Monday, October 11, 2010

Songnisan National Park

Gretchen and I decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather on Sunday and took a day trip to Songnisan National Park. We were a little worried about getting there, but it was only an hour and a half bus ride away and we figured it out like pros. After wandering around the cute little town, we ended up having to follow people who looked like they were going hiking to find the actual park. We were able to see a bunch of different temples, a giant standing Buddha, and a drum and dance performance. There was some kind of ceremony going on, but we were never able to figure out what it was for.

After conquering the summit at Seoraksan National Park aka Mount Everest, I figured I could handle any other hiking I ever planned to do again. Luckily, the trail I went hiking on this time was all paved and it had a gradual incline. It's so funny because Koreans take hiking so seriously. While Gretchen and I were sporting tank tops and leggings, everyone else (literally) was in full on hiking gear from top to bottom. This included hiking boots, hiking pants, windbreakers, gloves, bandanas, visors, hats, backpacks and the best part... hiking sticks. I mean I understand using them for rocky mountains, but the trail we were on was paved. Anyways, it was nice to get some fresh air and explore another part of Korea.

So cute!
I love the details and colors of temples.
One of the many temples there.
This was the first standing Buddha I've seen.
Here's the entrance to the park. The little boy in front is making the funniest face.

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