The Most Beautiful Forest in Korea for 2011

Beats me what kind of yardstick is used by the Korea Forest Service when it comes to ranking their forests and one wonders why it seems necessary in the first place to have such a list in the first place.

Anyway, they've just declared on 26th October that the "MOST BEAUTIFUL FOREST FOR 2011"...drumroll please... is...in Odaesan in Gangwon-do.

Odaesan in winter

In particular, the stretch of fir forest sandwiched between the Iljimun ( One Pillar Gate) at the entrance of  Woljeong Temple and the Kumgang Bridge is supposed to be particularly fetching. Tree huggers can take their pick from the 1,700 fir trees in this area. But do handle them with some respect. The  average age of these firs is about 83 years, but there are  some which are over 3 CENTURIES old. Now , that's impressive.

The  fir forest of Woljeong Temple on Mount Odae, Gangwon Province.

Must check out what was the Most Beautiful Forest for the past years.


sources:
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_entertainment/502726.html
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264215

Snowstorm Statistics

Here's a thumbnail sketch ( painted in numbers ) of the havoc created by a low pressure system south of the Korean Peninsula which created a snow cloud over Gangwondo this weekend, just before Valentine's Day.

An average of 50 centimeters ( 19.7 inches) of snow inundated Gangwondo. Some specific examples: Daegwallyeong - 56.3 cm; Gangneung - 77.7 cm ; , Donghae -100.1 cm; and get this, Samcheok - 120 cm.


 
1,280 residents in 640 households were cut off.

300 people in 100 cars were snowbound for 34 hours.

 293 local bus services were disrupted.

75 buildings ( 67 greenhouses, 7 livestock facilities and 1 warehouse ) collapsed from the weight of the snow piling up on the rooftops.




12,000 soldiers, 11 military helicopters, and 1560 snowplows have been deployed in the battle against the snowstorm.

Estimated damage - 4.5 billion won ( $4 million).

My mind is still reeling from the thought of  120 cm of snow in Samcheok. How on earth are the inhabitants of that town in particular coping? What I'd also like to know is how many poor tourists were caught unawares and how they managed to deal with all the hardships and disruptions to their travel plans. Do they have special phone apps, courtesy of the KMA ( Korean Meterological Administation) or the KTO to give them advanced warning of such ambushes by Nature?

sources:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/02/113_81272.html

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/02/117_81290.html
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2932166
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/02/14/2011021400320.html
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/news_photo_detail.htm?No=16025

Surreal Season

Nature has its own sense of humour - "How about a two-in-one? ", it seems to be saying. You can BOTH enjoy fall foliage while you practise your snowboarding moves on the slopes in Phoenix Park this October, thanks to plunging sub-zero temperatures earlier this week.

The ski resort in Gangwon-do  has opened for business half a month earlier than last year. It's not clear, though,  how much of the snow in the picture is artificially produced by snow machines or what percentage is Mother Nature's handiwork.

So what will the on-line papers show next? Kim Yu-na skating on a frozen lake under the maple leaves?

Expect the unexpected.

sources:

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2927685

Stunning Autumn Colours in Chuncheon

Although the main event was the 2010 Chuncheon Marathon in Gangwon-do,  I'm cutting and pasting this photo from the Chosun Ilbo on account of the arresting backdrop to the sports event. Forget about the participants running along the bridge. Just look at the tapestry of colours on the cliff in the background. What a sight. Wonder if any of the runners were distracted enough by the beauty to stop and stare?

Just wishing I was there.

From On the Nine Beautiful Sights in a Mountain  by Yi Yi


The seventh is maples and rocks where autumn's reflected
They are clad with silken cloth of thin clear frost.
Sitting on a cold crag I forget where my house is.


칠곡은 어디메고 풍암楓巖에 추색이 좋다
청상淸霜이 엷게 치니 절벽이 금수이로다
한암寒巖에 혼자 앉아서 집을 잊고 있노라


sources:http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/10/25/2010102500358.html

http://image.chosun.com/special/inside/flash/100920/100920_autumn_eng.html

http://www.ling.ohio-state.edu/~kyoon/sijo.htm

Staying Next to the Presidential Suite in Baekdamsa, Part 2

Don't think there was any official templestay in Baekdamsa way back when I visited the place in this quieter spot in Seoraksan, Gangwondo in 2004 but I was lucky enough to be allowed to stay there. Found that my room was just next to the room once occupied by former President Chun Doo-hwan when he went into a self-imposed exile of less than three years in the late 1980s.

President who? He's the one who imposed martial law and gave the green light for the Gwangju massacre when at least 207 people were killed and 987 hurt while protesting against his unconstitutional disbanding of the National Assembly. He escaped a death sentence imposed in 1996 when President Kim Young-sam pardoned him.

Cynics would say the exile was more like a convenient retreat to escape the publicity and media while his supporters would applaud the move to this remote spot in Gangwon-do as a sincere act to repent for what he had done. Two years of eating vegetarian food, waking up before dawn to do 108 prostrations, chopping firewood and doing other menial chores alongside his wife - was that his escape route or a fitting punishment for a disgraced President?

source:
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=45,6738,0,0,1,0
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Chun_Doo-hwan
http://www.baekdamsa.org/contents/sub5_2.php?mode=view&page=1&uid=3082&secret=&key=subject&search=
http://www.answers.com/topic/chun-doo-hwan-1

My Fav K Sounds - Part 2

Sometimes the things you don’t seek are the most rewarding. One of my favourite sounds in Korea is something I discovered by chance when I stayed overnight at Baekdamsa in Gangwon-do. I went there just to see what this quiet corner of Soraksan National Park was like and was already taken with the beauty of the maples in autumn there. I sought silence in Baekdamsa but found instead an unforgettable sonic experience.

It was also my first temple stay experience except that there was no formal program here. The vegetarian meal taken in silence was almost over in the communal dining-hall when I heard a muffled but intriguing rhythm building up on a drum somewhere outdoors on the temple grounds. Hastily, I cleared my dining-tray and went out into the nippy evening air in search of the source. In the darkness, my ears led me to a raised pavilion which housed an enormous drum, a cloud-shaped metallic cymbal of sorts, a wooden fish with a hollow body and a bronze bell with a profile reminded me of the Emile Bell. One seonim was facing the drum, his hands wielding two sturdy drumsticks while another was waiting for his cue beside the other instruments.

How can I describe to you what I heard? Definitely not mere banging. Not tuneful but riveting. Surprising because of the variety of rhythms created on the massive drum and so different from the monotonous beating heard in temples outside Korea and it. It had a commanding presence, speaking with authority, except that I wasn't sure what it was saying. But it was magical.

According to Brother Anthony, an expert on Korean culture, sounding the Dharma Instruments (bell, drum, fish, cloud) “represents communicating the call to enlightenment (the Dharma) to all 'sentient beings'.” The bell made of metal reaches out to those below the ground, while the drum made of leather is the call to living things above the ground. The hollow body of the wooden fish is struck to communicate to all the creatures in the sea whilst the cloud shaped gong is meant for all in the air.

Source of pic on left: KNTO website

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 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