On our first day in Seoul the jetlag hit me hard and it rained all day. We spent most of the time wandering around and getting a feel for the city. One of our first stops was Hiker Workshop, an incredible hiking shop where most of the gear is crafted right in the store. After getting a few recommendations, we headed to the mountains.
Seoul is surrounded by mountains, I’ve never seen such a huge city with such impressive peaks so close by. We hiked Bukhansan, a national park directly connected to the city. A few days later we climbed Achasan for sunset. Highly recommended: grab some dumplings or whatever street food you find along the way and head up there for sunset! You’ll be rewarded with one of the best night views over Seoul. I never felt rushed in this city. The balance felt quite right. Something else stood out to me, once you’re in the mountains, nobody is on their phones anymore. People approached us, sharing their lunches and offering their food to us. We learned that this is a Korean hiking tradition, shar-ing food with strangers.
Thanks to @layyoung0 for showing us around Namsan and sharing those incredible views over Seoul. And thanks to @lovelychilling, who I would describe as a true Korean hiking expert, for teaching us about the mountains and how to properly enjoy Korean chicken soup.
As our time in Seoul came to an end, we flew south to Jeju Island. Jeju is home to a UNESCO World Heritage site and I think I may have found my new favorite place on earth. I genuinely couldn’t believe my eyes.
We threw our bags into the car and started driving around. The island is fairly small, you can cross it from one side to the other in 1-2 hours. The next day we visited Bobo at his store: Hikerhaus Vovo. If you’re ever on Jeju you have to stop by for a coffee, best hiking store on the island!
The following morning, Bobo took us on a beautiful forest hike where we also got to meet his friends. We spent the morning together wandering through this magical forest near the volcano and dipped in the sea afterwards.When the weather cleared, Jeju transformed completely. White beaches, green hills and right in the middle Hallasan, Korea’s highest mountain. A volcano covered in flowers and unique plant life.
When hiking Mount Halla, we got lucky with the weather, it was easily one of the most incred-ible hikes I’ve ever done. Also make sure to get yourself some fresh tangerine juice on the way! But the most memorable experience was discovering the Haenyeo. Also known as the Sea Women of Jeju. Most of them are around 70-80 years old and can free dive for up to 10 minutes without oxygen to collect sea urchins, shellfish and abalone. During wartime they were the main food providers, collecting food for their families. Whilst watching them diving, we got the chance to talk with a few of them. They offered us fresh abalone and sea urchins to try, definitely a first timer for me!
Our next stop was Yangyang. Funny thing happened here! Locked ourselves out on the balcony of our apartment on the 20th floor! Lucky us we had enough snacks.
The main reason we came here was Seoraksan National Park, where we hiked up to Ulsanbawi Rock. On the way, we passed Sinheungsa Temple surrorunded by unique rock formations. The nearby coastal city of Sokcho sits right next to the mountains, creating these surreal layers. After almost 3 weeks traveling, the feeling of “we have to leave soon” kicked in. So we decided to go back to Seoul a bit earlier than planned. In Seoul we met with our friends from Jeju for one last goodbye dinner, asking all our curious questions about South Korea we had left.
Thanks to everyone who made us feel so welcome.
One last thing!
Here is a list of things we got gifted from strangers:
- Snack cucumbers + salt
- Gimbap
- Cookies
- Drink yogurt
- Tomatoes
- Cooked Eggs
- Coffee
- Photo prints
- Tea
- Traditional Korean fan
- Headlamp
And remember what Bobo said “Step by Step” for hikes and for life.
xx
Theresa
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