The first of my destinations was to a small (in comparison to the ridiculous hugeness that is Seoul and it's surrounding metropolis sprawl) city on the east coast of South Korea called Samcheok (삼척시). Here is a little map to give you an idea of the trajectory:
At Samcheok we found a small hostel to stay in that was within walking distance of the bus station and we proceeded to explore the city. It was a very cute little city that had a lot of character as well as it's own collection of odd statues and art. One of the nicest places we found was this small square/park/gathering area with a fountain (unfilled) some art and a nice walk up the cliff edge.
A tree made out of twisted wire and some sort of crystals:
And a gorgeous view of the city:
At the top was a church where some kids were having a water gun fight:
We went by bus. Let me tell you, the Korean version of the Greyhound is incredibly nice... like swanky, fabulous, airplane first class (business class at least) nice. There are gigantic comfy seats that don't leave you feeling like you need to take a disinfecting shower simply because you sat on them. There was a lot of leg space, room for snacks, and in Korea as I think with most of Asia, there is a general rule to be quiet and considerate while taking public transportation. It's a big faux pas to be talking on the phone if it isn't at a whisper and even which any companions you might be with. Leaving Seoul was trafficky, but honestly the busses I took on this trip were the nicest bus experiences I've ever had.
At Samcheok we found a small hostel to stay in that was within walking distance of the bus station and we proceeded to explore the city. It was a very cute little city that had a lot of character as well as it's own collection of odd statues and art. One of the nicest places we found was this small square/park/gathering area with a fountain (unfilled) some art and a nice walk up the cliff edge.
There was an awkward mermaid:
They had an outdoor gardeny Stations of the Cross:
When we returned to the square, it turned out there was in fact a show planned. There was a group of older gentlemen playing the saxophone. They gave the impression of a group of guys who retired, wanted to find a hobby and thought, let's play the saxophone- so they did. It was very clear they were having a lot of fun.
Another performer was another older gentleman with a guitar and a punk hippie look playing a few very nice songs that I didn't understand. It was at this point when the guy running the spotlight started to get into his creative mood or started to get really bored.
The last two groups were dance groups. The first one was very large and had a few boys in it that were in the first song and then sat down. The second group was a smaller group of 5 girls. It was kind of hilarious watching them. They were clearly high schoolers and while I recognized the songs they were dancing to I'm not familiar enough to know if they had their own choreography, or if they were covering the kpop stars' choreography. It made me miss dancing all over again, and it was very entertaining to watch the boys watch the girls while they were dancing.
The next morning we headed out bright and early to the cave: our main reason for going to Samcheok. Hwanseongul Cave (환건둘) is the largest cave in Korea. It lives up to it's name and claim to fame. It is breathtakingly and awe-inspiringly large. It's the kind of cave that you look at it and can imagine that this are is where the dragons had their private quarters, here is where they kept their treasures, and here is where they all gathered together because every single one of them can definitely fit. After an hour long hike up the side of a mountain to get to it, it took us 3 hours to make our way through the entire thing. Granted, we were taking our time with photographs and soaking in as much of the incredible view as we could unlike some of the hastier visitors that were continually passing us, but it was something that I would willingly have spent an entire day exploring.
I will admit there was a rather humorous addition of what I will kindly and lovingly term "Korean Drama Campiness." Anyone who knows anything about Korean pop culture will know that there is a certain tendency for extra drama, slightly over-the-top reactions, and a tendency to need a theme or concept for everything, which can be taken to the point of wonderful absurdity. This was not lacking in the caves. After we had spent about an hour wandering through the path I started to notice all of the shall I say corny themes. We went through the valley and falls of desire, over the bridge of love and commitment, through the path of hell including the bridge and pit of hell as well as the bridge of confession. There is also the Bridg(e) of Galaxy. ~.^
There was a really cool legend of someone trying to steal a stalagmite that looked like a dragon's head and getting smited... by lighting, and they had carved an imitation of what the stalagmite was supposed to have looked like.
There was also a creepy statue of a monk who supposedly came up to live in this cave as a hermit to seek enlightenment and disappeared.
There was another cave but it was not available unless you ordered your tickets online beforehand so we waiting for the next bus and went back to Samcheok.
We spent the rest of the day relaxing on the beach. I went with my handy dandy book and enjoyed the shade of a picnic table and the ocean breeze.
And on one final note... if this isn't what the outside of your cave museum looks like, you are doing it wrong...
FYI I have tons and tons of photos of everything in Samcheok, the rest of which can be found here.
