Canasta (카나스타)

While the rainy season in Korea is starting to die down, the Dog Days of Summer are here. To stay cool, we headed back to the Konkuk University (건국대학교) area to find a board game cafe to play Canasta in.

From Canasta (카나스타)

View Canasta (카나스타) in a larger map


Last Saturday, the temperature in Seoul was a sweltering 33°C (91°F). Since the annual hot spell in Korea comes right after the rainy season, this heat is mixed with a very humid atmosphere. Because of this combination, Sauna Season might be another apt name for this weather pattern. To Koreans, this time of the year is called Sam-bok-deo-wi (삼복더위).

Members of Saturdays in Korea suggested going to one of the public pools in Korea to help escape the heat. Last Saturday, the pool at the Han River Park next to Ttukseom Resort Station (뚝섬유원지역) was overrun with hundreds (if not thousands) of little kids and their respective parental units. While cooling off in the water does sound like a good idea, the ambiance would probably have been ruined by a cacophony of high pitch screaming.

For this Saturday, we ended up going to a board game cafe (보드게임카페) by the name of Lime (라임). Starting at 4,500 Won, you can buy a (non-alcoholic) beverage and enjoy three hours at the cafe. In addition, there is a large selection of board and card games. This place is a good deal since other board game cafes are known to charge both by the drink and by the hour.

The original plan was to share a piece of American college culture and have a Poker Night (but during the daytime) that didn't involve gambling. After being advised by a number of Koreans, it was discovered that poker, even without the gambling component, has a severely negative perception due to the tumultuous history of gambling in Korea. Also, for the most part, gambling in Korea is illegal.

To avoid any trouble with the Korean Law, and to avoid getting dirty looks from any passersby, we decided to forgo poker. Instead, we ended up playing Canasta at the board game cafe. To be on the safe side, we posted the following sign on the tables we played at:

From Canasta (카나스타)

Roughly translated, the sign says, "This card game, Canasta, is a traditional card game from Uruguay. We are not gambling. Therefore, do not contact the police." Our Korean members found the signs humorous but unnecessary. It seems that since we weren't using poker chips, there really wasn't a problem.

Since this was a new game for most people, it took a little while to get the game rolling. After about 30 minutes of play, everyone seemed to have a handle on the game. While no pair of players were able to get to the 5,000 points to win at either of the tables, we did have a couple of groups that were in the lead after three hours.

All in all, we were able to experience something new while staying cool indoors out of the hot weather. Maybe next time we will try the game of Go-Stop (고스톱), but it will probably take much, much longer for people, especially for the non-native Koreans, to learn the complicated rules.

Bowling (볼링)

Since the rainy season in Korea hasn't abated, we ended up scheduling another indoor activity for this previous weekend. Bowling seemed like a good idea especially since we heard about a 'Happy Hour' at a bowling alley in the eastern part of Seoul. It turned out to be quite a popular choice, for about eighteen people from our group showed up for this activity.




View Bowling (볼링) in a larger map
In the eastern part of Seoul on the north side of the Han River is Konkuk University (건국대학교). On the southwest corner of the campus is a subway station named after the university, Konkuk University Station (건대입구역). To the northwest of the station is a commercial district that, like all commercial districts outside of a major university, caters to the local student population.

Just like any area next to a college, at 10:30am in the morning on Saturday, one can find a handful of young people stumbling back home after a long night of 'fun'. Despite the plethora of restaurants, drinking establishments and singing rooms usually found in a commercial district in Korea, there are a few other places outside of Konkuk University to have fun without all of the alcohol. For us, we went to the Hanareum Bowling Alley (한아름 볼링장)

From Bowling (볼링)

Every Saturday morning, from 10:00am to 2:00pm, Hanareum Bowling Alley offers one game of bowling for 2,200 Won. However, just as principals of economics state, a decrease of price will bring about an increase in demand. When we arrived at 11:00am, it ended up being about a 2 hour wait to get a lane.

Luckily, all around this area are many different types of restaurants. After walking around for about five minutes, we were able to find restaurant nearby to have lunch. This place served a bowl of Naengmyeon (냉면) - cold buckwheat noodles - and small serving of bulgogi (불고기) - Korean barbecued beef - for 5,500 Won. The food was quite good for the price we paid.

