Greetings from Songnisan National Park!
For a change, I’m going to give “Most …” awards for parts of our latest excursion. For Korea’s Memorial Day weekend, June 6-8, Rex and I decided to explore the western province of Chungcheongnam: Mallipo Beach within the Taean Haean Maritime National Park, the city of Cheongju located mid-country, and Songnisan National Park.
- The GPS said “Rest Area.” I’d call it a shopping mall!
Most frustrating…Traffic.
Because the traffic on weekends and holidays increases from heavy to downright insane, an early start is wise. Unfortunately our 8 a.m. start was not early enough, and by 9:00 the 2-5 lane highways we were navigating were more like parking lots. Our ETA of 2 1/2 hours to the coast took 3 hours longer than expected! Thankfully, there are Most Elaborate…Rest Areas along the way. The one we visited had 80-100 women’s bathrooms, 20 massaging lounge chairs, restaurants, and a variety of convenience, clothing, and supply stores. I’ve never seen anything like it!
Mallipo beach at low tide. Still a bit chilly for swimming but I can put my feet in.
Most Surprising…a quiet beach. What happened to the intense traffic we were in just a few miles before…where did everyone go? It’s a mystery! We stayed at Mallipo Beach for a few hours exploring the area: The beach at low tide with its ripple-textured sand indented from the retreating waves, letter-like trails written by stranded snails, and miniature pebble-like formations created from sand discarded by tiny crabs as they
I hope this starfish will be o.k. until the tide comes back in.
The drier areas of the beach were covered with this fascinating texture created by sand crabs.
tunneled beneath the now exposed surface; the lighthouse; the restaurants that served the fresh catch of the day; and the exposed rocky areas that provided a surface for exploring, picnicking, kite flying, and fishing.
A peaceful harbor.
Rugged rock formations on the other side of the pier provided a sharp contrast to the sandy beach.
The underside of this stingray held captive in a restaurant tank caught my eye. I don’t believe he knows his fate…
Stingrays drying in the summer sun.
Following a burger lunch at the Aloha Restaurant/Surf Shop, we began our trek inland to Cheongju. Away from cities and major highways we found farm country. Small villages with single family houses, tiered and flooded rice fields, crops protected under black awnings, and plants of all shapes and sizes planted strategically to make the most of available farmland within the mountainous landscape encircling the area.
Without too much difficulty we found Hotel Jasmine. I’ve used booking.com to find hotels here in Korea, and even though there are pictures and reviews, we’ve discovered it’s still a gamble since people’s standards, expectations, and frame of reference vary. Choices range from very cheap hostels, to low-moderately priced Korean hotels where you can choose a bed or Korean mat and have toiletries to share, to expensive 5-star accommodations. I chose this Korean hotel and hoped for the best!
Our room was similar to our previous hotel experiences; clean and tidy, slippers at the door, shower shoes (because without shower curtains the floor tends to get wet), no wash cloths, three hand towels
(we knew to bring our own bath towels this time!), and community toiletries including soap, aftershave, moisturizer, hair products, and toothpaste. Most Ostentatious…The 70’s flower motif, spa tub, and red mood light!
The customer service at the hotel was Most Commendable. Saturday morning a Most Unexpected…phone call came from the front desk reminding us “It’s time for breakfast.” The breakfast bar had both Western and Asian items and was quite tasty. As we left the hotel for a day of sightseeing we were given maps of local attractions, and as we were about to drive away, the front desk clerk came running out to our car with two bottles of nearly frozen water. How thoughtful!
Legend and history note that this tree was given a honorary title because it lifted its boughs in respect one day as Kind Sejo passed by.
Along the way we saw the Most Well-Preserved … 700-year-old Jeongipum Pine. Although it has sustained some damage in the last 10 years which necessitated the cane-like supports under its ancient limbs, one can still marvel at the pine’s age and splendor.
A 27m (88 ft) Mireul Buddha of the Future is the biggest Buddha in Korea.
Twin Lion Stone Lantern. 3.3 m tall. Built in 720.
Four Guardian Kings Stone Lantern. 3.9 m tall. Built late 780’s
We had some vigorous vertical climbing.
Songnisan National Park is frequented not only for its mountain hiking and views, but also for its numerous temples. Just inside the park is Beopju-sa, a large temple complex whose origins date back to the 6th century “shortly after Buddhism had been carried into Korea from China.” This complex, with its natural, peaceful surroundings seems a good choice for a temple stay.
A mountain hiking “Rest Area.”
Most Excellent…hiking weather; low 70’s with a slight breeze. Hiking is quite a Korean obsession and we have found some difference when compared to our hiking experiences in the U.S. First, Koreans are the Most Color-coordinated and Best equipped hikers I have seen and I always feel underdressed. Nearly everyone has backpacks, walking sticks, gloves, hats, sunglasses, etc. and look like they have hiked straight out of an REI catalogue.
Second, there are more people, paved paths for the easier and more popular routes, areas that have been enhanced with stones strategically arranged to blend in with the natural environment while assisting hikers with their climb, and Most Awesome…mountain Rest Areas. These are truly a marvel; after hiking about an hour up some fairly steep terrain, there one was, like an oasis in the desert. We marveled at the man-power it no doubt took to bring materials and supplies up the mountain. One could simply relax at the picnic tables, or purchase hot food (prepared right there!),
Even thought it was not a perfectly clear day, the views were still worth the climb.
What is Rex pointing at?
A favorite hiking destination, Munjangdae has legendary significance.
We made it to Munjangdae!
cold snacks and beverages, ice cream, souvenirs, and hiking supplies.
Third, hikers are very friendly and willing to share what they have. In passing, we were offered crackers, gum, water, a vegetable pancake, and rice wine.
Rex and I had a great time enjoying the mountain hike and ended up traveling just over 11 miles!
Delicious Korean Beef BBQ.
It was 8pm before we arrived back to our hotel and we were famished. So we walked across the street to a Korean beef BBQ. Their menu was only in Korean and there were no pictures, so we looked around at what others were eating, pointed (hopefully) politely and said “We’ll have that!” It was delicious and because food varies from one geographic location to another, there were different sides to try.
Most Unexpected…Sunday morning breakfast. Saturday evening we were asked what time we wanted breakfast in the morning. I said 8:00, even though I was confused since we were told breakfast was served between 7:30-9 a.m. The next morning we were in the lobby at 8, only to find a “closed” sign on the dining room door. The manager motioned us back to our room saying “room service.” Thoroughly confused now, we went back and waited. About 20 minutes later the phone rang; “Breakfast is ready.” We again went to the lobby and this time he took us into the dining room. We were the only guests and a table had been set just for the two of us. He said he had prepared the food himself, wished us a pleasant breakfast, and went back to the front desk. We were dumbfounded! It was quite a spread; cereal and milk, fresh fruit, cold cuts and vegetables, fried eggs, toast, sweet rolls, juice and coffee!
My souvenir trays and bowls from Icheon Pottery Village.
Heading home, we decided to stop at Icheon’s Ceramic Village. Reportedly having over 300 kilns, it is one of the largest in Korea. Here you will find pottery that is mass-produced as well as unique pieces created by potters and artists on site. We spent about an hour in one particular store, chatting with the proprietor whose husband was the artist. We really liked his creative designs.
The remainder of our road trip went surprisingly fast and we were home by 3 p.m. Still enough time for a nap and a relaxing game of cribbage in the park. What a delightful mini vacation. 🙂
Renae Cummings 