It’s 7 a.m. and the ticket office at the entrance to Juwangsan National Park isn’t open yet. It’s almost as if I have the whole place to myself. But then again, there are a few middle-aged and elderly couples who are out early as well for their daily exercise and I’m already envious of them because they’ve got such a delightful park on their doorstep.
South Korea is a walker’s paradise with twenty national parks and 19 provincial parks. Some of them, like Soraksan and Jirisan are so large, you’d need several weekends to cover the main trails. Juwangsan is comparatively modest in size ( 106 square kilometers) and it’s ideal for those less inclined to head for the inclines.
Like the other parks in Korea, Juwangsan National Park is a spa for the senses. The woods are lovely, with a palette of red maples, brown oaks and green pines that contrast with grey shades of the rocks. The air is cool, crisp, clean. It’s easier to enjoy all these because of the silence except for a few birds chirping and the sounds of the stream and the waterfalls. It’s great to be away from concrete sidewalks to get in touch literally with bark, leaf, sand, stone and water.The sun’s fairly high in the sky and the crowds are already pouring in when I make my way out to a sikdang for a hot bowl of kalguksu. Can’t help feeling smug as I sit on a cushion beside a sluggish stream and watch the tour groups and families stream into the park.
Think I’ve discovered my modus operandi when it comes to visiting the parks: get in early before the tour coaches, get out for an early lunch before the crowds swell in the restaurants and then, if there's still energy and inclination, spend the rest of the day exploring a less crowded trail in the park.
Source:
http://tour.cs.go.kr/eng/03/01_01.asp
http://origo.tourexpress.com
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264150
No comments:
Post a Comment