Heading East...

Byron and I decided we wanted to get out of Seoul one weekend in June and head to Sokcho on the East Coast. Sokcho is just 60 km from the North Korean border and actually used to be a part of the North until the end of the Korean war. It is quite a sleepy city with a population of just 84,000 but it does become busy near the beach in the summer season. It is a really beautiful place full of fantastic scenery.

Since the bus trip is 3 hours to Sokcho, the bus always takes a stop at one of the many rest stops along the way so everyone can stretch their legs and grab a snack.

When we arrived in Sokcho we were not sure where we were. All we had with us was our lonely planet book so we assumed we were at the right bus stop. Apparently there are two bus stops in Sokcho...and we were at the other end of town a little lost.

We walked around for an hour or so checking hotels and motels for vacancy but they were all full, so we finally jumped in a cab and headed to the other end of town. I will be honest...I was growing impatient with our situation so I kindly suggested that I stay with the bags at the 711 and drink a beer while Byron found a room! Pretty good deal. Byron returned about 40 minutes later and the first thing he said to me was..."don't be angry, it was the only room I could find." Well that sounded promising.

I must say that our room was clean and there was a bed and a bathroom which was really all we needed. Yes the bed was round and came with a mirrored head board but that is beside the point right? It was pretty cheap and right near the beach so we were happy. That night we headed down to the beach after eating dinner at a nearby bbq joint. The beach was filled with people shooting fireworks and roman candles. We sat in the sand and drank our beers and watched the nearby 5 year olds shoot fireworks by themselves. Charming really.

After a decent nights sleep we headed to the beach the next day to take in some sunshine and salt water.





There is a lot of seaweed draped over the railings to dry because it is such a popular snack here in Korea.


The water may have been a bit cold but it sure felt like summer on the coast.

Sokcho is also known as the gateway to Seoraksan National Park. This is one of the most popular parks in Korea and although it has many visitors all year round, autumn is the most favored season to visit. We decided to hike Ulsanbawi which is one the main hiking trails marked "very difficult" on the map. It was definitely a trek but was worth every muscle ache for the days following.



The Buddha is truly larger than life! Byron and I had a candle where we were were to write our family name on it with a wish and put it in with the other candles and light it. We lit the candle and watched as so many others added their candles and wishes to the cabinet.

As we headed up the trail we came to an amazing temple in the mountains.

And then we continued to hike...

Now this is where things got interesting. At this point in our journey we have finally come to the infamous 800 metal steps to the top. There are two things that I did not realize...the first is that those steps were completely vertical, and the second was the my fear of heights is worse than I thought. I had a few minor freak outs on the way up but the lovely Korean hikers kept cheering us on! Although I was slightly terrified, it was worth the view in the end.

And then I had to make it back down without my eyes closed. I put Byron in front of me to block the view to the bottom and everything was great!

We stopped on the way down at one of the food markets to grab some well deserved dinner. We had yummy seafood pancakes and beer. Then I remembered that my lonely planet book had described a specific fruit wine that you can order in Seoraksan called Maruju and so we ordered a bottle of that as well. When they brought us the wine they also gave us a complimentary potato pancake to snack on. Yum!

As we continued our walk we ran into some little friends I had met at the top of the mountain and they agreed to pose for a picture with me after such a tiring day.

We had a great first weekend outside of Seoul and learned a lot from our little trip. We have definitely gone back a few times since then and have explored other areas along the coast that I will share in the blogs to come!

Cheers,

Sam and Byron xo