32. Lindsay

Arriving in Sokcho, after a four-hour bus ride through green hills and along the coast, I felt the slightest bit of apprehension. Sokcho is a small town according to Korean standards, counting a mere 100'000 inhabitants, but its dense layout and high-rise apartment blocks give it the feel of a much larger city. And I was going to have to try to communicate with a taxi driver again, a task that had left me puzzled and frustrated in Seoul. I managed to say "Sam Hong apatah" without making too much of a fool of myself, and when we arrived at the apartment complex and the driver pointed at several of the buildings with a querying look, I think I managed to convey to him that I did not know exactly which one, but that here was a good place to get out... And then once again a couch surfer came to my rescue - my host Lindsay had come out to greet me, and with that the taxi driver was satisfied that I was not going to get lost.
After I had lent my fingers to Lindsay's cat Mamba as a chew-toy for a while, we took the scenic route to Sokcho's food town and went for delicious Samgyeopsal - thick slices of pork, fried on a coal stove integrated into the center of the table, and served with a mind-boggling array of side dishes; lettuce- and sesame-leaves, kimchi, pickled roots and beans, scrambled eggs, raw squid, dried fish... I can't recall the exact arrangement, but suffice it to say that a Korean dinner table is not complete if there is still some space on the table.
After dinner that we went for some beer and soju, and had a great chat, which was interrupted only for a short time by a Korean girl of about 17 years, who had been dared by her friends to go ask the foreigners for some beer - we realized what exactly was going on only later, when the bar staff brought candles and everybody started singing Happy Birthday.

Friday was reserved for hiking. Near Sokcho, a short bus ride of about 30 minutes from the city center, lies the national park of Seoraksan (Mount Seorak). I had considered trying to scale the summit, but decided not to overdo it - with a horizontal distance of about 10km from the park entrance and a vertical distance of 1700m it would have taken me roughly 10 hours there and back - a timeframe for which I was simply not awake early enough. Instead, Lindsay suggested the hike to Ulsan Bawi (Ulsan Rock), and she was spot-on with her suggestion. It's the time of the year when the leaves start changing color here in Korea, and the hike took me through some beautiful forests, which were mostly green, with just the right number of red leaves.

On the way to Ulsan Bawi there are several temples and shrines - and there's the teetering rock, Heundeul Bawi, that can be rocked back and forth by a small group of people.

The final half-hour of the ascent to Ulsan Bawi consists of stairs.

The view from the top is well-earned and much more spectacular than these two pictures can convey:

On the way down I stopped by Sinheungsa, the temple at Seoraksan's foot. All the Buddhist temples I've seen in Korea so far share some common elements. One of them is the entrance to the temple compound, guarded by the four kings of heaven, each of which rules over the domain of either north, east, south or west.
The king of the south, always depicted with a musical instrument.

At their feet: vanquished daemons.

After I had returned to Lindsay's, we met up with her friend Ari, and went to the harbor fish market. The way to buy (or even better, eat) fish here: point to the fish you like, and the seller will kill and prepare it right in front of your eyes.

Or you can order squid sundae - tasty!

Since we were still a bit peckish after our fresh clams, shrimp and squid sundae we decided to follow them up with some Bulgogi - thin slices of beef, again fried on a coal stove integrated in the table, and as always with an enormous number of side dishes.
And then - the night was still young - Lindsay and Ari introduced me to Sokcho's night-life. We met up with some of their colleagues from the English teaching institute, and went to their local to join in a double birthday party. There was a lot of talking, drinking, dancing, birthday cake and great company. And then, and I know I'm repeating myself, but Korean culture seems to be centered very much around food: at the party I talked to two Korean work colleagues of Lindsay's, and - hungry from all the dancing - we went to eat some pig spine soup (the literal translation is potato soup, and there are usually some potatos to be found in it, but according to common opinion, pig spine soup is a much more accurate description). Delicious food in the company of two charming ladies - what else could I possibly wish for...