From Bowling (볼링)

From Bowling (볼링)

When we got back to the bowling alley, only one of our three lanes that we had reserved was open. While one group got started, the rest of us went off and played pool and ping pong, both of which were located in the same building as the bowling alley.

From Bowling (볼링)

After a little while, a couple of lanes opened up and the rest of us were able to start bowling. Since we started late, our group of twelve on two lanes were able to play one game before the Happy Hour price was over. After 2:00pm, the price of game went up to 4,200 Won.

One thing to note, most of the customers at the bowling alley were Koreans in their late 30s. Most of the people seemed to people who were on bowling teams and taking advantage of the cheap prices to practice. Even after we left at the end of the Happy Hour, many of them stayed on to play some more.

One thing that was still a bit of a culture shock to the ex-pats in our group that day was the amount equipment that all of the serious bowlers had. The majority of these people were all wearing the exact same type of large, plastic bowling wrist braces. In addition to that, it seemed that everyone had a carry-on suitcase filled with three bowling balls. None of this equipment seemed cheap at all.

This habit of buying a lot of (what one can guess) expensive sporting equipment is not isolated to the bowling community. The people in Korea who bike, ski or hike are also known to buy top of the line gear for their hobby. Despite anyone's objections to the amount of money people tend spend when buying sports equipment, it is good to see people getting out on the weekend and enjoying some physical activities.

Hanareum Bowling Alley would definitely be a good place for Saturdays in Korea to go to again in the future, especially if it is a rainy day. The next time though, we're going to arrive earlier to make sure that we get a bowling lane before the place fills up.

Table Tennis Tournament (탁구대회)

While last Saturday wasn't the worst day to be outside in a Korean summer, it can get much worse. Usually during this time of the year, Korea is plagued by the monsoon season (장마철) that brings lots of rain, heat and humidity to the peninsula. Because of this adverse weather pattern, a lot of our summer activities have been planned for inside. Last Saturday, we ended up heading over to the Songpa District (송파구) to have a table tennis tournament.




View Table Tennis Tournament (탁구대회) in a larger map
We were able to find a nice Tennis Table Center (탁구장) called the Songpa Table Tennis Club (송파영탁구클럽) in the Songpa District, just a short walk west from both Seokchon Station (석촌역) and Songpa Station (송파역). The actual place to play table tennis was located in the basement of one of the many four storied buildings along the road.

Before entering the table tennis center, a few of us who were wearing sandals had to buy a cheap pair of socks at one of the small stores along the street. At this place, people must wear appropriate shoes in order to play on the wooden floors. For those who don't have the correct shoes, there were plenty of shoes that one could borrow for free. My rule of thumb for any pair of communal shoes: always have on a clean pair of socks before putting on the shoes.

When we first got to the establishment, there were only a few middle-aged regulars playing table tennis. It seems that at this time in Korean history, it is mostly the older folks who are out and about doing physical activities and exercise. I'm sure that once the Olympic Generation (those Koreans born in or around the 1988 Seoul Olympics) start hitting their 30s, they too will become more physically active.

For our group of 11 people, we were able to rent three ping pong tables for 10,000 Won an hour. After a bit over 2 hours of playing table tennis, it cost each person about 5,000 Won. Not bad considering what it costs to go to the movies or to go to a bar with your friends.

After a warm up, we organized everybody into two groups. For each group, a miniature round-robin tournament was held. The top two people from each group went on to the semifinals to determine the winner overall. On the opposite end of the spectrum, one person from each group played for the "ultimate underdog" position.

When the finals were concluded, we asked a gentleman who seemed to be a regular to play the champion of our group. We didn't want the winner from our group to get a big head, so a bit of humility was in store for him. After three lightning quick games, our champion was left perplexed, trying to figure out how he could have countered the large amount of spin that the veteran table tennis player was able to put on the ball.

Overall, we had a great time, worked up a bit of sweat and burned some calories. Even though there was a "tournament", the greatest part of the day was just hanging out with friends and having a good time.


