With love, from Sokcho

Sokcho is a small town on the east of South Korea. It is known for it's national park, Seoraksan National Park, home of the 7th tallest mountain in the country; it is also well know for its beaches, dipping into the Sea of Japan. The locals said, no matter the season, Sokcho is the place to go. 

I have to say that the hype is merited. After having visited for only three days in the winter time, I can confidently state that I found my favorite spot in South Korea. Of course, that might be premature, since I have not seen all of South Korea, but time is short and I believe my excursions outside of Seoul have come to a close with Sokcho as the perfect final chapter. 

It just had everything - mountains, beautiful high mountains, and the blue open sea. We were lucky enough to enjoy the town on a clear weekend. 

This winter has been harsh and cold in Seoul - and not that winter is known to be anything other than cold and harsh, but going to the coast and the mountains at the end of January seemed, for a slight moment, a terrible idea. I've always grown up in warm weather, and this has been my third year to experience a real winter. I have finally mastered the art of layering, and I have learned that the most important parts to keep warm are my feet, my hands and my cheeks - once those are taken care of, the rest is cool. However, I haven't been able to figure how to keep warm outdoors for over an hour or two at a time. So, I knew going in to Sokcho that I was going to struggle with the weather. 

However, it was a particularly warm weekend. I actually had to stop at a public restroom (one of the worst smelling restrooms I have ever encountered ever!) so that I could un-layer!

We hadn't planned for a hike, having considering the possibility of extreme weather - but once we got to the Seoraksan National Park, we just couldn't stop walking. The good thing about the park is that it offered plenty of hikes - not only the 1700+ meter peak which we hadn't planned nor prepared for at all. But we did head up on a 876m hike up to Ulsanbawi rock formation, as well as to the Biryong Waterfall. 

We learned the myth behind the Ulsanbawi rock through the nicest and most informed hostel manager I have ever met before in my life. Apparently a God, while making South Korea, he called upon all the beautiful mountains to gather up in the center of Korea so that he could make this epic place of over 1000 peaks - and so the rock of Ulsan (Ulsanbawi) started his journey to the center of the country, but then decided to sit, chill and relax in the National Park and then he was like "Ohhh this place is gorgeous!!" so he decided to stay there forever.

Another beautiful myth linked to this place - the waterfall... apparently that's where a dragon (an important dragon) came out and flew up to the sky.
The waterfall was frozen, and the whole hike up to the waterfall was covered in a perfect blanket of snow. I can not even imagine how beautiful this place looks in the summer time or fall. But winter turns it into a winter paradise. 

 

I fell in love. I fell in love with everything about this place. The hike up to the Ulsanbawi rock turned out the be the nicest hike with the clearest view we have ever during our time here in Korea, and it also marked our 11th summit. 

I found inspiration in this place I haven't found in a long time. A very personal and new type of inspiration, a sort of purpose of what I want and what defines me. 

It hasn't been easy - this Korean adventure - it never really is as glamorous as people tend to make it out to be. But Sokcho pulled me, drew me close, and as many other places have done so in the past, reminded me of every single reason I have chosen this life.

This is what I live for. 

This, and so much more. And I will never stop craving more.