Saturday May 2, 2009
Samcheok Area, Korea
Cloudy with rain in late afternoon evening
Day 3
Eunice and I both woke up around 7am after a deep and very satisfying sleep. It was so quiet where we were that the only sound was the clock ticking. We woke up to sunshine but knew the weather will turn to rain in late afternoon. When we arrived at the inn the night before it was pitch black so we had no idea what our surroundings were. We decided to take a morning walk while Neo and J were slowly waking up and getting ready for the day.
The first thing we noticed in the morning was how quaint our inn was! We were on the second floor and had a view of the mountains. J and Neo were below us on the first floor. I slept in the alcove of our room which was so quiet and the perfect temperature to sleep. Our room also had a kitchenette and shower. All this for only 80000 won which is less than 80$ per nite! We took a walk along the road but Eunice started smelling "home" so we headed back. In Korea, when they start smelling the "farm" smell which is fertilizer, they call it "home smell". Doesn't bother me, but it was strong so we headed back. We were in farm country after all! We called J and Neo to make sure they didn't fall back asleep so we could start our day.
I have no idea where the inn is but here is the website. I highly recommend it but no English is spoken. http://www.relaxedlife.co.kr/
There was a young family staying at the inn also. Here is the cute boy but seems like he has decided to become a smoker when he grows up.
The owners had dogs. This dog was so cute and friendly. He will crawl to you to get scratched. I wanted to take him home and it made me miss Yuki-chan and Skipper.
Once Neo and J got ready (what can I say, young people are not morning people!) we were ready for our next siteseeing spot which was Nuo Village. Eunice originally tried to get a reservation at the inn here but its booked month in advance. It gives one an experience to live in a farm in Old Korea. Once we got there we were glad we did not stay there. We would have had to pay a lot of money to stay in a cold room, sleep on the floor and have outhouses as the toilet. Personally, I would have rather camped in the mountains than spend lots of money doing this. But apparently its really popular especially with families so that parents can teach the kids how life used to be in Korea.
Nuo Village. Traditional Korean House. Roof is held down with stones. Great to look at but so glad we stayed at the other inn!
No toilets only outhouses but there is WiFi!!! Only in Korea.
We then tried to go to the valley where there are some beautiful waterfalls. However, since the roads were under construction, it meant we have to take a 10 km roundtrip hike. Since time was short, we decided to skip it and go directly to our ultimate destination which is Hwanseon Donggul.
Hwanseon Donggul is one of the largest caves in Asia. It is a limestone cave. I've been in a few caves but this was definitely the largest. To get there, you drive to the "park" and park your call and walk about 2 km or so while Korean pop music is blasting. Lollipop was playing when I was there and its basically a Korean hip hop song that is very popular. Its a shame because we were in nature where there were lots of birds and streams. I would have much rather do the walk listening to the birds and the water. Once you do the 2km walk or so, you pay for the ticket and then the real walk begins. Its a steep 1km walk to the entrance of the cave. Once you get to the cave, there is nearly 2km of steel stairways that take you through the cave. Its pretty cool inside where you learn about how limestone is created from water, many waterfalls to see and a couple of swinging bridges. The swinging bridges are about 100 meters high so for someone like myself who has problems with heights, its really scary. The whole experience was like an Indiana Jones experience but unlike the movie I was in a real cave! I did not take photos inside the cave as it was not allowed. Many people were taking photos but as I was the only foreigner, I knew I stood out so refrained. What amazed me most was the old Korean ladies doing the difficult hike with a cane just to see the cave. For them it was spiritual as I saw them bow and do prayers in the cave. Hwanseon Donggul was definitely the best cave experience I've ever had although I don't want to do the swinging bridge ever again!
On the way to the cave a shop owner had dogs and the mother had puppies. The shop owner breed Korean Jindo dogs which are known to be fiercely loyal and strong. This definitely was not a puppy mill and he only had one female dog and the puppies were roaming and friendly.
Although music was blasting, one could not help but admire the mountains of Korea while walking to the ticket booth. Korea is 70% mountains and most of them are wild!
Before we decided to enter the "park", we decided to have an early lunch. This is a restaurant called "2Weeks" which served home cooked Korean style food. It was highly recommended. I loved the food and never had this type of Korean food in LA, NY or in Japan!
2weeks Restaurant was already busy at 11am which means the food is good!
We started with a Korean style potato pancake that was very very good.
Then came the buckwheat savory vegetable pancake that was also very good.
Cold Korean buckwheat noodles. Very similar to cold zaru soba from Japan but the noodles are thinner and thus more delicate.. Delicious!
A very nutritious dish that tastes better than it looks. Basically, its vegetarian. Its rice in cold broth with veggies and chestnut jelly. It really is very good.
The classic bibimbap after we mixed it all up.
The food was so good, we decided to order more and the waiter started getting mad at us. We found out his wife is the cook and he manages the place. Anyhow, convinced him to indulge us in more food. This is a spicy mountain vegetable stew which was very very good. So far, this is the best food I've had in Korea and its home style cooking as opposed to fancy Korean food. I'm so glad I was able to experience it.
After reaching an elegant sufficiency, we headed toward the ticket booth of the cave.
Once you pass the ticket booth, the blaring pop music stops and you start the 35 minute uphill climb. The scenery is gorgeous though.
We also passed people, actually women selling local delicacies. (Where are the men??)
Ancient watermill.
View of the glorious mountains. They are not high in altitude but steep.
Eunice and J decided to stay behind instead of doing the strenuous walk. J is still recovering from her illness so it was a bit too much. I continued with Neo while Eunice decided to stay behind and keep J company so she could catch up on what was happening with her.
Fairy Waterfall
We had a bit of a complication when entering the cave as J had Neo's ticket! He was about to run down the hill to get it and run back the steep 2 km climb but we were able to convince the guard that it was a innocent mistake so he let us in! However, once in, I could not take pictures. It was chilly and damp in there and so big!! Everything was labeled clearly and in English so once you get there it will be easy going for foreigners. The key is to get there which is not easy unless you are with Koreans or with a tour!
Although I could not take a photo inside here is the entrance view from inside the cave. They allowed me to take this photo!
Once we finished the tour, it was time to drop me off at the bus station. I continued to Gyeongju and Daegu while Eunice, J and Neo headed back to Seoul. Eunice was concerned about me taking the bus to Gyeongju as I had to transfer at Pohang and there is no English signs in this region. Anyhow, it was a bit challenging as I was travelling solo but the people of Korea were so nice and went out of the way to make sure I got off at the right station, changed to the right bus and made sure the taxi driver knew which hotel to take me in Gyeongju. And it was not just one person that helped me but several during each leg.  
; My next adventure was in Gyeongju and I knew it would be a good one because everyone was so helpful in making sure I got there. And the bus ride was beautiful as it went along the coast of East Sea. I made it safely to Gyeongju and the Hilton Hotel where I took a hot bath and went to bed early as I had a busy day in Gyeongju the next day.
The bus I took to Pohang. I had to switch to another bus to Gyeongju.