Korea Winter Discovery 2010 - Mt Sorak National Park And Nami Island

After a good night rest and hearty breakfast our itinerary of the day would be heading towards Mount Sorak National Park to witness it beauty through granite peaks, lush green valleys, dense forest, snowy scene and etc. And due to the good weather we also have the chance to ascend to the summit by cable car and get a magnificent view of the park at the top of the mountain. After lunch we proceed to the 2nd attractions; Nami Island where some scenes from Winter Sonata are being filmed there.

Sokcho city view from the Hotel Dining Gallery at level 15 where you could at a glimpse of the city and the wide ocean and sandy beach.

Seoraksan is the highest mountainntain in the Taebaek mountain range in the Gangwon province in eastern South Korea which is located in the Mount Sorak National Park near the city of Sokcho. After the Hallasan volcano on Jeju Island and Jirisan in the south, Seoraksan is the third highest mountain in South Korea.


The nature reserve protects an area of 163.6 square kilometers and contains many notable high peaks measuring over 1,200 meters above sea level including the highest peak of Soraksan.

Perhaps the most visited part of the mountain is the main entrance valley to the National Park. The valley runs west to east with many beautiful sites and a paved road leading up to the park's entrance that is well worth for a visit.

Although it is already early winter during our visit but you still could spot some maple trees in their Autumn look too.

After a freezing trip up to the mountain top trial walk and a short visit at the main temple at the far end of the valley, we stop over at a restaurant about 20 minutes drive away from the National Park to have our lunch. So we guess this hotpot come just in time to warm our cold body temperature from all the walks at the mountain top and cold valley.

Other than mixed veggie soup hotpot we also have a bowl of "Bibimabap (Korean Stone Pot Rice)" each and some side dishes for lunch.

After lunch we took a short nap in the bus before arriving at Nami Island Wharf station. The island is situated 63km from Seoul in the middle of Han River which has a shape that look like a leaf floating on top of Cheongpyeong Lake. Entry to the island can be done via through the ferry which is at every 30 minutes  interval after the 1st ferry at 07:30 from Gapyeong Wharf.

There are also some trees that are tall enough to touch the sky, big grass gardens where deers, ostriches, rabbits, squirrels and etc live together providing a place where man and nature can coexist. In the Island you could also find Food Court, Bike Center, Sports Clubs, Cafe, Cottages, Hotels and etc.

Does this place look familiar to you? For those who have watched the Korea Drama "Winter Sonata" airing in 2002 would definitely remember the leading actor and actress, Bae Yong Joon (裴勇俊) and Choi Ji Woo (崔智友). This two rows of trees in the photo above is known as "Metasequoia Lane" where most visitors would stop-by during their Nami Island visit to take photos because it is one of the filming location of Winter Sonata.

Another view of the Nami Island near the "Nami Wharf Train Station" that is along the stretch of Central White Pine Tree Lane. Around the Train Station you could also see the Tomb of General Nami.

Dinner for the day is Ddeokbokki (Stir-fried Rice Cake) and assorted sides. It is pretty interesting to have the combination of cooked rice, rice cake strips mixture and cabbage in a hotpot. Eating this during cold winter night and enjoying the snowflakes view through the side windows is definitely something memorable for us.

After dinner, our tour guide lead us into the shopping craze at "Dongdaemun Shopping Complex" where multi-floored labyrinth of clothes, manicurists, accessories, coffee bars, shoes, toys and etc can be found selling right up till the mall closed in late night.

SNACK PREVIEW:

And for the last part of our Korea Trip I would share with you some of the photos from our visit to the Majestic Gyeongbok Palace, experience in Kimchi making and visit of Lotte World Theme Park (filming site of Korean drama "Stairway to Heaven") and etc.