Ulleung-do

It's time to move on from Cambodia, as life in Korea has moved forward and I've gotten behind. So much time has passed that I have taken another vacation since, so I'll start there. I wanted to go to Japan, but the peak season prices were too steep for me to handle. Therefore I decided to travel around Korea, much like I did last summer. I wanted to go somewhere off the beaten path and I like islands, so I chose Ulleung-do. This beautiful island is located a little way off the east coast, and was a bit of a haul to get to. I took a four hour bus ride to Sokcho (see "Farewell, Dear Zizou" July 2006 for pics of this beach).
After spending one un-remarkable night in Sokcho, I took the earliest bus to Donghae, where I would take a ferry to the island. The bus took two hours and the ferry would take another three. I arrived at the harbor before two o'clock and checked into a yogwan (cheap hotel, kind of like a guest house). The serenity and beauty of the area made an immediate impression. Living in a place where I've become so accustomed to neon lights, traffic, and noise, it was nice to find this quiet place. The people struck me as much more laid back than the city folk I'm used to. Everything slowed down for me, and it was a welcome change.
After strolling around the area and eating lunch, I took the seaside walk. There is a walkway up the coast where one can take in the beautiful coast line. The sea was particularly turbulent this day, and the water was crashing against the rocks. I spent great amounts of time just watching the waves, mesmerized by the violent battle between the water and the rocks. At one point I was standing about 25 feet up watching the water crash into a small cove. I thought I was safe where I was, but one strong wave hit and completely doused me with sea water. Luckily, I found a plateau where a very strong and steady wind dried my clothes. There was something picturesque about standing on this high vista overlooking the sea with a powerful wind whipping through my flapping clothes and blowing hair. I didn't take a picture of it though.
Here I am on my way back. I took the invite from a couple of strangers to imbibe on a little soju with them. They were kind enough to take this picture. This would be a common thing during my stay. So many nice Koreans invited me to eat, drink, and chat with them. I had many people go out of their way to show me around. I had dinner with two different families in my stay. Most of these folks knew little to no English, so I had to get by solely on my Korean--my sparse Korean. It did make me realize how far I've come, yet made me also realize how much better I could do.

That evening I turned in early as I would wake up early the next morning to hike the island's tallest mountain, Seong-Inbong. The climb involved a steep uphill walk to the road, than a steeper uphill walk to the path. It was a physically taxing hike on a very muggy day. I took very little time to rest and plowed forward for three hours, knowing the payoff of sitting on a peak. The best part of climbing a mountain for me is sitting on a quiet peak, enjoying the view. It's a reward that provides a sense of accomplishment. This peak, however, pretty much sucked. It was surrounded by trees that I couldn't see over. These pictures are the best I could do while standing at the highest point holding the camera over my head.
Since the peak was disappointing, I didn't lolligag at the top. Instead, I moved on to my second favorite part of the climb--bounding down the mountain. Three hours up, forty-five minutes down... that's all I need to say. I was overheated and drained after that, so I went to the hotel and relaxed for a bit. Later that evening, there would be a concert on the harbor, featuring local talent of all kinds. There were dancing kids, break-dancers, traditional folk singers, drums, and cheesy K-pop. I spent the latter part of the concert in my room, where my wonderful view allowed me the opportunity to have a prime seat for the fireworks show. I turned in early after a long day of hiking and looked to do more of the same the next day.