Seoraksan, Part 6 - Where to Stay in Osaek

Rich Autumnal tints in Osaek

Backpackers and solo travellers would probably opt for one of the many family-run minbaks and yeogwans situated around the shops in the small town of Osaek, in the southern corner of Seoraksan National Park. Mine was a charming minbak, a few doors away from a church which was set up in a traditional-style house with wooden pillars and potted chrysanthemums flanking its short stone staircase at the entrance.

For 30,000 won a night ( in 2004 ), I had a room looking out onto the small street which ran parallel to a tiny stream. The room was also next to the wooden verandah which fronted the house so it seemed like an extension of my room where I could laze and lounge about and try my very limited repertoire of Korean vocabulary on my friendly landlady for the next three days.
 

Bible Verse on Rock outside charming church building in Osaek but is OT or NT?

There was no attached bathroom but hot water was available in the common bath and one could use the kitchen facilities. I was surprised to see my neighbours in the minbak, a foursome of hikers from Ulsan, grilling pork slices on their camping gear inside their room. My assumption that the landlady would go ballistic at the sight of guests cooking indoors but she was joining them and soon enough, the friendly hikers invited me to their impromptu picnic on the floor.

I’m still not sure if cooking in rooms is standard practice in minbaks and yeogwans across the country or if our landlady was exceptionally tolerant and accommodating. Certainly her parting gift of an Andong mask necklace was an unexpected and touching gesture.

If you’re travelling with a big group and can afford to splurge, then book rooms at the Greenyard Hotel -see the KNTO pic above. ( Tel 033 672 8020; http://ns.greenyard.co.kr) Its many facilities include a hot spring, sauna, swimming pool, noraebang and a shopping arcade.

Wanted to check out its jjimjilbang but chickened out and opted for the swimming pool instead much to my regret because they don’t channel any of the hot spring water into the swimming pool ( 6000 won for either baths or pool).

 One plus point of using its bathing facilities is that you can use the free hotel shuttle to get to other places like Yangyang, Naksan and Seorakdong.

sources:
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=349496

Seoraksan Part 5 - Sample the Waters at Osaek

I didn't think I was a city-slicker till I tried the steep gradients of Seoraksan. They were something of a shock for me when I ventured brainlessly on an uphill trail on my very first day. Happily for my soles and ankles, the kind ajumma at my minbak suggested a novice-friendlier route for my second day.  The route that starts just behind the Greenyard Hotel was more like my cup of nokcha. It goes along the river valley past Mangwolsa and Seongguksa Temples towards Sibi Waterfalls

The trail is on a much more gentle gradient and very scenic as one follows a footpath up a narrow river gorge with two mineral springs to quench your thirst along the way.

The first Osaek Yaksu ( spring)  is easy to spot because it’s near the start of this trail and is marked by a stone tortoise spouting water and surrounded by plastic scoops in red or blue for visitors to use.

The second spring requires a bit more walking to reach. ( 2 kilometers past Sunnyeotang towards Jujeongol Valley). Look out for a footbridge with a sign marked in Hangul –Mineral Spring No 2. Again, just follow the plastic scoops and join the queue to claim your next refreshing and complimentary drink straight from the ground.

According to the Yangyang Travel Guide, the mineral water contains iron and carbonic acid and “the spring produces 12,500 litres of mineral water each day…. Rice cooked in Osaek water turns blue and has a good taste”.

Honestly, I don’t recall the taste of the water except to say that it was cool and refreshing. It didn’t seem highly carbonated to my untutored palate but then again, I was more taken with the novel charm of drinking water directly from a spring and vaguely concerned about developing some Korean version of Bali or Delhi Belly. But the scores of people who kept refilling their water bottles and even 5 litre containers were a reassuring sight.

