Relaxing at the coast...
Trip Start
Dec 11, 2008
1
22
32
Trip End
Dec 13, 2009
Sokcho,
Korea Rep.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
This free time has meant that we have been able to take part in extracurricular activities, most notably samgyeopsal and soccer! Late at night, we've been going down to the river to have a kickabout, and play a bit of basketball. It's good exercise and we usually get chatting to some Korean kids who are always keen to join in...
Lately I've been seeing a lot more of Lee, and we enjoyed a nice day out in Seoul a few weeks ago, seeing sights such as Gyeonbokgung and Myeong dong. We found a really cool Indian-themed bar in Cheonho afterwards with private booths, and we enjoyed a bottle of red wine and what I now refer to as anju, or bar snacks. Lee is something of an expert when it comes to red wine, having lived in Argentina for a year, and she is usually in charge of picking and I am happy to oblige...
When the time came for the children to start revising, I was eager to book a couple of days holiday to create a long weekend. I wanted to go to Sokcho as Julianna had always raved about it, and I decided to invite Lee, despite only knowing her a matter of weeks. Thankfully she agreed to accompany me on the three hour bus ride to the east coast, and the scenery was stunning as we passed through some impressive mountain ranges.
It took a while, and we had to put up with some overly-pushy ajummas, but we eventually found a nice place to stay literally 10 metres away from the ocean. There was even a balcony where the only sound you could hear was the waves gently breaking on the rocks. We then spent the evening relaxing at the beach, looking at the stars...and getting eaten by ants! The little buggers took a particular liking to my right arm, but it didn't spoil what was a serene start to the holiday.
It was a bit cloudy the next day but we still ventured to Seoraksan, one of the highly regarded National Parks in Korea. Not really equipped for serious hiking, we took the cable car to one particular summit for impressive views, though it was incredibly windy up there! I'll definitely return to the area in October as the Autumn colours are supposed to be stunning, and I'm yet to experience this particular form of beauty in Asia...
We caught the bus to Naksan temple the next day which was interestingly situated on a small peninsula next to a vast, sweeping beach. We enjoyed free noodles, and then I got talking to a friendly buddhist monk who bizzarely asked me if I liked the TV show Blackadder! Strangely I have been watching the third series of late, so it was yet another coincidence that cannot be explained. There was an interesting statue at the summit with accompanying gorgeous views, and we followed this up with a gentle stroll along the beach...hagwon life felt like a million miles away!
I went for a refreshing swim in the ocean on our final day, and was surprised that the water was pretty warm, and ever so clean. We then went for sashimi, or rather, Lee went for sashimi and I watched! I'm no seafood fan but I was happy for Lee to taste the fresh fish as it would have been a shame to come to the coast and not sample the local cuisine. We then finished off with a couple of cocktails at a local bar which got us a bit tipsy, and then had a couple of glasses of bokbunja joo back at the apartment - this raspberry liquor has quickly become a favourite of mine in recent times.
Just as the Sokcho trip was ending, I wasted no time in making further plans, as it's essential to have things to look forward to.
So, next stop Jeju Island...