P.S.
Some of you may have noticed that my style of writing for the blog has changed. My original goal for this blog was to write a bit of a travel guide for ex-pats living in Korea. Instead, I've switched to more of a journal style of writing. With my very full work schedule this summer, trying to teach and write a travel guide blog every week was a bit overwhelming. While I did enjoy the challenge, I found that at this time a travel guide wasn't my favorite style of writing and the overall process just didn't feel right.

For those of you who are regular readers of this blog, I would love to hear your feedback on the direction that the blog is taking. If anyone does need more details on how to run one of the trips that we have done here in Saturdays in Korea, I am more than happy to share. Please contact me at anytime.

Namiseom Island (남이섬)

Near the end of June and the beginning of July, the monsoon season (장마철) starts in Korea. Last Saturday, the summer rain started in Korea. Despite the moderate amount of rain that fell on that day, we enjoyed a wonderful trip to an island in the middle of the river east of Seoul called Namiseom (남이섬).

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

Contents

Namiseom Island

The Naminara Republic

Getting to Namiseom

Namiseom

The Han River (한강), which flows through Seoul, is the result of two tributaries to the east, the North Han River (북한강) and the South Han River (남한강). The North Han River starts in North Korea and flows southwest through the mountainous provinces of Gangwon-do (강원도) and Kyeonggi-do (경기도). In a section of the river that creates part of the border between Gangwo-do and Kyeonggi-do is an island by the name of Namiseom (남이섬).

Named after a famous general from the Joseon Dynasty (조선시대), Namiseom is well known for being a wonderfully designed and cared for park. While much of the island is covered in carefully placed mature trees, there is still a large variety of flora on the island. From open grass areas, ponds, gardens to rice paddies and farms, there are plenty of breathtaking scenes to see.

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

What makes Namiseom especially popular are the long paths that are lined with tall straight trees. These iconic paths were made famous in a Korean Drama by the name of Winter Sonata (겨울연가). The basic plot line of this drama is about an endless love that cannot be due to some social or familial pressure. If this sounds familiar, it is same plot line of pretty much every modern Korean Drama made.

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

One interesting thing to note is that much of the art work and statues are made of recycled material. You will find a lot of pieces that are made of the ubiquitous green soju bottles of Korea.

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

Though not a highlight on any brochure for Namiseom, one fun activity on the island is to go down to the riverbank and try to skip stones across the river. You will be able to find plenty of flat, smooth rocks along the shore.

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

The Republic of Namiseom

Though not officially recognized by the United Nations or any country in the world, this island is also referred to as the Naminara Republic. When you come to entrance to Namiseom, you will see a traditional Korean style gate stating that you are entering Immigrations for the Naminara Republic. Don't fret if you didn't bring your passport.

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

The cost to get onto Namiseom is 10,000 Won for Korean citizens and 8,000 Won for international visitors. If you do have someone who is obviously from overseas in your group, you might want to send them ahead to buy all of the tickets for everyone. The cost of both tickets does include a round trip boat ride to and from the island.

A little ways from the ticket booth is the dock for the boat to Namiseom. The boat ride is a little bit less than 10 minutes each way. Since the boat unloads and takes on passengers fairly quickly, you won't be waiting that long to get to the island. The view of the North Han River and the surrounding mountains during the short boat ride is quite stunning, rain or shine.

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

If a slow moving boat ride is not your cup of tea and you'd prefer a mode of transportation that provides an adrenaline rush, there is an alternative way to get on the island. Next to the entrance to Namiseom is a tall grey metal tower. Connecting from the top of the tower to the shores of Namiseom below is a zip wire that allows people to ride on a chair across the river. To get to Namiseom this way costs 38,000 Won and includes the return boat ride. Unfortunately for us, due to the weather, the zip wire was closed on the day we went.

If the zip wire is not enough of an extreme experience for you, there is also a place to bungee jump a little ways up river.

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

From Namiseom Island (남이섬)

Getting to Namiseom

Namiseom is located just a little bit southeast of the town of Gapyeong (가평). Luckily, the local station, Gapyeong Station (가평역), is apart of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway System. Because of this, you can take a subway from downtown Seoul to Gapyeong for about 2,500 Won.