For more on Seoraksan, click here.

sources:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264192
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=658326
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=658327
http://english.knps.or.kr/Knp/Seoraksan/
http://www.osaek.info/
http://www.san.go.kr/english/info/gangwon_seoraksan.jsp
http://pr.korean.net/eng/koview/koview_10.jsp

Seoraksan, Part 4 - Lessons for the Novice Hiker

Here are the lessons I learnt as a novice hiker while struggling alone on the slopes of Seoraksan:

Lesson No 1: FIND OUT BEFOREHAND ABOUT THE TERRAIN and BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF ABOUT YOUR OWN FITNESS LEVELS!!!

Foolishly I assumed buying a simple map from the Ticketing Office would suffice as a guide for my first hiking attempt. Make the effort to learn enough Korean to ask experienced staff or climbers about the levels of difficulty for the different routes. Bear in mind that the locals have the agility and strength to rival mountain goats so if you’re a novice hiker from the city, it’s best to multiply by three the times and distances they quote you.

I should've started with the Osaek Valley instead of aiming for the waterfall.

Also it’s vital to pay close attention to the contour lines on the maps and don’t underestimate the speed at which you can tire out on the hills. Osaek has “the most direct routes to Daecheongbong” which is the main peak in the national park ( 1,707.9 metres) but I mistakenly thought that aiming for Seorak-pokpo ( waterfall) , situated halfway up the route to the peak was a modest enough goal. According to the map, the climb up to the waterfall would be about one and a half hours. No sweat, right?

Pristine-looking stream but still safer to drink from the spring or yaksu

Lesson No 2: Pack ample water and snacks to fortify your body and spirits when attempting these trails.

What seemed more like three hours later, I was still somewhere on the foot of Daecheongbong with the waterfall still nowhere in sight. Dozens of walkers who had passed me had reassured me that the pokpo was nearby but I decided I had been over-ambitious and turned back, listening dutifully to the demands of my raucous tummy. On my way down the steep trail, I paused to admire a squirrel which hopped onto a log across the path. It seemed unusually still and tense and then the source of its nervousness was clear – a snake under the log. Are there poisonous snakes in Korea?

Lessons No 3, 4 and 5 emerged in rapid succession:

3. Pay attention to where you’re walking

4. Carry a fully-charged mobile phone with direct dialling for the tourist emergency number ( Call 033-1330)

5. Avoid walking alone.

Actually I was never really alone – there were many walkers ahead of me and behind me, climbing up or down and if I had indeed had the misfortune to be bitten by a venomous asp, I would probably just have to endure a few minutes before some hikers would come upon me. I could rest assured that they would be amply equipped to help.

Most of the walkers I encountered looked dressed and armed to the hilt for something closer to an assault on Mount Everest. I envied them their competent-looking boots, pairs of sturdy walking sticks, wind-cheaters, gloves, baseball caps and sun-glasses. They would probably also have a first-aid box handy within their backpacks or at least a mobile phone to link to some mountain rescue operation nearby.

Heck, the Koreans looked so fit and strong, I bet even the halmeonis ( grandmothers) could’ve slung me on their backs and carried me down without much fuss.

source:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=658326

Seoraksan, Part 3 - Osaek in the south corner

Many visitors to GANGWONDO invariably head towards the main centre of SEORAKSAN in the northern sector of this 354 square kilometer park. They usually opt for the inter-city bus from SEOUL ( 12, 400 won, every 1½ hours). Forget about stopping by the capital and head directly for the north-east province famous for its mountains, valleys and beaches.

Seoraksan ( Snowy Crags Mountains) PARK comprises three main sections; most people just visit Outer
Seorak as Seorak-dong  has the best facilities for tourists. Inner Seorak, the most remote part relatively speaking, seems to be the least prepared to deal with throngs of visitors. In the south section of the park, Osaek ( Five Colours) “ boasts both a cold mineral spring and a hot mineral spring….There may be other spas in the country…but none can match Osaek’s combination of delightful hot springs and great scenic beauty.” Enticed by these lines from the Lonely Planet, I decided to visit the southern part first.

