05.10.2019 - 17.10.2019 Mathias all alone in Korea

Since Mathias ​​decided not to go on a visit to the Ländle this time, we said goodbye on that gray morning in Seoul, where Lea traveled to the airport and Mathias ​​continued to sleep a little longer due to the time... Since this post is only about the Mathias ​​side, let's continue in the first person.

I spent the first 3 nights in Seoul. Since I was traveling alone anyway, hostel dorm beds were sufficient for me during that time. It also made financial sense. The first hostel was not great. The other guests, who apparently stayed there for a longer period of time, made the atmosphere very strange. It was probably a larger group that constantly swapped sleeping places among themselves and walked into any room at any time of day or night and chatted with each other. In addition, they sat in front of my door until shortly before 4 am on the first night, drinking and talking without consideration (quiet time was 11 am, by the way). Additionally, the common rooms were quite dirty. In the bathroom, there was always damp toilet paper on the floor and the room stank so much of urine that I preferred to use the toilet as often as possible at the nearby subway station (it must also be said that public toilets in Korea are usually unusually clean).

During the three days and nights, I mainly spent time looking for food in restaurants without vegan options. For example, I tried Korean BBQ and visited the Grilled Fish Alley. On the first evening, I attended a fireworks display, the main attraction of the Seoul International Firework Festival. Since I was confronted with the largest crowd I had ever seen, I kept my visit short. But the fireworks could also be seen very well from other places where there were at least marginally fewer people. In the following days, I also explored undiscovered areas of Seoul and walked up the city's hill on a rainy day.

Next destination, I went to Sokcho, a fishing town on the northern east coast. The selected hostels here were more bearable. Of course, you can't exclude loud snoring and other nightly noises from the guests... It's also rare to find a consensus on the need for room ventilation - I prefer to have windows open continuously rather than closed rooms full of fart.

From Sokcho, you can visit the famous Seoraksan National Park. I took the bus there to test my hiking abilities a bit. I chose the most exhausting trail, which was only 4 km long but took you over 800m in altitude. At first, the effort took my breath away, then it was the beautiful view over the mountains and the sea. I also visited a few idyllically located temples on the way.

After Sokcho, I took the bus further south to Samcheok. The city is not well-visited by tourists and you don't get very far with the English language, neither spoken nor written. The only hostel in the city is located 4 km from the bus station in a secluded part of the city where a bus only goes four times a day. So, I had to walk the distance over an 80m high hill while being fully loaded. After that, the nice hostel owner drove me back to the city to catch my bus to the main attraction of the area, the famous Haesindang Park, about 30 km south of Samcheok. In English, it is usually referred to simply as the Penis Park because there are several phallus sculptures spread throughout the entire area. A long, long time ago, a woman drowned near the village, after which the fishing suffered... The people of the village carved a penis sculpture and placed it on the spot, after which the fishing nets filled up again. That is the short version of the approximate story of why this park is here. Nowadays, people mainly visit the park for amusement. The spiritual story behind it seems to be less important nowadays, although there is also a temple there dedicated to the drowned woman. After the short trip in the park, there wasn't much else to do in Samcheok, so I traveled further the next day. This time, I took the train from the neighboring city.

The next stop was Andong. The train took me through idyllic mountain and forest landscapes quite slowly, a beautiful introduction. The city is surrounded by similarly beautiful landscapes. Andong is called the "City of Korean Spirit" because many traditions originated here. Soju, for example, was invented here, a spirit that can be found on most dining tables. That's why Korea has the largest per capita hard alcohol consumption in the world. I would also get to know Soju thanks to the generosity of the hostel owner, who invited everyone who was in the hostel on Saturday evening to a nice drinking and chatting session.

The main attraction in Andong is the nearby Hahoe Folk Village. On the way there, I met Silvia, a Taiwanese student studying in Korea who was also staying in the same hostel. She asked if we wanted to go together, which I thought was nice. So, we explored the historic village together, surrounded by rice fields and rivers. Some of the traditional houses are still inhabited. Otherwise, the village feels like a journey back in time to ancient Korea. Only the many weekend visitors disturb the illusion a bit. We also witnessed a traditional mask dance.

From the city of Andong, there was also a nice boardwalk along the river to visit another folk village. A slightly smaller one that was relocated here not too long ago after the construction of a nearby dam. However, this village is not inhabited. On the way back, I visited the oldest stone pagoda in Korea. I didn't miss the local specialties, salted mackerel and braised chicken, before I got back on the bus to Seoul.

I didn't visit much else new and spent my days walking around the city, covering a large area, and visiting a few culinary stops that were still on the list.

One day, I took the train to the suburb Gwangju. There lives a friend of mine whom I met while working at Vue de Monde in Melbourne. He's back in Korea to complete his military service, something that is unavoidable for Korean citizens no matter where they live. He doesn't enjoy it, but it starts on November 4th. We spent a nice afternoon and evening together, first sightseeing in a nearby castle and then enjoying delicious food (a total of 3 times ), beer, and of course Soju.

After 12 long days almost all alone, I was looking forward to Lea's return from abroad so that our shared adventure can continue!