I had a three day weekend for Foundation Day this past weekend. Foundation Day is a national holiday in Korea and it celebrates the mythological origin of Korea. I decided to visit literally one of the biggest attractions in Korea. I'd been wanting to do this ever since I realized why my favorite Korean restaurant in Northern Virginia is named Seorak Garden.
First we hung out at Naksan Beach. It was the first time I saw pine trees at the beach.
Naksan Beach is on the west coast of Korea, which is where the best beaches are supposed to be because they're blue and much clearer than the east coast beaches. Naksan Beach had really big waves because the water is very deep.
I made new friends, Laura and Lia, who took this fun photo.
Right next to the beach was a Buddhist temple. Can't remember the name, but it had beautiful views of the sea.
There were several fountains like this one of fresh mountain water. I tried some and it tasted clean, nothing spectacular though.
I guess every temple has to have some kind of water feature.
Traditional Korean building designs are beautiful.
And everything is handmade and handpainted.
I learned the Nazi's copied the Buddhist symbol for peace and made it into the swastika.
This temple was more like a complex. There were a lot of buildings and pathways.
Afterward, I bought toasted dried squid and dried fish, both of which I hadn't had in awhile. It was just as chewy and yummy as I remembered.
We ate a late lunch, I ordered a variation of one of my favorite seafood dishes - raw squid mixed with rice, vegetables, and hot sauce. Also known as hwedubbap (회덮밥). It was so fresh tasting because the cook fished the squid straight from the tank in front of our table.
Sunday, we went to Seorak Mountain! I believe it's the largest and most well-known mountain in Korea.
Beautiful waterscapes and landscapes left and right. I took so many photos.
AFT - apparently it's a tourist acronym for Another Farting Temple. Well, I'm still enjoying them. The same fellow hiker that told me about AFT said Buddhist temples are all tucked away in Korea (in mountains or at beaches) because originally Buddhism was not well accepted in Korea. Other Asian countries often have as many temples in the cities as they do in the country, but Korea is different.
About halfway up.
My sore legs are in payment for these beautiful Kodak moments.
We were hiking up the Ulsan Boulder trail. If you look closely, there were many rock climbers too, which was amazing because those boulders were really smooth. They were using the crevices of the rock to climb up.
Toward the end of the trail there was a mad number of people on the trail and we had to form lines. Traffic while hiking!
I was actually happy for once in traffic, maybe because I wasn't confined to a vehicle.
We made it to the top!!!!
You can't escape the couple's traditions in Korea even many thousands of meters up in a mountain. Each lock represents a couple that climbed the mountain together and it means that their relationship will last forever. They carve or write messages on their locks. So adorable!
Next day, we went to an even better beach called Jumunjin Beach. The water was more shallow and the waves more reasonable. I could see through the clear water and I was looooving it. <3
I went on a Zipline! I couldn't believe how much fun it was! I can't wait to do it again!
Couples and families dress alike in Korea. I used to think my mom was weird for buying us matching shoes or clothes, but now it makes sense. Sorry mom, I'll wear matching outfits with you, but only in Korea. LOL
Our final meal before we returned to Seoul was fresh sea snails or whelk (골뱅이). I love whelk. Yumyum.
