Wednesday, April 26, 2006

KPB Entry 6

4-26-06. 10:04pm local time.

Whew! The last two days have been a bit full of activity. After a slow start on Tuesday and a bit of miscommunication over the directions, we met up with May's parents and then went to the east coast of Korea. Our ultimate destination was Seoraksan National Park however along the way we stopped in Sokcho for some modeumhoe, the Korean equivalent of sushi, spent the night at Hwajinpo Condos, peered across the DMZ into the face of the enemy, ate more Korean food than I can shake a stick at, and was handed some Man Doo by a guy at a gas station (all of which are full-service). Here are a few of the holy crap I took a ton of pictures.

My new favorite sign. Don't drive off into the water. This would not be as chuckle-worthy if it was located somewhere where it might be conceivable one could drive into the water, however every place I saw these signs you had to get through/over at least one railing, usually involving cement blocks, before you could get to the water.

Some of the roadside scenery actually shot from the car as we drove through the mountains.

More scenery. This time shot from a rest stop and scenic overlook.

May and her step-mom select our dinner and negotiate a price.

And we eat.....and eat.....and eat. The mostly empty platters were covered in raw fish. After the crab we had spicy fish soup.

My sleeping arrangements in Hwajinpo. The floor was heated and the night was cold so I slept with the door to the blacony open and listened to the waves crashing maybe 100 yards away.

Part of the beach and headland at Hwajinpo. It was incredibly beautiful and just to the right of the picture is a restoration of Kim Il-sung's vacation home.

The guard tower in the center of this picture is on the North Korean side of the DMZ.

Beondegi or boiled silk worm larvae are a popular snack here in Korea. They're not as nasty as they look, although the taste sticks with you for a while after you eat one.

Cherry blossoms in Seoraksan National Park.


A view from near the summit of Seoraksan (Snowy Crags Mountain.) Not too far below the summit is a small Buddhist temple and the whole time we were descending you could here the chants.

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