For the first time in twenty years, a private gingko forest has been opened for public viewing somewhere on the foothills of Odaesan. It may not seem very big, standing at 43,000 sq m. ( about the size of a baseball stadium) but many of the trees here are more than 30 years old.
Gamsa hamnida to the owner and patient planter of these trees, Yoo Ki-chun. Apparently he bought the abandoned land 20 years ago and planted gingko trees when he realised the soil wasn't suitable for fruit trees.
The reporter from Arirang News who covered this story didn't indicate if there was any admission charge nor were there any details about how to get to Mr Yoo's estate So watch this space as I try to get more information to update this page if picnicking under the golden shade of these most elegant and hardy trees in autumn is on your bucket list.
BTW, interesting that Odaesan seems to be enjoying a fair bit of limelight in the local press of late. First, it gets the title of No 1 Most Beautiful Forest in Korea for 2011 and now this. Just how close is it to Pyeongchang?
Meanwhile if you're not venturing beyond Seoul but want to feast your eyes on this goldern hoard, check out these gingko trees at the Olympic Park in the capital.
Nothing beats sageuk ( Korean historical dramas) for getting inspiration when planning your travel itinerary around Korea. For some inexplicable reason, I've been watching again the KBS drama, Hwang Jin-yi and salivating each time the beautiful scenery of the countryside is featured. So here's the first part of my wish-list as I try to follow the footsteps of the KBS version of Hwang Jin-yi's story. ( Not much point trying to trace the trail of the original gisaeng as she lived in what is now North Korea).
First stop: the famed Mureung Valley in Gangwon-do, popular in the past among poets and these days among K-drama producers. It forms the backdrop to the scene in which an aristocratic youth ( played by Jang Keun-suk) chances upon Hwang Jin-yi (played by Ha Ji-won) as one of the gisaengs-in-training. Just as it's love at first sight for the young man, it's love at first sight for yours truly as well and I wonder why I didn't pay attention to the mention of this place in my Lonely Planet guidebook. Now I kick myself mentally for this omission as I've also learnt that it's also been used as the outdoor shooting location for two of my other K dramas, Painter of the Wind and City Hall.
I'd probably find a bus to Gangwon-do from Incheon International Airport.
May have to change at Chuncheon to get to Donghae. If it's late in the day,
I'd stay at a jjimjilbang near the bus station at Donghae.
If Samhwasa temple or its nearby hermitages here don't have an informal temple-stay,
I guess I could easily find a minbak just outside the park grounds.
Must mentally prime myself not to expect gushing
waterfalls as they tend to dry up in autumn.
I'd spend time to gawk and marvel at the Chinese characters inscribed on these rock faces.
And of course, hike up to see the Twin Falls.
From the KTO website:
Mureung Valley (무릉계곡), which spans from Mt. Dutasan (두타산) and Mt. Cheongoksan (청옥산), refers to a four-kilometer stretch from Hoamso Pond – where, according to a legend, a tiger drowned to death – to Yongchu Falls, located upstream. The waters of Mureung Valley flow over wide sheets of rocks and into the cracks between them, forming a large and particularly splendid pond along the path. Starting at Mureung Rock, a wide sheet of single rock on which hundreds can sit, the valley twists and turns around Samhwasa Temple, Haksodae Falls, Okryudong, and Seonnyeotang Ravine, all the way to Ssangpok and Yongchu Falls, providing breathtaking scenery along the way. Also known as ‘Arcadia,’ scholars and poets frequented the valley in olden times and the 5,000-m2 Mureung Rock bears the inscribed names of some of these poets and their works. The valley offers a medley of curious-looking rocks and stones, and other odd scenery that attracts many tourists.
Also, I'd need to check out Sogeumgang in the vicinity.
Hiking Trails - 3 suggestions from KTO:
* Trail 1: Entrance - Mureung Rock (무릉반석) - Samhwasa Temple (삼화사) - Dutasanseong Fortress (두타산성) - Dutasan Mt. (두타산)
Travel options:
1. Take a bus from East Seoul Terminal to Donghae. Nineteen rounds of bus services are provided everyday from 07:09 to 20:05 and the ride takes about 3 hours.
Or take a train from Cheongnyangni Station to Donghae/Mukho Station. Six rail services are provided everyday from 07:00 to 22:40 and the ride takes about 6 hours.
2. Once you are in Donghae, you can take a city bus from Donghae Intercity Bus Terminal to Mureung Valley. (The bus operates at 30-minute intervals and the 14.1 kilometer journey takes about an hour.)
Autumn leaves have started to appear in Seoraksan! Head for Gangwon-do to catch the fall foliage.
Mountain climbers find autumn has arrived at Mount Seorak in Gangwon yesterday. Cool temperatures seem to have spurred fall colors to appear on mountains in the middle of the Korean Peninsula. [YONHAP]
For earlier postings on Seoraksan, click on the headings below:
Aside from former President Chun Doo-hwan who spent a few years in Baekdamsa, Manhae, a.k.a. Han Yong-un ( 1879-1944) is the other person with close associations with this remote temple in Gangwon-do. He was one of the 33 signatories for the historic document which contained Korean's declaration of independence from Japan. He spent some time in Oseam, a hermitage under Baekdamsa where he was ordained as a monk and the temple now has exhibitions dedicated to his life and works. There's even a festival dedicated to him.
Yom Moo-ung on his poems: They "can be read by the young as love songs, by the religious as words of salvation and by mankind as watchwords that convey the ardent desire for national independence."
Koreans study and recite his poems in high school such as the two works which I've quoted in a previous posting so today I'm just including a snippet from his poem, " Envoi: To My Readers" as an introduction to his works ( rewording and line breaks are my own):
In time to come, reading my poems may be like sitting among the flowers of late spring and rubbing a withered chrysanthemum and holding it under the nose for its scent.
Here's a brief and totally frivolous guide on how to hold a winter festival, inspiration courtesy of the Inje Icefish Festival, currently held in Gangwon Province.
1. First, you need a cute mascot
....to helm your festive activities. This blue fella here reminds me of Doraemon but I can't decide if he or she's an otter or seal or some other creature.
2. Give visitors something to look forward to...
...such as fish they can savour on the grill at the end of the day. Make sure visitors have high chances of success so as to encourage annual returns to the festival. The smelt, a small silvery fish (Osmeridae family), is easy to catch with basic fishing gear and is found in abundance during winter so it makes a great focal point for the Inje Festival. For more tips on how to catch your smelt, click here.
If Dads are too engrossed to teach the kiddies how to hook the bait, there are fishing classes for children.
3. Make sure your ice fest caters to all interest groups.
As the unofficial slogan for the Inje Ice Fest goes: "Ice fishing for dads, Smelts dishes for moms, Ice park for kids, Exotic dating courses for couples, and lots of recreations and winter sports to participate!"
3a. Haven't a clue what the exotic dating courses for couples means actually - I'm guessing either a bland ride around the lake in some snow sled or are there tiny igloos for couples to get really close and cosy?
3b. Give the foreigners something truly exotic to write home about or post on their blogs by having contests to see who can eat the most raw smelt.
Remember to hold cooking lessons featuring recipes using smelt for ajummas who may not fancy their fish raw.
3c. Arrange for sporty visitors to take part in matches on the ice or competitive games such as football or tug-of-war.
3e. Don't forget those attracted to intellectual games - they can even play Chinese chess with the ice as their enlarged chessboard.
3f. Be prepared to cater to the variety of interests - from kids who prefer to race each other to animal lovers who'd watch a real dog race to those who prefer more passive sports like playing PC games such as the one below.
