Mt Taebaek Hiking and Cool Cinema Festival
You get this past weekend first, as it is the shorter of the two write-ups that need doing.
Saturday morning, about five hours after landing in Gimpo Airport from Sunny Jeju Island (one hour of a subway ride home, and four hours of sleep in my own bed), I (we, actually. We still being myself and then Denise and Maureen from the Jeju Trip) went down to meet the morning bus for the Mt. Taebaek trip.
We went to wrong place for the pickup, but luckily I had the number for the organization and we found the bus.
The bus ride which was original schedule to take two and half hours took eight. That is just how bad the traffic outside of Seoul ended up being. It's the worst I'd ever seen it. But it meant I spent a lot of time reading the first two books in Amanda Hemingway's trilogy. I'm pleased to say even though I know Jan Siegel was just a writing moniker, her work continues to fill me with such glee. These books are beautiful and I'm probably going to cry by the end again.
We did finally reach Taebaek though, and headed straight for Yongyeon cave. I've always been a big fan of underground caverns given my growing up so close to Natural Bridge, Innerspace and the plethora of smaller places. It was well laid out, but there was little of the usual warnings against pictures or touching which was odd and interesting. I felt so deeply entombed in the cool, wet Earth during this walk. The endless underground in my nose, my hair, my eyes.
The train to the caves area.
The cave opening.
After the caves we retired to our accommodation, where we laid out bedding things and got our dinner. I'm growing accustomed to the notion the guides literally freak out when they realize I don't eat rice, or any starch for that matter. It seems to entirely gum up their brain and then suddenly they think I'm going to starve to death. (Which is only true during their breakfast.) After dinner we marched up the hill to the Cool Cinema Festival.
I don't have many awesome shots of this time period and the ones I do rather defy the epic levels of their awesome. The preshow involved no English, but there was a martial arts display and then a singer who did four or five songs, and a long, long, talking and acting something or other. And then finally our movie came on.....with no subtitles.
But fear not! For we (we here being, me and Denise and five guys we didn't know up til then) mastered the epic art of MST2King the entire horror-mystery-twisted end movie. I haven't the a clue for the life of me what the movie was called, but it was probably the most amusing two hours I'd spent watching a movie in the last few years. There was so much laughing and joking and arm swatting and plotting and betting.
Also, I just happened to find these in the convenience store right next to the stage:
Incense and Mortar & Pestle. Yeah. It's probably my like seventh or eighth, but it was so pretty.
Look at that shine and wood. I love being a world where these things are common, well made, and cheap.
The late night was spent in a parade of laughable and laudable things. We set off fireworks and had what amounted to the stupidest, most fun I've had in ages. Maureen couldn't remember which way was up, even when six people were shouting for her to aim her firework up. And then, without it really being a plan or intentional, a riot of fireworks all exploded across and through our group in such a way that was only described for the next hours and days "as though we were all having a Harry Potter duel." Dangerous beyond all belief, but over in about six minutes and no one was hurt.
Though some Korean's who walked near our concrete clearing were really, really angry.
The evening was spent on the steps of out accommodation, talking and laughing. There was much in the way of coaching one of the Londoner's through text talking to a girl he was really interested in. I found the first alcoholic drink sold in a convenient store in Korea that I don't absolutely hate. It's a Vodka Mudshake. I went to bed far too late and got up far too early -- and was the only person out of our entire tour that packed up in the morning.
Misty morning from the steps of our accommodation. It was so beautiful.
The morning was the hike to the top of Mount Taebaek.
After hiking only a minute percentage of the trail, Denise and I settled on a beach at the side of the path, with a lovely view of the where the path fed off into the teeming woods, framed in luscious trees and bushes and flowers. After having spent four and half days in Jeju walking around five miles a day we didn't really feel we were letting down the weekend by not pushing ourselves to do one more massive hike. The most of the time spent on that bench with my head in her lap while she played with hair and we talked about our lives.
We caught mediation time and lunch in the town below while the rest of our group hiked up and then down. There was the return to our accommodation, for packing and preparing not to return to it. Our afternoon was spent taking in the activities that would have happened Saturday if not for the traffic. We went to the nearby town where there was a huge water fight. Denise, Maureen and I took refuge in a coffee shop, where we got the most fabulous fresh strawberry and blueberry smoothies, and I made a five year olds day when I hand off my water gun to him.
It was probably more than one third the size of him. He was so cute.
While our group played clean up time we scouted into the city, following the historical signs to a Hwangi Pond.
After everyone was rounded back up on to the bus we were dashed off of the next place. Another bottom of a mountain top, to be taken up in cars to a windmill farm. It was incredibly foggy, which made it really hard to take good pictures. It was truly amazing to be walking around in the rolling cloud of white though.
Like something out of a fairytale, you know?
About as clear as the huge ones ever got given the moving clouds.
We passed on the fog filled sunflower field in favor of heading back to Seoul, and through its possibly insane traffic. Which it did end up being insane again, but not as bad. The drive back home giving me the chance to finish The Sword of Straw and start The Poison Crown. And here I am back at home, back in my normal, non-vacation life, reading as I walk to and from school, loving on the world of being a teacher because my students are the present loves of my life.
For more pictures check-out the gallery.
