A TOUR OF KOREA IN 5 DAYS - PART 2

DAY 1
(This is a continuation of my blog on our 5-day tour of Korea organized by KTO last October 29 - November 2, 2012)

Moving on, we immediately went to Yeongju, particularly the Sobaeksan National Park. We were met by the Vice Mayor of the City and the assigned tour guide.  We were to do a 1 1/2 hour trekking in Sobaeksan Mt. Trail of the famous Sobaeksan National Park.

Sobaeksan National Park, as KTO says, is known for its natural splendor and mystery.  It was designated as the 18th national park in Korea on December 14,1987. It has a total area of 322.383㎢ and is the third largest mountainous national park in Korea following Jirisan and Seoraksan as I have read in the Korea National Park Service. 

Sobaeksan Jarak-gil (Sobaeksan Mt. Trail) has preserved its vast natural resources and offers a new tourism paradigm entailing development of cultural trails in addition to ecotourism trails. Per our tour guide, the total length of the trail is 270 kms. consisting of 12 sections. Fortunately, the weather was good so it was really ideal for trekking.

Along the way, I have seen its well-made trail with various signages to help trekkers. There were also various stop overs for resting purposes. Special signages were also installed to signify specific species maybe seen in the exact spot. What truly amazed me was that there was a clock installed in one of the signages. I have climbed other mountains but only in Korea have I seen a wall clock installed in one of the posts!

Hmm... are we really listening? Or still thinking of the Ginseng course meal?

The beautifully designed stop over stations! Strategically chosen for its good view as well!

Whew, what time is it now? Time to move on!

Only in Korea would you find canes to help the trekkers and for free!

Would have loved to sit by the river stones for a souvenir photo!

The beautiful lines of trees reminiscent of Baguio City in the Philippines!

Enjoying the trek and posing for the camera!

The KATPP group listening to the tour guide in one of the stops.

While the treks are well made, the connecting bridges and special specie signages as well as the stop overs, still, what worried me was the lack of knowledge of the tour guide in terms of even the size of the whole park! I mean, if you are a tour guide, you must study the whole park, to include its size, species within, to include even some of the scientific names of the trees and its purposes if used. I asked him a few times and he could not answer. I was just disappointed. I do not know if there are other well-equipped tour guides but as much as the government has invested much in developing the trail, it would do well if interpretative training course be given to trekker guides to ensure a more meaningful trek or educational hike in case students climb up for some science projects.

The beauty of the park is ideal for leisurely trekking. Foreigners would not go to Korea though just to see the place as it offers no real outstanding view as the same can be found in most countries. DOmestic tourism can be maximized though with emphasis on temple visits and interpretative tours as I saw one temples and mentioned by the tour guide but were located in other trek sections.

There are other beautiful attractions in Yeongju but we just covered the trail. For other information on the said city and its numerous attractions, it is best to visit: www.yeongju.go.kr.

 

After an enjoyable and chilly trek, we moved on to our next stop: the UNESCO-declared World Heritage Site named Hahoe Village in  Andong City.  It is the place where Korean beauty and tradition remain alive!

Hahoe is the village from which the Ryu family originated and where its members have lived together for 600 years. It is a place where tile-roofed and straw-roofed houses have been quite preserved for a long time (Source: Hahoe Village Tourist Information Center). It clearly showed the traditional lifestyles and architecture of Koreans.

The village is located where the Nakdong River flows around it which gave the village its name  (ha means river and hoe means turning around).Some say Hahoe resembles two connected spirals called taeguek and others see it as a lotus flower floating on the water, or a boat gliding on the river. Such geographical factors make it a very good place to live, as people thought so since the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty.

It was even visited by Queen Elizabeth during her 73rd birthday. This is showcased in one house with pictures of the Queen as well as the food prepared for her.

 

Replica of food prepared for the Queen during her birthday visit.

We toured the village and got to know that it has 63 straw-roofed houses, 50 tile-roofed houses, 29 other types. It has  125 households with 112 male and 120 female. This is indeed a real and living village who has still maintained their local tradition and even their houses in spite of the modern development.

I was fascinated with the well-maintained roads still depicting the old road system and the many straw-roofed and tile-roofed houses. Some were even open for viewing. You can readily see the difference between the well-off and the poor from the size and number of posts of the houses. Yes, the post of the house was an indication of your social status in life.

The ondol floor heating used during winter

Some houses still maintained the-so-called ondol, also called gudeul, in Korean traditional architecture, an underfloor heating which uses direct heat transfer from wood smoke to the underside of a thick masonry floor (See pic above and below).

It was indeed amazing to see them maintain it and not be lured by the advent of a more comfortable architectural technology.  The Tourism Office in this heritage site is doing well in maintaining the site as well as the cooperation of the village.  A complete description of the village and what one can see can be found in its website: http://www.hahoe.or.kr/

The Nakdong River - truly beautiful!

Hmm... time to do other things! Will continue on with my exciting Korea tour in my next blog!