Godaesan Hike - Dongducheon (May 12, 2012)

The hike this week was very far north, Godaesan Mountain near the DMZ.  This is the northernmost mountain in Gyeonggi Province, Godaesan (832 meters), from which summit one can command a rare bird's-eye view of the other side of the DMZ (De-Militarized Zone). The Godaesan National Park is well-known among Korean hikers
for its well-preserved eco-system. its maple leaves in autumn, and breathtaking valley and waterfall in the summer.  Due to the weather, we could not really see the DMZ though (bummer).  They assured me you could on a clear day.  Maybe next time...

After hiking, we stopped at a very interesting waterfall (not much water now, but a pretty cool site).  They were all filming a Korean movie there, but using expat actors all dressed in black SWAT gear and running around with guns and some huge dogs.  


Then we went for lunch/dinner at the Hotel Joseon Wangga (royal residence of Joseon dynasty) located in Yeoncheon. 



There are US and ROK Army bases nearby, hence the sign for the tank crossing...

The DMZ would be in the background, if...

This is the waterfall site:

Mystery Protest in Gangnam (May 9, 2012)

I was awoken at around 5:45 AM by lots of commotion in the intersection near my apartment (and office).  At first I thought a car had hit a pedestrian because there was some women in hysterics and even some pushing and shoving.  Eventually news crews showed up.  And then later the police.  But then it became much more peaceful and seemed to be some sort of protest/demonstration.  I never found out what was going on...

Yongmunsan Hike - east of Seoul (May 5, 2012)

Yongmunsan is the third highest mountain in Gyeonggi province (1,157 meters) and overlooks the two
Han rivers and northern Gyeonggi province. The temple is called Yongmunsa (The Buddhist temple of Dragon gate).  The large tree is a famous 1200 year old gingko tree. 

1200-year-old Ginko Tree...

This hiker is 88 years old...