was to see a famous boulder, Heundeulbawi, that rocks back and forth if you push it, and then further on up a cliff face (a climb of 800 stairs) to Ulsanbawi, an area of exposed rock at the top of a mountain. The views were spectacular, but there were precipitous drops on all sides. And a large raucous crowd on a small viewing platform. About four hours up and back, and quite a challenging climb, but worth the effort.
We then caught the cable car up to Gwongeumseong, which was a popular spot, presumably because you didn’t need to hike to reach it. There were more families. No security rails and again,sheer cliff faces into the valley below. Surprised at the number of people taking selfies while standing a few centimetres away from instant death. Even the kids baulked at climbing to the top of this one. Pretty though.
Finally we took a more sedate route alongside a creek to see more rock called Biseondae. The scenery was beautiful. The kids spent some time exploring around the creek and climbing rocks. About two hours up and back.
Seoraksan is possibly the most scenic place I have ever visited. A shame we only have one day here. There are several other walks we could have done, including to the main peak in the park. We have already started talking about when we might come back.
Dinner was also spectacular in a different way. We went to a restaurant called Sockcho Jeonbok Haemul Ddukbaegi, which I found a review for on TripAdviser. Ordered the abalone and octopus hotpot. Our food was still moving when it was cooked (the octopus was dead, but moving reflexively). A startling experience, but delicious.
kimchitraveller 