관악산 Gwanaksan Mountain

Video of the Peak hike

Seoul's second highest mountain is 관악산. Located south of the Hangang, the mountain provided a nice surprise in hiding a Buddhist temple near the peak. 

The chanting resonated throughout the peak. The state of prayer, whether as a participant or an outsider, brings inner peace. 

We decided to traverse the peak of 관악산 by climbing the sketchy boulders that lined the tops. 

We found another temple down the trail. An intercom system echoed the chanting throughout the temple complex and provided a peaceful mental space.

자장면 and 짬뽕 for Dinner. Absolutely perfect after a hike.

Roaming around Seoul

 I took Kevin to Seoul's city walls for the grand overlook of the city.

With my own time in Seoul coming down to its last days, I look over the city with which I have become familiar. Two and a half months, hours of subways, millions of people who collectively share a similar historical and cultural background as myself, feelings of physically blending in and objectively sticking out, I will miss this city.

The War Memorial of Korea wonderfully pays homage to the Korean War's participants. The actual memorials at the beginning of the museum successfully elicits feelings of respect and honor to those who served. With the generation who served dwindling, and my the time with my own grandparents shortening , I feel my role is to learn history; It's the only thing I can do. 

Walking around Ewha and Sinchon to look at college city life and in search of food. Noticeably tired from all the walking. 

곱창, Soju and Beer to cap our day.

대구 Daegu

With rain drizzling down, we departed our hostel to catch a bus to 대구. 

We came to 대구 to meet with Kevin's high school friend who is stationed at the US army base here. We spent the day with Scott and three of his army friends. Kevin and I didn't get to explore 대구 like we originally planned because the logistics of matching the desires of kids in the army, but it was a good experience nevertheless in learning about military culture. One thing I learned, I would not fit into army culture. 

Cherry blossoms were in full bloom through the whole city. 

 The third biggest city in Korea. The city had characteristics similar to Seoul, but deserted lots and older buildings served as reminders that this is indeed the third place city.

The engineer in Kevin wanted to experience KTX so we bought a 2 hour ride back to Seoul.

경주 Gyeongju

Upon recommendation of the family, I visited 경주 for two nights and two days to travel around Korea's historical landscape. Spring has arrived in the southern part of the country, evident by the scattered blooming magnolia trees and cherry blossoms. Our first sightseeing were the Royal Tombs of the Silla Dynasty (왕릉). There was an excavated tomb in which to appreciated the elaborately decorated treasures of the tombs and the stacked granite construction that supports the mounds. 

Korea has depths of history that American history has no parallel. Kingdoms, dynasties, moving capitals, massive religious shifts, paleolithic art to bronze age weapons, and complicated relationships with all the Asian neighbors culminate in a culture that is the small nation of Korea. 

Our first long day of travelling ends at our cozy hostel. With a room to ourselves, our belongings were sprawled out just as we passed out sleeping. 

6 slices of white bread for breakfast. Complementary.

We rented bikes in downtown and trekked 14 kilometers across the countryside and up the base of a mountain to reach 불국사 (Bulguksa temple). 

The massive temple complex was strikingly peaceful and beautiful. Prayers were ongoing within the buildings and we could silently stand outside and admire the solemnness of the worshipers
 . 

Modern reconstruction infrastructures housed a good portion of the buildings. The upkeep of temples had no effect on the praying monks, but provided an interesting clutter of sacred space vs overlapping trespassing warnings.

Video of biking
Kevin and I enjoyed maximum flexibility in visiting temples, tombs, and sacred sites that were tucked away within Mt. Namsan on our way back to downtown. We rode into the middle of temple villages to see sights that regular tourists wouldn't be able to see. 

A king's tomb hidden along our bike journey.

For our last side adventure, we set out to find ancient Buddha relics within the mountain sides. Ambiguous maps and with dubious directions, Kevin and I hiked up and down in search for Buddha. 

With daylight disappearing and our bike rentals due, we finally found the ancient Buddha engravings. Alone in the valley, we had silence appreciating the marks of centuries passed. 

