Trip to the Seorak Mountains

It was a random and almost careless mention of a plan to go to the Seorak Mountains with a friend, as she browsed on a Korean survival guide book while we were on our way to one of our earlier “cultural travels". We were practically preparing for our next trip while experimenting on one. Weeks after that, I get to hitch to a black sports car of another friend’s officemate. Coooool-ness.


I was still with my usual pre-occupied self on this trip (what's new), even bringing with me my laptop, so I could steal some time typing for work. Anyone would really be annoyingly dragged out of a supposed-to-be enjoyable and stress-free weekend getaway. I know, I know. I definitely am not the best person to be with on any trip with this kind of attitude.

But I remember to have always liked the outdoors and I've always dreamt of long travels, so why ditch this one? Mountains and nature, I certainly love. Hiking is a very common activity here in South Korea, particularly among the elderly and especially during the autumn season. The fall has definitely come (but I am still not old, okay), and I need not miss on the action here.

Seorak-san is one of the pretty famous mountains here in South Korea, and the sports car brought us to the place after four hours of travel from Seoul. We left at around six in the morning and arrived at around ten. The mountain is inside the Seoraksan National Park, which is located in Seokcho City, in a province called Gangwon-do. I remember sleeping inside the car all the way to the place because I haven’t slept the night before, as I finished some kiddie presentation for some cultural class. Oh anyway...

They say that the best season to go to Seorak-san is the autumn, when the leaves change into beautiful, vibrant colors. And well, we were sure welcomed by the lush sight of reds and yellows and greens, as we went to the main entrance of the national park. As expected, picture taking by the trees was a blockbuster.



There also stands by the entrance a huge Buddha, reminding everyone of how nature has always been a vital instrument to the religion and way of living of these Koreans. I sure saw a number of people who bowed at the eighty-foot structure. It was quite a struggle for me though, nearing the statue area, because the smell of the incense was making it hard for me to breathe. Hehe.



Then on to the main activity: The Hike. Our group decided to take the path leading to an area called "Bisondae", for we learned that there's a cave that we can check out there. I've always been fond of caves and instantly thought of bats and stalactites. Four hours later, I found out that the small cave, which looks like a hole in some rocked mountain from afar, is actually a small temple-- a temple with paper lanterns and miniature buddhas in an altar. Maybe I should just work on my picturesque caves back in the Philippines. Not that I didn't like the idea of a "temple in a cave", but like what I said, I thought of bats. I know I am being such a moron, but hell yeah. I 'm sorry, Buddha.



I guess the best and most fun part was the actual journey to that cave. For one, I went hiking with a pregnant lady and her husband who drove the sports car, by the way. Uhuh, quite an exercise for their baby. There were a lot of things for the eyes to feast on, actually. There were of course all sorts of people, rocks and boulders replacing the waters in a dried-up river, squirrels on tree branches, as well as bridges and metal stairs. The metal stairs came in the last twenty minutes of our hike. I think what makes mountain hiking different in Korea are the seemingly engineered trails that hikers can conveniently walk on as they try to reach the peak. In the Philippines, I don't think trails are as sophisticatedly made easier. Well, at least for the path that we took, the way leading up to the cave had metal stairs. I have to say that it was a pretty steep trek, about 75 degrees of incline on metal stairs on the side of the mountain for us to get to the cave. Quite a knee wrecker for me, honestly. I found it so hard to look down for I have this secret fear of heights, hehehe.



All in all, the experience was all-worth it. When we reached the cave, I remember telling my friends to spend a considerable time in that tiny hole to make the hours of reaching it worthwhile. Well, we really needed some time inside for we were so exhausted and we needed to rest. The trek down was way, way easier and felt much faster, but it all the more drained our bodies as we finally ended the day.

