We got home from work at 11 p.m. on Christmas eve, which is sure to be a day we'll always remember. We talked to our parents and then slept as long as we could. We made it to the subway station by around 8 a.m. on Christmas morning, and man, did we look tired. Thankfully, we live at the last stop of our subway line, which means we could sit down during the the 70 minute trip.
From the subway, we hopped onto the Bus, which took about 3 hours.
The views were beautiful, though, as we got to see both the countryside of Korea and the eastern coastline, both were covered with a blanket of white snow. From the bus, we called a taxi, which couldn't find our hotel. When we finally arrived at the hotel, the owners were shoveling snow and speaking to us in Korean, saying something about the hotel being closed or something. Great. One of the people beckoned us into his small car, our backpacks on our laps, and we drove around the block to a new hotel. Somehow, even though we called ahead, no one seemed to explain that the hotel was changing buildings. Or something. Anyway, we were in for a nice surprise. This was our view from outside the hotel.
This was our cozy room, which had the traditional Korean heated floors, perfect for a winter trip.
We decided to make it Christmas, so we each opened gifts from the other. I got Ben some mints, and he found Home Alone for me. Not only is it my favorite movie, but it really brings some Christmas joy to any occasion.
We ventured into the city of Sokcho, which is a summer haven for beach-goers, and an all-season delight for mountain hikers. We enjoyed Korean Tak-kal-bi for dinner. It was delicious!
Friday was reserved for hiking, movie-watching, and hot-chocolate drinking. What a perfect combination! We hiked at Seoraksan National Park, which is quite beautiful. Despite the wintry dead of the trees and surrounding nature, the thick layer of snow from the previous days made the scenery just gorgeous.
We decided to take the hiking trail that led to the Ulsan Bawi, which meant some kind of big rock. It looked to be an intermediate trail, and the distance seemed to be just right for what we wanted. There were more people than we expected, but the higher up we went, the more fun it became. There is nothing like being in nature, with the crunching of the snow beneath your feet being the only sound you hear.
We went higher...
And higher...
And we got closer...
To the TOP!!! What a view!!! We could see the surrounding mountains, the city of Sokcho, and the ocean. Just awesome!
By the end, we needed to thaw out a bit.
The next day, before we returned back to the city, we decided to take a sunrise hike (we missed the sunrise, but it was a great morning trip!)
To a waterfall...that was mostly frozen!
The view on the way back to the park was just incredible. Ben took these!
After a wonderful couple of days, we boarded the bus and headed back to Seoul. Hungry, Ben got a snack at the rest stop. Our jaws were sore from eating beef jerky sent from home while on the hiking trail, so he opted instead for the package of dried fish. Much to his surprise, it wasn't fish. It was dried squid. Mmm...It looked dry and flat and Ben said it tasted chewy and fishy down to the last bite...big surprise.
We enjoyed the scenery on the bus, and I was particularly impressed with the snowy mountains that faded into the ocean. Not something you see everyday in the midwest!
So, this was our Christmas. It was one to remember, for sure!
We hope that you enjoyed the holiday celebration with your loved ones, and wish you a wonderful start to 2009! Happy New Year!
5 comments:
What a lovely Christmas, Jen and Ben! I'm so sorry for my delay in signing up for your blog. I really miss you Jen, and I pray that God will continue to introduce you all to beautiful people and places this year.
Loved the blog - miss you so much! Hope to talk to you in the next couple of days.
wow...what an adventure. beautiful scenery, that's for sure and the hotel mishap made me chuckle :o) i, too, am a huge fan of home alone! glad you guys were able to get away and celebrate the Christmas holiday in your own little way....and, that rhymed. oops.
Jen,
I love that you got Home Alone! I think of you every time I watch it. I watched this season and cracked up laughing at the parts you used to quote. Like, "Look whatcha did, you little jerk!" And,"You're such a disease!" I can't watch that without thinking of you. Jeremie didn't appreciate the humor as much as you would have!
Anyways, I miss you and we think of you often. Sounds like an adventurous Christmas. You are loved.
-kara
wowwwww...WOW!!! I don't have words for how incredible and intimate and adventurous and gorgeous and interesting this seemed!!! Well, I guess I did have words. I hope this trip's memories and bonding will be a comforting backdrop to any hard times ahead...Not that there will be any of those, of course :) I just gotta say that I'm a little jealous of the adventure aspect of your lives right now !!!! SOOOO COOL! You'll love telling your kids all about this one day!
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