After more than 25 miles of combined biking and hiking today without a true lunch, we feasted on two dinners to close our exploration of 경주.

Walking, Exploring, Walking Seoul

 I designated today as Seoul exploration day for Kevin. We packed our schedule going to 경복궁 (Royal Palace), 삼계탕 (Chicken stew), 북촌한옥마을 (Bukchon traditional village), 인사동 (Insadong Market), 청계천 (Seoul's city stream), 광장시장 (Gwangjang Market) , N서울타워 (Namsan Tower), 남대문시장 (Namdaemun Market), and 서울시청 (Seoul city hall).     *English included for English sake

Kevin playing 제기차기 in front of the National Folk Museum Main building next to 경복궁 

동호 met us for 삼계탕 since we were near his work. Recovery meal indeed as only it was only yesterday Kevin and I traversed most of Bukhansan peaks. 

Changing of the guards in front of 경복궁 

We walked and visited 인사동 (Insadong Market), 청계천 (Seoul's city stream), 광장시장 (Gwangjang Market). The traveling by foot allowed for people-watching, culture- immersing, and map-confusion.

View from Namsan Park.

Though closed, 남대문 shined beautifully from behind the gates and with the backdrop of the light polluted Seoul skies. 

Bukhansan- 북한산

이모, Kevin, and I headed off into the great valleys of 북한산. 이모 escorted us to the first two peaks and headed back down.

Korean hiking trails differ from trails in America in that trails are riddled with granite boulders, steep inclines up rock slabs, and brightly outfitted groups of Koreans.

Messing around on peaks

A hike's not complete without a tad of surrealism. As our trail for today run along the ancient city walls of Seoul, we heard faint singing echoing the valleys. Our fast pace eventually brought us to overtake a group of nuns, who had stopped alone the ridge as a chorus to sing beautiful hymns. The hiking boot wearing singing nuns provided a perfectly peaceful moment and an infinitely special impression on our hike.

The grand overlook at the peak. Hikers dotting the trail. Building lining the horizon. 

On our final ascent to the highest peak, we passed these two 아저씨's, who enthusiastically and immediately started speaking in English to the both of us. When I spoke in Korean to the younger 아저씨, he defiantly responded in English to explain that they needed to practice . As we reached the top and rested, the men sat next to us and explained that the older 아저씨 had an international taxi license English Exam coming up and asked us to help him create a 5 minute speech of "tell me about yourself." After 40 minutes of laughing, scribbling, broken english, and corrections, we said goodbyes and headed down the peak



Video of the Peak

Making our steep descent down. 

We made a 1 kilometer detour to ensure a Korean hiking experience with some well deserved ramen. We also loosened our body at a bathhouse after the 8 and half hour hike. Truly sculpting a Korean vacation.

Split Country- DMZ

We traveled to 문산 and stayed overnight to be able to visit the DMZ in the morning.

할머니 and 할아버지 had already met Kevin when he visited Florida during 엄마's sickness. We talked about how relatively little we can remember of those times; sharing what we do remember. 

The DMZ denied us with unfortunate Monday closure. However, within 할머니's seemingly infinite support and connection network, a man living in the boundaries of the DMZ brought us into the locked down territory.

할머니 had met our day's personal tour guide 30 years ago and introduced his wife to him. Undeniable power in her love in creating and keeping so many personal connections. I could tell in the man's eye that taking time in his day off for a favor for 할머니 and 할아버지 was an easy choice.

할아버지 inspecting the gunshot holes of an ancient gravestone. Situated in the depths of the DMZ, the grave likely receives no visitors.

On a road that leads straight to 평양. The opportunity to visit a real geopolitical conflict as a tourist leaves an weird unsatisfied aftertaste of the unknown future of this split country.

Kevin's here

Kevin arrives after a 13 hour flight into Incheon. Strange and glad to see my childhood friend come in through the sliding doors with big smiles.

Kevin acclimating to home life. Using a pressurized leg massager, which helped any awkwardness with the family having their first foreigner in their home.

동호 brought me and Kevin out to 홍대 to get Kevin's first exposure to Seoul city life.