Day 5
Jirisan National Park
Today, we woke up and left the Somerset Hotel in Seoul and drove about 4 hours south to Cheonghakdong Village (청학동마을), which is a tiny village located on the edge of the Jirisan (지리산) National Park. Jirisan National Park is part of the Baekdu-daegan (백두대간) mountain range, which is similar in size the Appalachian mountain range in the US. We had bibimbap for lunch at a restaurant in Cheonghakdong and then hiked up Samsanbong Mountain and visited a small Buddhist shrine. It was amazed by the beauty of the shrine, but little did I know what we were in for over the next few days!
The restaurant where we ate lunch
Bibimbap for lunch
After visiting the Buddhist shrine, we hiked to another part of the mountain and visited a very large Daoist shrine that is no longer used (it's a museum now). There were huge stacked stone walls everywhere and giant piles of rocks (which are believed to increase the spiritual potency of an area.
The Buddhist shrine
The Daoist shrine
We left the Daoist shrine and rode the bus for another hour to the Hwagye Valley, which is the longest valley in Korea. We ate dinner at a restaurant in the village of Hadong and then slept in a motel. I was really excited to sleep on the traditional style floor mats (but I was not so excited about it the morning after, haha).
Dinner in Hadong village
Sleeping on the floor
Day 6
13,000,000 won tea ($13,000) at the tea museum
We woke up and ate breakfast at a small restaurant next to our motel and Hadong and left at 9:00 am to go to a green tea museum where we got to see tea fields and prepare green tea, as well as learn the traditional Korean tea ceremony.
After the tea museum, we walked to the historical site which is said to be where the first tea was ever grown in Korea. We stopped and ate lunch in a small restaurant and then headed up the mountain to the Ssanggyesa Buddhist temple. This temple was much larger than the shrine we visited and had a nice hike through the woods to see a hermitage for monks.
After visiting the Ssanggyesa Buddhist temple we got back on the bus and rode to the Hanwha Resort where we would stay the night. After we arrived, I went with a small group to the nearby Hwaomsa Monastery, which is still active. We saw monks performing an evening ceremony with drums and bells, as well as chanting and praying. It was like something you would see in a movie and it was amazing.
We then ate dinner on the way back to Hanwha and spent the night there.
This morning we ate breakfast at the hotel and then hopped on the bus and drove to Nogodan Pass, which is the highest mountain pass in South Korea. The drive up to the pass was very windy and treacherous, but we made it up safely. At the top there is a rest area where you can hike up to the summit of the mountain, so I hiked up with 5 other students. The hike took about an hour and we were inside a cloud the entire time, so it looked very ominous once we reached the top. At the top of the mountain there is a Shamanistic shrine that is sacred to the ancient Korean religions which are still practiced today in rural areas like the one we were in.
After hiking down the mountain, we drove to Namwon City, which is known as the City of Love in Korea. We ate lunch at a small restaurant in Namwon and then we went and toured Chunhyang Park. Chunhyang park is a park made around the home of Chunhyang, who is a character from Chunhyangjeon, the most famous Korean love story.
After we finished up at Chunhyang park, we got back on the bus and drove four hours back to Seoul.
Once we arrived in Seoul we checked into our dormitory at Yonsei University, which is called the SK Global House, and it is mainly for international students. The school is very close to the Sinchon district, which is a nice restaurant and shopping district in Seoul, so I have really good and cheap restaurants less than five minutes walking from my dorm.
I went out to a Korean barbecue place and we ate samgyeopsal, which is grilled pork belly. Despite sounding very unappetizing, it was delicious! This particular restaurant had you grill your own meat in the middle of the table. It was very delicious and cheap! (only 9,000 won per person which is about $9).
After dinner, we explored more parts of Sinchon as well as Hongdae, which is the next district to the east. Eventually, we headed back to the dorm and went to sleep.
---
I have WAY too many pictures to put them all here, so here is a link to a photo album with more pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/108374664871550378377/albums/5894471844920034801?authkey=CIiUsIrd69LVdw
Preparing green tea at the tea museum
Learning the Korean tea ceremony
After the tea museum, we walked to the historical site which is said to be where the first tea was ever grown in Korea. We stopped and ate lunch in a small restaurant and then headed up the mountain to the Ssanggyesa Buddhist temple. This temple was much larger than the shrine we visited and had a nice hike through the woods to see a hermitage for monks.
The first tea site in Korea
Ssanggyesa temple
After visiting the Ssanggyesa Buddhist temple we got back on the bus and rode to the Hanwha Resort where we would stay the night. After we arrived, I went with a small group to the nearby Hwaomsa Monastery, which is still active. We saw monks performing an evening ceremony with drums and bells, as well as chanting and praying. It was like something you would see in a movie and it was amazing.
Hwagye Valley, near Ssanggyesa temple
Monk ringing a bell at Hwaomsa Monastery
We then ate dinner on the way back to Hanwha and spent the night there.
Day 7
Climbing up to the peak at Nogodan Pass
This morning we ate breakfast at the hotel and then hopped on the bus and drove to Nogodan Pass, which is the highest mountain pass in South Korea. The drive up to the pass was very windy and treacherous, but we made it up safely. At the top there is a rest area where you can hike up to the summit of the mountain, so I hiked up with 5 other students. The hike took about an hour and we were inside a cloud the entire time, so it looked very ominous once we reached the top. At the top of the mountain there is a Shamanistic shrine that is sacred to the ancient Korean religions which are still practiced today in rural areas like the one we were in.
Shaman shrine at the top of Nogodan Pass
After hiking down the mountain, we drove to Namwon City, which is known as the City of Love in Korea. We ate lunch at a small restaurant in Namwon and then we went and toured Chunhyang Park. Chunhyang park is a park made around the home of Chunhyang, who is a character from Chunhyangjeon, the most famous Korean love story.
Chungyang Park in Namwon City
After we finished up at Chunhyang park, we got back on the bus and drove four hours back to Seoul.
My dorm, the SK Global House
Once we arrived in Seoul we checked into our dormitory at Yonsei University, which is called the SK Global House, and it is mainly for international students. The school is very close to the Sinchon district, which is a nice restaurant and shopping district in Seoul, so I have really good and cheap restaurants less than five minutes walking from my dorm.
Pictures of my dorm room (click to enlarge)
I went out to a Korean barbecue place and we ate samgyeopsal, which is grilled pork belly. Despite sounding very unappetizing, it was delicious! This particular restaurant had you grill your own meat in the middle of the table. It was very delicious and cheap! (only 9,000 won per person which is about $9).
Eating samgyeopsal at the Korean barbecue place
After dinner, we explored more parts of Sinchon as well as Hongdae, which is the next district to the east. Eventually, we headed back to the dorm and went to sleep.
---
I have WAY too many pictures to put them all here, so here is a link to a photo album with more pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/108374664871550378377/albums/5894471844920034801?authkey=CIiUsIrd69LVdw
No comments:
Post a Comment