A good place to meet friends before traveling all the way out to Gapyeong is Sangbong Station (상봉역). Sangbong Station is the starting point for the Gyeongchun Line (경춘선) which goes out to Gapyeong. This station is also a nice place to meet since it is the transfer point for Line #7, which goes to Gangnam (강남) and the Jungang Line (중앙선), which goes to Yongsan Station (용산역). When meeting in Sangbong Station, the Storyway Convenience Store is a good meeting place due to its central location.

From Lake Homyeong (호명호수)

Once you arrive at Gapyeong Station, there are a couple of choices on how to get to the entrance of Namiseom. While it is possible to take a bus, the buses don't run that often around here in the countryside. You might get lucky and catch a bus right away, while other times you might have to wait over an hour. Since there is a taxi station next to the entrance of the station, taking a short taxi ride to the entrance of Namiseom will probably be your fastest (most likely your cheapest) option. Just tell the taxi driver Namiseom and they will know exactly where to go. If you want to be a bit politer and practice your Korean, you can always say, "남이섬입구로 가 주세요." (Please take us to the entrance of Namiseom.)


View Namiseom Island (남이섬) in a larger map


Even with the rain, we had a wonderful time on our trip to Namiseom. The amount of time and energy that is put into designing and taking care of this island is amazing. I am looking forward to going back to Namiseom many times to see all of the spectacular scenery in the different seasons.

Jebudo Island (제부도)

The east and west coasts of South Korea differ greatly. To the east is a smooth line of sandy beaches, while to the west there is a jagged formation of islands and mudflats along the Yellow Sea. For those living in and around Seoul, getting to the ideal beaches of the east coast might take too long or cost too much money. Instead, there is a reasonable alternative: Jebudo Island (제부도).

From Jebudo (제부도)

Contents

Jebudo Island

Places to Eat

Things to Do

Getting to Jebudo

Jebudo Island

Jebudo (제부도) is a small island on the west coast of Korea, southwest of Seoul. Since there is are buses that run frequently to the island, getting there without a car isn't too difficult. This island offers a mixture of both nature and tourism with plenty of things to see along with lots of modern conveniences.

Jebudo gives people a chance to get away from the city and enjoy the beach without having to travel to the east coast. While the beach does have a lot of places to lay in the sun and catch some rays, don't expect to go swimming since the entire island is surrounded by mud flats.

From Jebudo (제부도)

From Jebudo (제부도)

Since Jebudo is not directly connected to the mainland and is surrounded by tidal mudflats, it presents a unique situation for travelers getting to the island. Due to the fact that the road from the shore to the island is built on top of the mudflats, the road is underwater during hide tide. During hide tide getting on or off the island by car or bus is unavailable.


View Jebu Island (제부도) in a larger map
When you are planning a trip to Jebudo you can pull out your Poor Richards Almanack Korean addition or just go to the Jebudo Homepage. On this webpage is a Tidal Mudflat Calendar. The calendar lists times (09:44~17:56) when the roads are closed. Worse case scenario, if you are stuck on the island overnight, there are plenty of hotels to spend the night at. Be sure to double check the calendar if you don't want to be "accidentally" stuck on the island with your date.

From Jebudo (제부도)

Places to Eat

On Jebudo, there is pretty much one type of restaurant to eat at: seafood. This isn't your only option; many people do bring portable grills and cook up their own food on the beach. If you aren't bringing your own food and don't want to have a meal consisting of food from a convenience store, get ready for some seafood!

Most of the restaurants are located along the coast, with majority of them being on the west side along the long straight beach. You will quickly realize that most of the restaurants have the same menu, so choosing a restaurant really comes down to location or motif. There was an interesting restaurant we saw called the Titanic (타이태닉) in which the dinning area was inside of a boat.

From Jebudo (제부도)

The main dish that you will see at almost every restaurant is the Grilled Clam Platter (모듬조개구이). This dish consists of a large basket of clams of all different sizes to grill at your table and eat. Though not the most efficient food to eat (is seafood ever efficient?), it is an interesting meal to have.

From Jebudo (제부도)

The key to cooking the clams is to wait until they pop open over while being heated. At this time, flip the clams over and let them finish cooking before taking them out of their shell and eating. Each person is given a white glove to hold the clams since they do get very hot. Do be careful since the heated clam shells may pop and send small pieces of shell shrapnel flying across the table. What some people see as a dangerous dining experience, I see as an exciting dinning experience.

