Korea Trip: Day 5

19.04.2006

We had American style buffet at Hotel Crystal in the morning. Initally, the breakfast was at Storey 11 but the hotel management changed it to the Hotel Lobby for us. It was raining but the chef and hotel staff came out to greet us "Good-bye" carring umbrellas. So good service. Then we took a 4 hour bus ride to Mt Sorak. It was raining so the weather was extremely cold. On the way, we stopped at one of the highway's rest stop to buy hot food and hot drinks. Having hot drinks at this time was really good. We were told that if the rain was too heavy, then the cable car at Mt Sorak may not move, so we may not be able to go to Mt Sorak. After the rest, we continued with our bus journey. The bus moved slowly because it was raining.

We had lunch near Mt Sorak. Today's lunch was fried cabbage with pork. The sides dishes was nice expecially the mushrooms & kimchi. After lunch, we were told the good news that the cable car was moving so we can go up to Mt Sorak. But it was raining, so we had to decide whether to buy rain clothes or not. Almost everyone of us bought the raincoat. The seller still gave 1 to Lisa free of charge but we paid $2000 Won for each raincoat which was quite expensive. But when you need the thing, how expensive, also must buy.

Mt Sorak (Seoraksan National Park )

After passing the ticket booth and paying the entrance fee you will see a park where you can get on the cable car. A six-minute ride will take you near the top, followed by a 20-30 minute hike which will take you to Gwongeumseong Fortress at an altitude of 1,200 meters. This location will give you a bird's eye view of the Seoraksan Mountains.

The peaks of the Seoraksan Mountains break through the clouds while jade-like water flows through the valleys, creating breathtaking views and making this Korea's most famous national park. Due to the many rare species found here, UNESCO designated this national park a Biosphere Preservation District in 1982. The mountain range located here stretches over an area of 373 ㎞² with the highest peak reaching 1,708 meters. The most famous tourist area near Mt. Seoraksan National Park is the city of Sokcho. The eastern part of Sokcho has sparkling water along the coast, while the western part of the city connects to the most famous mountain of the national park. This area is said to be blessed with beautiful natural surroundings: beaches, ski resorts, hot springs, and historic treasures.

Gwongeumseong Castle

Gwongeumseong Castle is the site of a castle ruins called Mt. Seoraksan Castle, and it is also known as Mt. Onggeumsan Castle, or Toto Castle. It is located on the steep Dol Mountain of Mt. Seoraksan Sogongwon area. It is believed to have been built by the 23rd King of the Goryeo Period (918~1392), Gojong (1213~1259 reign). It is also called Gwon-Kim Castle, as there is a legend that two generals named Gwon and Kim, built the castle to avoid war.At the left side of Sogongwon, past the Biryonggyo Bridge over the ravine, there is a path which leads to Gwongeumseong Castle, but it takes over an hour of travel through a steep, rocky path (2.5km), so cable cars are used. The cable car was installed by Dr. Gi-Sup Lee in 1971 and is still used by many tourists. It is operated from 7 a.m. to 6 or 6:30 p.m., departs every 7 minutes, and you can only purchase round-trip tickets at the ticket counter for that day. At the plateau of Gwongeumseong Castle there are 80 sections of rocks and you can see the East Sea and city of Sokcho. Also, to the west, you can see all kinds of fantastic rocks and stones which make up the Seoraksan Mountains.

After coming down from Mt Sorak, we had coffee at the Kwon Feum Snack Bar. Some of the group members took the cable car down first, then the 7 of us took the next cable car as we were still enjoying our coffee. After the cable car ride, we walked towards the left to the Sinheungsa Temple. There was a very huge bronze statue called Bronze Jwabul Statue. We also went to pray after buying candles and wrote our wishes on it.

Sinheungsa Temple

TongilDaeBul is on the right after passing Ilju-mun (gate). The statue has a big, generous smile that looks down on visitors. It is the largest sitting bronze statue in the world. The construction started in 1987 and finished when the eyes were placed on the face in 1997. Its height is 17.5 meters, and the 16 statues of Buddhist monks who attained nirvana are carved on the pedestal for unification. A great number of people come to pray for their wishes.

Sinheungsa is located 10 minutes walking distance from Sogongwon ticket counter, and many people visit because of its proximity to Sogongwon. Sinheungsa is a temple which used to be called Hyangseongsa, built by Jajangyulsa (590~658), who traveled to famous mountains all over the nation, in Queen Jindeok’s (?~654) 6th year of reign. It was wrecked and rebuilt many times since.On the path to Sinheungsa, there is a great bronze statue called Bronze Jwabul Statue, which is well over 10 meters high. Past the statue, which is on a granite terrace, to the right, there is a bridge called Hyeonsugyo, which was newly built for crossing the ravine. Past the bridge there is a long stone wall with a Cheongwang door, and you can enter the temple. At the entrance there are four Cheonwang (king) statues (Jiguk Cheonwang with a sword, Damun Cheonwang with a lute, Gwangmok Cheonwang with a tower, and Jeungjang Cheonwang with a dragon), placed on both sides. The Buddhist statues at Sinheungsa were placed here during the founding days of Seongjeongsa, and includes the statues Mireukbosal, Gwaneumbosal, Seji, etc. which were sculpted by Uisang Daesa. The buildings which were built during that time are still standing, like the sanctuary, main temple, Myeongbujeon, Bojaeru, and Chilseonggak, etc. There is also an important cultural property, Treasure No. 443, called Hyangseongsaji, a three-story stone tower.You can reach the Ulsan boulder by following the wall outside Sinheungsa. Sinheungsa is an ancient temple with deep historical significance, and many tourists come because of its beautiful scenery.

Frankly speaking, even though, I fell down or should I say I slip down a few times while coming down Mt. Sorak, I had a magnificent view of Mt. Sorak. The scenary was superb. It was worth the fall but despite slipping roads, I was not hurt in any way. I had a great time at Mt Sorak but if the rain was not there, I would even had a better time and of course, there were be more pictures. Hai......

After climbing Mt Sorak in the rain, we left Mt Sorak for our accomodation tonight at Daemyung Sorak. The room is like a condo able to accomodate 4 person. There are 2 beds and 2 korean ondol.

Daemyung Sorak

Inside the arms of Ulsan-bawi, you can see the fascinating scenery of the East Sea and Sorak Mt. Sorak Condo shows different views for every season and is equipped with various leisure facility including comfortable guest rooms, banquet halls, golf courses, water parks and so on. In addition, the great sightseeing places around Sorak Condo will help you to take a more comfortable rest.

After a hour of rest, we headed to a local korean restaurant for dinner. Dinner tonight was noodles pot. It was great to have hot soup especially during a cold weather. The dinner was a good one especially after exhausting all our energy on climbing Mt. Sorak.

Then we went back to Daemyung Sorak. We visited the supermarket to buy some tibits, internet cafe to load pictures & surf net. After that, we returned to the room and bought down our dirty clothings for a wash. There were automated washing machines & dryers. It took about 2 hours to complete all the washings and drying. Then it's back to the hotel for sleeping to continue the journey tomorrow.