Autumn Leaves Schedule for Korea, 2011

Here's the 2011 Fall Foliage Schedule, lifted from the KTO website.

"The Korea Meteorological Administration recently announced that the autumnal tint will be making its appearance 1-6 days later than it has in previous years. Leaves on Jirisan Mountain and the central regions of Korea are expected to start changing between October 3rd and 19th, while the southern regions will start experiencing the seasonal bursts of color between October 13th and 30th.

The first foliage* of Seoraksan Mountain is predicted to start around October 3rd, and will reach its peak** around October 18th. The peak time of fall foliage on Naejangsan Mountain will be around the 7th of November. Last but not least, the autumnal tint will peak in the central regions and Jirisan Mountain around middle to late October, and in the southern regions around late October to early November.

2011 Autumn Foliage Schedule ( I've just selected some national parks. For the full schedule, click here.)

How to Read the Info Below:
National Park - Date for First Foliage - Date for the Peak Foliage

NOTE:

*First foliage = 20% of a given area’s foliage has changed color
**Peak foliage = 80% or more of a given area’s foliage has changed colors


Seoraksan  in Gangwon-do (설악산) 10.3 - 10.20
Bukhansan  in Gyeonggi-do, nearest to Seoul  (북한산) 10.19 -  10.28
Naejangsan, a popular place for viewing maple reds (내장산) 10.26 -  11.7
Jirisan - one of the biggest national parks (지리산) 10.13 10.23
Hallasan on Jeju-do (한라산) 10.17- 10.28

See earlier posting on shorter autumns in Korea

sources:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FU/FU_EN_15.jsp?cid=1391042
Courtesy of: Korea Meteorological Administration

Traipsing Noisily on the Bridge of Love - Naejangsan Part 5

The Bridge of Love ( Sarangui dari) isn't a bridge but actually a rocky stretch of the trail in Naejangsan National Park somewhere along the Wonjeokgol Nature  Interpretive Trail ( 3.6 km) between Naejangsan Visitors' Centre and Byeongnyeongam ( Pyokyonam). This part of the footpath is actually an example of talus or scree rock ( Again I wished I had paid more attention in geography class!) which is the "accumulation of broken rock on a steep mountainside".

credit: Rob Crawford - Example of talus outside Korea

Legend has it that your wish or dream can come true if you can walk along this bit without rattling the rocks.  Too bad I couldn't be bothered to tread lightly but traipsed along noisily and somewhat defiantly. There's an impressive example of ilex macropoda ( variety of holly) here for those interested in botany. If you're lucky and your timing's right, you may spot the bright red berries on its branches. Managed to spot some birds and a pretty green and white spider here.

Ilex macropoda - cousin of the Christmas holly

sources:

http://crawford.tardigrade.net/journal/album7313.html

http://aoki2.si.gunma-u.ac.jp/BotanicalGarden/HTMLs/aohada.html

Some Zen-like Moments in a Pavilion, Naejangsan Part 4

After the cable car ride, I start on a trail which quickly becomes a steep climb ( by my humble standards). Fortunately, I'm wearing the right shoes this time and my walking stick is proving an indispensable companion. Reach Wonjokam ( Woljeogam) with an unexpectedly large but gaudy gold-flaked Buddha at the back of this hermitage.

credit: victorwkf

What really catches my eye is a stunning maple next to it.

The trail leads me next to Pyokyoam and here I spend a fair bit of time just soaking in the great views from the pavilion here. One side faces the peak and pavilion which I visited earlier in the morning by cable car. Another view presents the opportunity to admire at leisure its shades of red, gold, russet and green. Beyond that, there is a deep pond witha striking stone screen island. As one faces the main temple, the view beyond it is quite inspiring - a thin bamboo grove with granite stone screens of three peaks that resemble some Oriental screen.

Credit: victorwkf

On the left side of the hermitage, a stone staircase leading to goodness knows where is flanked by other pretty maples. The temple grounds also house a stupa with four lions ( relatively new-looking) and a stone lantern that reminds me of Hwaeomsa. I sit on a bamboo bed and keep altering my position so that I can enjoy the four contrasting views.