It wasn’t difficult to get there from the Incheon International Airport. All one needed to do was to purchase the ticket from a counter just before you exit the IIA, hop onto an express bus just outside the air terminal for Chuncheon and then board another bus at the bus terminal at this gateway to Gangwondo ( buses from Chuncheon to Osaek, 8400 won, every two hours).

The route along Highway 44 is particularly rewarding in the few kilometers just before Osaek at the Hangyeryeong Pass ( 1003 meters high) Those with their own transport have the enviable luxury of lingering in this spot to enjoy some coffee, snacks on sale here while taking the impressive panoramic views of dramatic jagged peaks which loom like giant sentinels guarding this southern gateway into the national park. Others such as yours truly who are held hostage by the inter-city bus schedules have to be content with fleeting glimpses of the Seven Brothers’ Peak or Jujeongol Valley.

Travel Notes:
Bus to Yangyang / Sokcho from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal. Get off at Osaek-ri after passing the Hangyeryeong Pass on Highway 44. 7 buses a day 4 hours and 30 minutes.
Mineral water Osaek yaksu (mineral water) – Osaek oncheon ( spa) rates hotel bath 5000 won, general baths 3000 won)
Chima pokpo ( 5 minutes from Osaek yaksu / 100 m from Greenyard Hotel)

Seoraksan, Part 2: Beware - Traffic Jams on Mountain Roads

Autumn, 2004 – Heavy Traffic On Mountain Highway

Sometimes fortune favours the naïve traveller such as myself who had thought it wouldn’t be so hard to find a place to stay. It just so happened that in 2004, I had boarded and alighted from the same bus at Chuncheon as two ladies who ran a minbak in Anteo Homestay Village, a stone’s throw away from the bus stop in Osaek, a village in the southern part of Seoraksan. ( This was after I had changed from an express bus bound for Chuncheon, taken directly outside Incheon International Airport).

I had to pay 30,000 won per night for one basic room with no attached bathroom ( which was pretty steep, considering such rooms usually went for 20,000 won) but soon realised that room rates tended to balloon just ahead of the surging masses that made their way to Seoraksan during the weekends.

When I took another bus from Naksan into SEORAK –DONG, the traffic jam was even worse. Many passengers, including yours truly, got tired of being stuck on the road, and so opted to walk the last two kilometers. Incidentally, getting out of these places can be just as nerve-wracking and a test of one’s patience as the coaches and cars seem to choose the same hour for their exits from the national parks.

Seoraksan, Part 1 - Not So Easy Getting Away From It All

If you don’t have much time and you just want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, it may be best to take the express bus straightaway from the Incheon International Airport out to places like CHUNCHEON where you can then change buses to go to Seoraksan National Park. Click here for the schedule of bus services from the airport to Chuncheon.

However, you may need to be psychologically prepared for the masses of Seoulites who choose to descend on this famous autumnal attraction in Gangwon-do which makes getting away from it all a little harder to achieve.

It’s a matter of good luck and good timing. You want to be there to see the maples at the height of their scarlet glory but so do thousands of other local and foreign visitors. After all, we all have access to the same information provided by KNTO travel advisory which posts the dates when the autumn foliage reaches its peak in different parts of the Korean peninsula.

pic: KNTO

* You may try to avoid the city only to find the city folk turning the pristine outdoors into bewildering near-chaos with the impatient honks from the long queues of tourist buses on Highway 44 struggling to squeeze into the car parks.

* You may curse yourself for failing to making reservations for a decent place to sleep and end up trying your level best to catch forty winks in a foetal-like position in your seat in the coach.

Above: Very serious photographers vie for best spots to catch the 'dampong'

The usually quiet mountain trails are not unlike the human traffic of the local shopping mall during autumn as you have to share narrow footpaths with endless groups of children out on school trips, ajummas from walking clubs chattering away excitedly or passionate photographers jostling for the most ideal spots for capturing the prettiness of the dampong ( maple ) leaves.

Below: School groups can be scary!

For more on Seoraksan, click here.

sources:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264219
http://www.airport.kr/airport/traffic/bus/busView.iia?seq=604&flag=E