Every few weekends or so I find myself wanting to get away from bustling streets of Seoul and Incheon and explore new parts of Korea. That said, the recent start of the warm summer months has really amped-up those feelings and has had me reminiscing of past getaways. One of my favorites from last spring was the day trip some friends and I took to Ganghwado Island in search of azaleas on Goryeosan Mountain.
As per usual the day started off well enough catching our first bus for the two-hour journey to the island. We made it in time to grab a quick lunch catch a second local bus, which was when things got a bit more interesting.
Expecting a long bus ride, we unintentionally missed our stop which unbeknownst to us was announced in Korean just a few minutes into the trip. Twenty minutes or so later we found ourselves taking a scenic tour of the island. Bus number one took us along the northern most part of the coast line which just happens to share a thin river’s border with North Korea. As we looked outside the bus’s windows just beyond the barbed wire fences and across the water was indeed N. Korea. Though taking tours of the border are quite common via the DMZ, somberly being flagged through military check points, passing by bulky soldiers holding guns the size of some of my students, and setting eyes on that part of the world in general was surreal, eerie, and beyond unexpected.
Once we had made it further inward on the island we realized we were definitely lost and actually traveling away from our destination. At that point, we decided to hop off the bus and trust our luck to catch another bus returning in the direction of the mountain we were so desperate to find. Forty-five minutes, two peeled oranges, one snack sized bag of peanut M&Ms, and a few pictures later we managed to hail a lone taxi that seemed destined to pick us up. After a brief drive we were dropped at an azalea festival which we wandered for a bit before starting our hike up Goryeosan Mountain.
About half way up the mountain we came across a Buddhist temple and a tea shop. We stopped for a cup of tea and some snacks before exploring around the temple and eventually making our way back to the hiking trail.
Finally reaching the peak late in the afternoon we were able to take in the sun and the spectacular views of the island. Being from the midwest where even a good sledding hill is rare, seeing the lush mountains that cover Korea is always a breathtaking experience.
Though this was a brief day trip, it was nice to get out of the city for a bit and take in a little bit of natural scenery.
. . .
bbm travels 