On trips like these, you really feel all touchy with your surroundings. You tickle your ears with the leaves that fall on you, you smell your breath as you gasp for air going up, and you stomp your foot real hard on the rocks you step on to continue with your hike. Oh my, how I love mountain hiking :-)

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On Korean Men

I am practically surrounded by Korean men in my workplace, and while my officemates would probably say how they’ve barely managed at least a minute of casual talk with me given such “aloofness” that I exercise inside the office, I must say that I have, and will probably always have in my mind, the most striking conversations with them.

Korean men are actually interesting. They may not be the best-looking men (face-wise) on earth, but they certainly are the most-buffed Asians. Their firm bods must be the result of their two years in military service. I am just not a fan of chinky and lid-less pairs of eyes. And I have sworn loyalty to the classic Borgy Manotoc and Leonardo DiCaprio “crush-ness”. Haha.

It is one thing to have a look at what the appearance can offer, it is another thing to spend time and talk with these men. It’s given— they are world-class heavy drinkers and workaholics. But believe me, there’s definitely more than meets the eye.


Conversation #1: Ignorance of Religion

Saturday weekend. A day after I arrived in South Korea. He was helping out with moving in and with buying things for my new house.
Korean Man: Hey, so what are you doing tomorrow?
Me: Oh, I heard that there is a place here in Seoul where Filipinos usually gather so I might check it out. There is also a church there, so I want to hear the mass tomorrow.
Korean Man: Why?!?!
(I’m like, why not?)

Conversation #2: Going Against the "Boy as First-Born" Policy
After-work dinner in a HOF bar with a colleague, in my first months in South Korea.

Korean Man 1 (talking about another Korean Man): His wife is actually pregnant. He is expecting their first child.
Me: WOW! Do you want a boy or a girl as your first-born?
Korean Man 2: I want a daughter. You know why? Because in Korea, when your daughter marries, you practically submit her to the husband and his family. So you are free from responsibilities and expenses by then.

Conversation #3: The Olympic Dream
Lunch appointment with colleagues in a Vietnamese restaurant.

Korean Man 1: If I don’t get married and have a kid, I will adopt a child from Kenya.
Me: Oh really, why?
Korean Man 1: I heard that Africans run very fast, so I will take good care and train a boy from Kenya and make him the best athlete so he can make it to the Olympics.
Korean Man 2: (Slightly laughing) That is what you call investment.

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Hwaseong Fortress

This is my second time to celebrate Thanksgiving Day in South Korea. I remember just staying at home last year, so I don’t think I can still forgive myself if I lock myself up in my room again. I have long been craving for travel that will technically throw me out of Seoul— with a cultural feel at that. And when you are not really sure how culturally blessed a place is, you basically just depend on titles attached to these places.

Like the Hwaseong Fortress. A UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. How heavy is that. Teehee.

The place is located in Suwon, the capital city of a province in South Korea called Gyeonggi-do. All it took was a subway train ride with my friend and there we were in a crowded and bustling city, which I think has more signage and billboards than Seoul, clustered together in just one building. You get that instant vibrant feeling that won’t really leave unnoticed. Very near the subway station is a tourist information center, which is a very good sign that we have actually just been to a place visited by everybody else.

We rode a bus then got off at the Paldalmun area, where this oval structure took center stage, prompting cars and buses to circle it just so they can pass through. The oval structure is called the Paldalmun, which is among the major gates of the famous fortress. It sure has that huge, “dynastic” feel with it, except that we can still see crowded signage and hear honking horns everywhere. We then looked for a way to the entrance of the actual fortress, which was quite a challenge as it was way, way nestled inside the city.

It is what I am actually so amazed about South Korea. You feast your eyes on picturesque signs of industrialization and economic progress, yet you feel the air of history and culture that it strongly upholds. They have temples erected right smack in streets full of buildings and stores. Behind this great facade of industrial growth, you discover century-old bricks and walls that shout of kings and the dynasties that they ruled.

It was quite a walk, I must say, and as I trodded along, I even was not sure what to appreciate at first. I mean, there were the usual trees and cemented roads, plus grasses and old-school gates and doors. It took a while before I realized that the path I was walking on and the sturdy walls that lined that long path under the sun's heat are what should be marveled upon- the considerable years, painstaking manpower, and noble resources that were put to build a town-size fortress to protect the nation from foreign invasion.