Picture Galleries Created & Updated
Traveling in South Korea
Mt Taebaek Hiking and Cool Cinema Festival
Saturday morning, about five hours after landing in Gimpo Airport from Sunny Jeju Island (one hour of a subway ride home, and four hours of sleep in my own bed), I (we, actually. We still being myself and then Denise and Maureen from the Jeju Trip) went down to meet the morning bus for the Mt. Taebaek trip.
We went to wrong place for the pickup, but luckily I had the number for the organization and we found the bus.
The bus ride which was original schedule to take two and half hours took eight. That is just how bad the traffic outside of Seoul ended up being. It's the worst I'd ever seen it. But it meant I spent a lot of time reading the first two books in Amanda Hemingway's trilogy. I'm pleased to say even though I know Jan Siegel was just a writing moniker, her work continues to fill me with such glee. These books are beautiful and I'm probably going to cry by the end again.
We did finally reach Taebaek though, and headed straight for Yongyeon cave. I've always been a big fan of underground caverns given my growing up so close to Natural Bridge, Innerspace and the plethora of smaller places. It was well laid out, but there was little of the usual warnings against pictures or touching which was odd and interesting. I felt so deeply entombed in the cool, wet Earth during this walk. The endless underground in my nose, my hair, my eyes.
The train to the caves area.
The cave opening.
After the caves we retired to our accommodation, where we laid out bedding things and got our dinner. I'm growing accustomed to the notion the guides literally freak out when they realize I don't eat rice, or any starch for that matter. It seems to entirely gum up their brain and then suddenly they think I'm going to starve to death. (Which is only true during their breakfast.) After dinner we marched up the hill to the Cool Cinema Festival.
I don't have many awesome shots of this time period and the ones I do rather defy the epic levels of their awesome. The preshow involved no English, but there was a martial arts display and then a singer who did four or five songs, and a long, long, talking and acting something or other. And then finally our movie came on.....with no subtitles.
But fear not! For we (we here being, me and Denise and five guys we didn't know up til then) mastered the epic art of MST2King the entire horror-mystery-twisted end movie. I haven't the a clue for the life of me what the movie was called, but it was probably the most amusing two hours I'd spent watching a movie in the last few years. There was so much laughing and joking and arm swatting and plotting and betting.
Also, I just happened to find these in the convenience store right next to the stage:
Incense and Mortar & Pestle. Yeah. It's probably my like seventh or eighth, but it was so pretty.
Look at that shine and wood. I love being a world where these things are common, well made, and cheap.
The late night was spent in a parade of laughable and laudable things. We set off fireworks and had what amounted to the stupidest, most fun I've had in ages. Maureen couldn't remember which way was up, even when six people were shouting for her to aim her firework up. And then, without it really being a plan or intentional, a riot of fireworks all exploded across and through our group in such a way that was only described for the next hours and days "as though we were all having a Harry Potter duel." Dangerous beyond all belief, but over in about six minutes and no one was hurt.
Though some Korean's who walked near our concrete clearing were really, really angry.
The evening was spent on the steps of out accommodation, talking and laughing. There was much in the way of coaching one of the Londoner's through text talking to a girl he was really interested in. I found the first alcoholic drink sold in a convenient store in Korea that I don't absolutely hate. It's a Vodka Mudshake. I went to bed far too late and got up far too early -- and was the only person out of our entire tour that packed up in the morning.
Misty morning from the steps of our accommodation. It was so beautiful.
The morning was the hike to the top of Mount Taebaek.
After hiking only a minute percentage of the trail, Denise and I settled on a beach at the side of the path, with a lovely view of the where the path fed off into the teeming woods, framed in luscious trees and bushes and flowers. After having spent four and half days in Jeju walking around five miles a day we didn't really feel we were letting down the weekend by not pushing ourselves to do one more massive hike. The most of the time spent on that bench with my head in her lap while she played with hair and we talked about our lives.
We caught mediation time and lunch in the town below while the rest of our group hiked up and then down. There was the return to our accommodation, for packing and preparing not to return to it. Our afternoon was spent taking in the activities that would have happened Saturday if not for the traffic. We went to the nearby town where there was a huge water fight. Denise, Maureen and I took refuge in a coffee shop, where we got the most fabulous fresh strawberry and blueberry smoothies, and I made a five year olds day when I hand off my water gun to him.
It was probably more than one third the size of him. He was so cute.
While our group played clean up time we scouted into the city, following the historical signs to a Hwangi Pond.
After everyone was rounded back up on to the bus we were dashed off of the next place. Another bottom of a mountain top, to be taken up in cars to a windmill farm. It was incredibly foggy, which made it really hard to take good pictures. It was truly amazing to be walking around in the rolling cloud of white though.
Like something out of a fairytale, you know?
About as clear as the huge ones ever got given the moving clouds.
We passed on the fog filled sunflower field in favor of heading back to Seoul, and through its possibly insane traffic. Which it did end up being insane again, but not as bad. The drive back home giving me the chance to finish The Sword of Straw and start The Poison Crown. And here I am back at home, back in my normal, non-vacation life, reading as I walk to and from school, loving on the world of being a teacher because my students are the present loves of my life.
For more pictures check-out the gallery.
Picture Galleries Created & Updated
Traveling in South Korea
Mt Taebaek Hiking and Cool Cinema Festival