Others stop by to stretch their legs or lie down for 40 winks. At one point it gets quite crowded in the pavilion: a grand total of ten people including yours truly. But they speak in low tones so the peace is maintained. Very Zen-like. A dwarfish gentleman offers me half a zucchini which I save for a picnic lunch later. I leave this spot most reluctantly.

sources:
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/39fed9/
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/39ff2c/

How to Escape the Crowds at Naejangsan, Part 2

Taken in the tourist village just outside the entrance to Naejangsan National Park before 8am.

1. Wake up very early before everyone else so that you can take pics like these. By 9am the tour buses would start rolling in and then these pavements would be full of pedestrians, salesmen and panhandlers. So, once again, set the alarm clock, get dressed and have breakfast before dawn so that you can be ready to start snapping at first light. More on early birds getting the pics in my next posting.

Glorious dampong a.k.a. maples!

2. Go during winter but then, you wouldn't see sights like the above obviously.

3. Hit the less-popular trails.

Surprising Seonunsan, Part 1

SEONUNSAN (선운산) PROVINCIAL PARK, JEOLLABUK-DO

“Seonunsan is a gorgeous place. Among other things, it boasts a temple, Seonunsa and small sub-temples perched all around a gorge. Behind Seonunsa is a 500-year-old camellia forest that blossoms around the middle of April.” ( Lonely Planet)

Heaven knows why but I am so easily seduced by that description that Seonunsan is put on my itinerary for my November 2005 trip. However, the sight of the crowds entering the park make my heart sink and I begin to wonder if it’s a mistake. It isn't easy finding a place to stay during this peak season. The Youth Hostel is fully booked and anyway, don't fancy sharing a roof with noisy school groups at this point in time. But the further I get from the main temple, my fears of a wasted trip fade away.


Seonunsan is, indeed, a beautiful place. A mini green tea plantation and a busy stream flank the narrow trail which leads to Dosol-am, a tiny hermitage, about an hour’s walk away from the main temple. Leaves of amaryllis plants cover the grounds in patches, hinting at the spectacle that greets visitors in September. While the camellias are not evident, the deep reds of the maples here are ample compensation. The maples here aren’t as profuse as those in Naejangsan but the colours are quite stunning, evoking a real sense of autumn.


A quiet place with lively cats, Dosolam has some lovely maple trees with leaves carpeting the ground in red, gold and orange hues that rival a Persian rug. It also has a great view of Cheonma Peak  (Cheonma-bong)and one can even hear the exhilarated shouts of walkers who reach its summit. I surprise myself by reaching this cliff as well without actually planning to do so.

After a stiff climb up many steps and some hauling with handy ropes, I stand with a strong sense of personal victory on a great vantage point and look down into the valleys and across to other peaks.

 On my way back, I chance upon two signboards marking the spots where MBC filmed some dramatic episodes for its highly successful drama series, DaeJangGeum a.k.a. Jewel in the Palace: the cliff where Lady Choi commits suicide and the cave where the heroine’s mother is buried.

Yongmun Cave (Yongmun-gol) actually comprises three enormous holes in the rock face that one can walk through. It’s a bit creepy if one is there in the forest alone amid the cool gloom and silence. Luckily a group of walkers pass by so I can ask them to take a snapshot of me posing beside a pile of rocks for a fictitious grave. Oh the power of TV.


For another posting on Seonunsan, click here.

sources:
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=658504
http://culture.gochang.go.kr/seonunsan/
http://culture.gochang.go.kr/eng/
http://culture.gochang.go.kr/eng/
http://article.joins.com/article/article.asp?ctg=12&Total_ID=2656630
http://english.whatsonkorea.com/view_listings.ph?lid=5273&code=M_A&scode=M_A3&ss_code=M_A3-9&pst=M
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/images/wallpaper/0909/004_1024.jpg
www.dvdbeaver.com/film/articles/...amas.htm