South Korea 24 April 2013: Mount Seorak

Internet stated that the beauty of Mount Seorak is highly dependent on its weather. A check on its website showed that today would be the only sunny day this week. Phew... lucky us. So we woke up at 6.30am to prepared a picnic menu of spam sandwiches, strawberries and various snacks. We took the green line to Gangbyeon station which took about 45mins. Then we crossed the road on the right of the subway station to Dong Seoul bus terminal 동서울 버스 터미널 to buy the bus tickets.

We love Pon De Ring and Green Tea Latte from Mister Donut @ Gangbyeon station. You can get a view of Hangang River via the overhead bridge beside Gangbyeon station.

 

There are 2 type of buses to Sokcho 속초, the express bus takes 2 hours with no stops in between while the normal bus takes 3 hours with multiple stops between the stations. The express bus leaves on a hourly basis and was spacious and clean.



The sun was out and there is a soft breeze today. Definitely a good day for excursion. We took the Sogongwon Cable Car to the peak. At the peak, we climbed multiple flights of stairs to reach the Gwongeumseong Fortress 설악산 권금성. There was a large flat rocky slope on the top. There were no barriers on top so you can basically walk to the far edge of the cliffs. As far as you dare.





Map of the area:






Enjoying our sandwiches and strawberries at the peak. That's life.



In search of waterfalls. In the afternoon, we took the Cheonbuldong Valley walking trail to Yukdam Falls and Biryong Falls. We had fun dipping in the icy river stream and sunning on the gigantic rocks.





Enjoying quality time with my sister. It was really a great opportunity to bond with my sister, relax and truly enjoy nature to the most. While me and my sister live in the same house, we were each busy with our day job and seldom have time to interact. It was here, skipping among the rocks, encouraging each other to move on, holding our hands, sharing a sandwich, quietly enjoying the serene view on the mountain top, listening to the same song. I enjoyed the company of my sister and I am truly thankful to her for just being there each day of my life.



Listening to Damien Rice - The Blower's Daughter. I can't take my eyes off you... I mean the scenery of cos :)


For the last walking rail, we chose Bisondae. The trail took us 30 minutes into a forest but since it was still Spring, most trees were withered and dry. We gave up halfway and decided to track back before sunset.