Seoraksan National Park, South Korea

Seoraksan National Park is a beautiful mountain range in Eastern South Korea. Our bus ride took about 5 hours to reach it. Once we arrived in the general area, the traffic became horrible, as many people had flocked to the park to get out of the city for the weekend. We arrived in the afternoon and walked to the park entrance, as it was faster than sitting in traffic. We passed a huge statue of Buddha, some beautiful trees, and split up. A few people took the cable car to a waterfall hike, but most of us (including Jay and myself) took the Ulsanbawi rock course.

This hike was not steep at first and led us up along a river to a huge rock that can be wobbled if pushed (this was easy to recognize due to the large crowd of people lining up to push it). This area was strange in that suddenly there was a large group of people, places to sit, and a small store selling food and souvenirs. We watched the rock-pushing for a while longer and then continued on towards Ulsanbawi.

From here the trail got steep, with hundreds and hundreds of steps (some rock, some steel, some so vertical that we were really climbing ladders). It was very cold and windy and it got colder as every bit of progress we made took us a little bit more out of the rock's shelter from the wind.

We finally made it to the top and admired the gorgeous view while attempting not to be toppled by the wind. The rock formation was beautiful and, although we've seen similar formations on other mountains in Korea, it still stuns us with how very different it is from mountains in other parts of the world.

We made our way down quickly, pausing only for freshly baked waffles filled with honey near the wobble-rock, and soon made it to the bottom - just as it become too dark to see where we were going.

Once everyone had returned, we took a short bus ride to our hotel for the night and set out to find dinner. Jay and I went to a traditional Korean restaurant where he had bulgogi and I had duenchang jjigae. We went to sleep, ready for another hike the next day.

In the morning, we were cold but surprisingly not in any pain. Apparently going hiking every weekend, rather than destroying our knees actually gets our bodies into a mildly decent state of fitness. Hurray! Either way, the hike for the second day was much easier than the Ulsanbawi course. We walked along a rocky river for a while, enjoying the trees (just losing the last of their fall leaves), the water and the rocks, not to mention the crisp, fresh air.

The end of the walk was not as impressive as Ulsanbawi, but it was relaxing; a short waterfall over rocks and some small pools of water. Some people stopped to have a snack, others turned back to explore unknown parts of the park before lunch, and some (including us) took pictures until our hands were numb. We then headed back for lunch before getting back on the road for a long bus ride back to Seoul.

An alternate realityGeumgangsan, North Korea

Our trip to North Korea was a surreal event. As we passed into the DMZ, we had to hand over our cellphones and were not allowed to take pictures while the bus was driving. When the bus reached the 38th parallel, the actual divide within the DMZ, we left our cellphones and the bus behind, taking all of our things with us through immigration where they inspected our passports and cameras before letting us pass through and board a new bus. We were officially out of South Korea as our passports stated, but we were not officially in North Korea. We would be simply gone until we reappeared in South Korea and got our passports re-stamped. Perhaps this is a method of preventing difficulties for western travelers whose home countries are not on good terms with North Korea, but I have to say, even US officials would probably be able to figure out that a two day sojourn from South Korea with no location in the meanwhile is not physically possible. Oh well. Now we were in North Korea, if officially nowhere. We boarded the new bus, and were informed that we must never take pictures or even look at our cameras while the bus was moving because North Korean guards were placed along the roadside with a flag in one hand and a very big gun in the other. If they saw someone take a picture, they would board the bus and confiscate the camera. Also, for fear of heavy fines, we were cautioned to be careful not to provoke the soldiers in any way, such as pointing from the bus. When there is a man in an army uniform with a gun pointed at your bus, you do as your told.

We passed through the DMZ, observing the beautiful scenery. Aside from the occasional tank and the still-posted sign stating: "Number one enemy: USA", the DMZ is a very beautiful place. Having been allowed years to flourish without human presence, the area has become a wildlife refuge, full of vegetation and quite beautiful in contrast to the tanks and checkpoints.

Eventually we reached the main square near Geumgang Mountain: A tourist hub with restaurants, hotels, convenience stores, and an acrobatic theater. We slept and ate in this area and took designated shuttles to other places: the beach, various hikes in the mountains, hot springs, etc., but we were not allowed to leave the square on our own, or a North Korean soldier would follow us (gun included) and politely suggest that we return.

We went on two hikes in the mountains - the first was a trek through a very steep area with many impressive jagged cliffs rising above us, and the second was an easier climb to a waterfall and then to a high peak over looking a series of blue-green lakes below. Both hikes were beautiful and strikingly quiet - the lack of cellphones, plus the enforced rule that people come on shuttles led to hikes on which, if anyone was nearby, it was most likely a large group that would either pass you or you could pass them and then you were alone again.

The hiking was beautiful and the trip was amazing, but it perhaps raised more questions than it answered - what is the life of a North Korean like? What do they think of us, the tourists who come in with a lot of money and eat at restaurants that serve full meals in a country where most of the population is starving? What do they know about us, or about other countries? How do they feel about North Korea’s relative isolation? Do they have family in the South? How would their lives change if the Koreas reunite again?

Although the trip was expensive and most of the money will go to the government and not to the people of North Korea, we are glad that we had the opportunity to see the country - even if we only saw a tiny portion.

On our way out, our guide informed us that we could wave to the North Korean soldier who stood just on the northern side of the 38th parallel. So as we passed, the entire bus of about 40 westerners leaned to the right and waved to the soldier. He did not blink, smile or react at all, but remained standing rigidly straight, gun pointing straight ahead. Comforting. As we passed the divide, a South Korean guard was on our left side. We all leaned to the left and waved at him. He waved enthusiastically back, gun at his side. I can understand why the North always seems to be more on the offensive, and even more powerful than the South (without the help of other countries), but I have to say, we liked that southern soldier a whole lot more. It was good to come back home.