Here are some of the architectural structures of ancient Korea that can be found at the Hwaseong Fortress:

Seojangdae, a famous command post at the top.

Seonodae, a famous platform that is adjacent to Seojangdae. Archers use this post to attack assailants from downhill.

Namporu, one of the major gates in the fortress.

You'll definitely be treating yourself for some hardcore walkathon around the Hwaseong Fortress given the size of the place. But hey, who says there's nothing that can be done with it. Here comes your trolley!

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On Jimjilbangs

Jimjilbangs are a pretty common place to go (or at least try out) here in South Korea. They are public bath houses or saunas that help you keep up with your personal hygiene as you get bored with the same, old bath tub and find it inappropriate for a relaxing, night-time treat. Of course, for a Southeast Asian whose life back in her own country wasn’t much into the lavish “pampering”, it can really be a sophisticatedly cool experience. Then you talk to people and find out that there have actually been dirty connotations on preferring jimjilbangs for bathing, for the simple reason of being the “public” kind.


Bath houses are almost usually traced to the British, having established such places only for the elites back then. The introduction of bath houses into the British culture was primarily a response to the public's desire for increased sanitary conditions, so I don’t really understand where the dirty part comes in. I guess, maybe, as public houses became so popular and common— that they have also been opened up for the “non-elites”, it created a problem as the differences in personal hygienes of the sophisticated and the not-so sophisticated were highlighted. But I am being a bit discriminatory here. I’m sorry.

Bath houses are an ideal sleep getaway here in South Korea, when late night happenings or parties usually make it inconvenient for anyone to go home. Jimjilbangs are abundant in almost all areas, especially in Seoul, so it has always been all-worth it to pay 8,000won to 12,000 won for the first 12 hours to bathe and take a rest for the night.

Of course, there are more to just the usual 3 or 4 cold and hot tubs, plus a shower area per bath house. There are public sleeping quarters, floors and pillows everywhere to doze off. They make it more appealing and conventient for relaxation, as it sets up massage rooms, nail-art rooms, a skin treatment room, an exercise room, a lazy-boy area, a snack bar, an outdoor veranda, and even a smoking area. Skin, nail, and massage services all require a separate fee.



How it typically goes is you pay at the reception and leave your shoes in lockers usually around the receiving area. They will then give you towels and a jimjilbang uniform— either a bath robe or a shirt/shorts combo before you go to the general locker area where you place your stuff. The choices on what you want to do next in a jimjilbang are then boundless.

For a naturally self-conscious person like me, who have always enjoyed private moments in her bath tub, taking showers in a jimjilbang can be really uncomfortable. I remember the first time I went to a jimjilbang with two guy friends. Jimjilbangs separate the men and women’s actual bathing area (for very obvious reasons). Anyway, even if the locker rooms and bathing areas are separate for men and women, there are always common areas in a jimjilbang where men and women are allowed together. There are the snack bars, the lounge and TV areas, and the saunas. So it can still be a treat after all. I heard that there are some Koreans who go to jimjilbangs on dates ;-p

That first time I bared naked in a public bath house with these farer Korean “ajummas” (elder women) was personally quite a stir, for I remember being the only tan-skinned specie in the world of kimchi-bred, whiter skins. I just had to strut along anyway, and tell myself that at least, these women get to see a real, full butt. I rarely saw one. Haha.

You basically just have to get used to the casual atmosphere in a bath house because women walk like they are Eve’s in the garden of Eden. They can always just sit beside you in a bath tub and strike a conversation. Koreans do not really take even a tinge of discomfort on being naked.

Though it is generally a cheap alternative to an overnight accommodation, frequenting jimjilbangs can also get costly. The access of these public bath houses nevertheless re-affirms South Korea as such a convenient place to live in.

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