From Jebudo (제부도)

From Jebudo (제부도)

The Grilled Clam Platter usually costs about 20,000 Won a person. For our group of six people, we ordered the Grilled Clam Platter for three along with a Sushi Rice Bowl (회덮밥) and a Spicy Fish Stew (매운탕). We all walked away well fed and it only cost 15,000 Won per person.


Things to Do

One thing to note about Jebudo is that it is quite a small island. Despite its size, there are plenty of lovely views, nice walks, a long a beach to enjoy the sun and of course lots of seafood to eat. If you are not a person who finds the idle lifestyle of sun worshiping and prefer more active and mobile activities, there are plenty of places to walk and sites to see.

On the north end of the island is a sizable hill that is surrounded by a boardwalk built over the mudflats. From here, you have a wonderful view of the surrounding islands and waterways, in addition to the cliffs of the hill that fall into the sea.

From Jebudo (제부도)

From Jebudo (제부도)

To the south of the same hill in the interior part of the island is a small flower garden next to the road. This place offers some tranquility away from the more crowded and bustling beaches and some wonderful views of the surrounding area.

From Jebudo (제부도)

From Jebudo (제부도)

Getting to Jebudo

Even though Jebudo isn't connect directly to the Seoul Metropolitan Subway System, it is still relatively easy to get there by bus. There are two subway stops that you can meet at to take a bus to Jebudo depending on where you live.

Suwon Station (수원역), Exit #4, Bus 1004

Geumjeong Station (금정역), Exit #4, Bus 330

Both buses will lead to the west coast to the bus stop called the Entrance of Jebudo (제부도 입구). This final bus stop will be in front of a Buy the Way (바이더웨이) Convenience Store.

From Jebudo (제부도)

When you get off bus, head to right side of the convenience store and in a parking lot behind the store is the bus stop for the local Jebudo Bus. You can easily find it by the yellow bus and the following sign in the parking lot.

From Jebudo (제부도)

This bus runs about every 60 minutes during the day except for high tide when the road to Jebudo is underwater. Again, you can check the time for high tide at the Jebudo Homepage Calendar. The cost for this bus is 1,000 Won each way. Unfortunately, they do not accept T-Money Cards or other forms of electronic payment, so have some cash handy. When we took this bus, we gave them a 10,000 Won bill for six people. The bus driver didn't have enough change at the time, so she told us to pay 2,000 Won when we left the island.


View Getting to Jebudo in a larger map
This bus circles the entire island and since this is the countryside and not Seoul, they are more relaxed about where they drop off and pick up customers. If you want to head straight to the beach, wait until the bus gets to the west side of the island to be dropped off.

When you are ready to head back and leave the island, you can find the bus on the same road. If you are on the west side of the island near the beach, the bus doesn't go down the road that is right next to the beach. Instead, it is on another road parallel to the beach that is a little bit more inland. While the bus will stop for anyone who waves it down, there are bus stop signs around the island you can wait at to be sure that you are in the right place.

From Jebudo (제부도)

To get back to Seoul, you can just follow the directions from above in reverse.


While Jebudo may not be the most stellar beach in South Korea, it does offer a nice beach ambiance along the west coast. Being close to Seoul, it does save time and money in comparison to traveling all the way to the east coast. Jebudo has plenty of delicious seafood to eat and plenty of places to enjoy the sun and the local scenery.

Mt. Surisan (수리산)

While there are quite a few mountains that are in and around the city of Seoul itself, it is nice to try a change of scenery and see a different part of Korea. To the south of Seoul in the suburb cities of Anyang (안양) and Gunpo (군포) is the mountain range of Mt. Surisan (수리산) which is quite accessible by the public transportation system that connects to Seoul.

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

Content

• Meeting Location
• Getting to Mt. Surisan
• Hiking in Mt. Surisan

Meeting Location

Since there are many paths all throughout the Mt. Surisan area, there are also quite a few choices of where to meet. One option would be Beomgye Station (범계역). Though this station is not right next the mountain range, it does provide some benefits as a meeting place. First of all, since Beomgye Station is on Line #4 (the light blue line), it is easy to get to from downtown or the southern part of Seoul. Also, at Exit #2 there is a nice commercial district that has plenty of places to eat lunch or pick of some food and beverages before your hike.


