August 1-3,
Lets start this month with a 3-day trip to Deogyusan
National Park. I planned this trip to finish up with a camp
and another hike at Gayasan National Park. I got tired too much
and easily annoyed by mis-communications so I cancelled Gayasan
and just rested and hydrated myself at home.
My itinerary for this trip includes an ascent to the highest
point of Deogyusan, Hyangjeokbong Peak (1614m/5295'), a sleep-over
at the Hyangjeokbong Shelter, and a full course traverse hike
to Namdeogyusan Peak (1507m/4944').
I was lucky to have a spot at the shelter because I didn't make
a reservation online, which is required. When I arrived at the
ticket booth, I asked a representative there to make a call
for me to see if I could spend the night on the shelter. They
were very nice and helpful. I managed to get a spot at both
shelters, Hyangjeokbong for the first night and Sakkatgoljae
Shelter for the second night. On my second day, I decided to
hike the whole course so I didn't end up staying in Sakkatgoljae.
This was my first time staying at a mountain shelter. I had
no idea what goes on in there until this day. I planned to go
to bed early for an early start the next day but a number of
unavoidable reasons kept me up almost the whole night. Firstly,
who turns on the heat in the middle of hot and humid summer?
I had to stick myself in the very corner and elevate my body
with my elbows to avoid the ondol (heated floor). Secondly,
a consistent moaning, snoring and farting. Some people in the
room find this quite amusing so they had to add giggles to the
already buzzing room. Ok fine I giggled too. There was like
a live orchestra playing in there.
At some point early in the night, I was woken up by something
poking me in the ass. A late bloomer just arrived and tried
to squeeze her inflatable mattress in the corner where I was
at. Apparently, I don't glow in the dark and my puny body is
almost invisible. Oh, and lights out is only when somebody has
finished reading a novel. I charge all these to experience.
4am, I "woke up" with a bunch of people packing and
getting ready to leave. I too decided to get up and say hell
to sleeping. I made breakfast and watched the sunrise... a very
beautiful sunrise.
I went back for a second visit to the main summit before I started
my 14.8km traverse. The trail throughout the ridge was very
dense, muddy in some areas but mostly bone dry, well signed
and very easy to follow. There are also ways to cut the trip
short in case of dissagreement between your mind and your body.
Overall, this was a very exhausting but enjoyable trip. All
you need are a pair of ear plugs and stamina. Highly recommended. |
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August 6, my wife and I went for
a trip to Seoul to see the Picasso Exhibit. It was a good exhibit.
But, the outside has more entertainment to offer. The
changing of the guards at one of the
entrance gates
in Seoul, and the water fountain craze by city hall. Nothing
beats the heat though,
more than being a naked
innocent boy or girl roaming along the country side. |
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  August
12-17, my wife and I took a 6-day
vacation. Some people call this place the Hawaii of Korea. Some
people call it Jeju-Do Island.
As soon as we left the airport, we were greeted by beautiful
palm trees. This is something we have not seen in a long time.
Here's our itinerary for this trip:
Day 1 - Manjanggul Cave
- Camping on Sinyang Beach
Day 2 - Hiking on Sunrise
Peak (Seongsan Ilchulbong) - Jeongbang
Falls
Day 3 - Hiking in Hallasan
National Park - Camping on Jungmun
Beach
Day 4 - Camping on Geumneung
Beach
Day 5 - Hallim Park -
2nd night at Geumneung Beach
Day 6 - Jeju City walk about - Overnight Ferry
Ride back to Incheon |
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  August
23-24, I went to the rapids
with one of the english teachers here in Incheon, Eugene.
We stayed here for two days. Rafting for day 1 and kayaking
for day 2. The inn we stayed at was also owned by the same company.
These are the only photos I own here. All other photos from
this trip are by paddler.co.kr.
Visit their website (korean) to book the adventure and to arrange
for a shuttle pick-up. |
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2006
Journal : March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December