View Mt. Surisan (수리산) in a larger map
Next to Exit #3, there is the Beomgye Station Bus Stop. From there you can catch two different buses from Beomgye Station to one of the many trail heads to Mt. Surisan. For where we went, you can take either Bus 10-1 or Bus 6.


Getting to Mt. Surisan

After leaving Beomgye Station on either Bus 10-1 or Bus 6, you will eventually start to up the foot hills to Mt. Surisan in the west. Both of these buses will stop at the Seongkyeol Univ. Bus Stop (성결대학).


View Mt. Surisan (수리산) in a larger map
From this bus stop, head to the previous intersection that you passed before getting off the bus and turn right further up the hill to entrance of the university. At the main gate, take a right and then your first left. As you go up this road, you will see the Seongkyeol Graduate School (성결대학원) on your right.

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

To the right of this building, there will be a sign that reads 등산로 입구 (Entrance to the Hiking Trail). Take this path and you will walk up some stairs behind the school. At the top of the stairs the path will lead to a set of pavilions next a natural spring. From here, you have a few choices of paths to take to go hiking.

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

Hiking in Mt. Surisan

When hiking in this area, it can get a bit confusing since there are so many inter winding trails in the area. Some of them will lead up the mountains, some back down into the city and others around the mountain. The main peak in the area goes by the name of Kwanmobong (관모봉). When you are going up the mountain, you can just keep an eye out for the signs pointing to the peak as seen below.

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

For those of you who are savvy with a map, you can use sites like Daum Maps to find hiking paths all over the Korean peninsula. To help simply your search, here is a map of Kwanmobong to help you find the hiking paths in the area. A bit to the north east is Seongkyeol University, the place where we started our hike.

If you do get a bit lost coming down the mountain later, the cities of Anyang and Gunpo are quite visible to your east, while to the west the mountain range just extends for a long distance. In a worse case scenario, head east into the cities. Once you get back down, you will eventually reach a subway line; either Line #4 (the Light Blue Line) or Line #1 (the Dark Blue Line). If you do need some help getting to a subway station, you can always ask one of the locals, "가까운 지하철역이 어디에요?" (Where is a nearby subway station?)

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

You will find some paths in this area will be a bit more direct to the stop but steep while other paths will loop around to a more gradual incline. For the more adventurous, you can enjoy one of the many paths that circumnavigate the mountain. As you come to intersections, you will find more markers that will point to the Kwanmobong Peak.

One of my favorite features of this mountain range is the ragged stone outcrops that break through the tree line and allow you to look over the forest into the surrounding area. The places also provide a nice place to take break and have a snack.

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

You will know when you reached the top when you see a small clearing with benches and a flag pole with the Korean Flag (태극기). This a great spot to take a heroic or patriotic picture.

From Mt. Surisan (수리산)

This is a good place to take a look at the cities of Anyang to the northeast and Gunpo to the southeast. If the weather is nice or very hot, there is a good chance that you will see a man selling ice cream at the top. It is amazing what someone can do with some Styrofoam boards, plenty of tape, dry ice and a strong back. The usual price is about 1,500 Won. If someone is selling ice cream at the top, you will hear a rhythmic chant of "Ice-Kke-Ki" (아이스께끼). A fun cultural note, Ice-Kke-Ki is what a little Korean boy will scream out before he tries to lift up a woman's skirt.

From here, you can take one of a number of paths that will lead you back down the mountain into adjacent cities. Also, if you have a good supply of food and water and are feeling adventurous, you can continue along the miles and miles of paths that follow the spine of the mountain. If you are really daring, you could even cross the mountain pass and make it to the coastal town of Ansan (안산).


Even though Mt. Surisan may be a little out of the ways from downtown Seoul, it offers a nice change of scenery from mountains that most Seoulites go hiking in. Also, since there are a plethora of paths crisscrossing the mountains, it will take a long time before you have completely explored this area.