Moses and The Shoe [April 6-8]

 Jindo Sea Parting!

This weekend was a smashing good time.  Nothin' but love for hiking and sea parting goodness.

first mountain: Wolchulsan
Cold and super duper windy!

Start on Friday night around 10pm.  Joseph and I get off work and meet Becki and Lee Ann around by Lee Ann's side of town to eat because the train station we needed is around the corner.  A yummy dinner of samgypsol (bbq thin pork) and all the sides as usual.  Headed to the GS (think 7-11) to get water and any other necessities we might need for the next few hours on the train.
Midnight comes around and we are early for the train (which run amazingly on time here) and low and behold our train is 6 minutes late.  We hop on the train and immediately crash for the 2.5 hour train ride to Gwangju.  We meet up with the group at the McDonald's which is around the corner from anywhere and we are on a bus headed to our next destination: Wolchulsan Mountain for the sunrise hike to the peak and could bridge.  

before sunrise.  before 5:30am

sunrise

sunrise. 

cloud bridge

Super windy at the top: almost blown away literally

This was the hike all the way up and back.

We get off the bus around 5:30am and begin our hike in darkness.  The air is brisk and cold and we are happy for our jackets.  Becki and Joseph are better hikers than I so they go on ahead to get the shots of the sunrise.  As we climb higher the wind is increasing along with the cold.  They get great shots and we drink coffee (after a 45 minute wait because they were not used to the place being so packed with people at 8am) before we board the bus to head to Jindo.  

Jindo.  The smallest city that could be called a city.  We look for something to eat and finally decide on a kimbap shop and see foreigner faces that obviously had the same idea as we did.  It isn't hard to find restaurants there but it seems that most restaurants were not open yet and/or simply bars.  Afterwards we take the bus closer to the festival and we are on our own until later in the day around 7pm. 
The pictures speak for themselves.  It was beautiful and moving and awesome at the same time.  We walked on the sea and Becki was awesome and went all the way across.  Joseph and I decided not to because we had our hiking boots and and needed to wear them on Sunday for our next hike.  

festival food

island to the far right is where everyone is headed.  approx 1 mile away

half way across.  Approx 1/2 mile

After the sea parting we were staying at the pension and it had an American BBQ feeling to the entire thing.  Hamburgers, hotdogs, chilli, bonfires (yes, plural), 50 foreigners, good conversation and...no pics.


Breakfast bright and early at 7am the next day of eggs and toast: our own Egg McMuffin's, drip coffee, tea, hot cocoa, whatever and we are on our way to the next hiking spot: Daedunsan Mountain.  Check this out:  

First this bridge then the one below
AWESOME
The peak of the mountain is in the middle of the pic at the top

cable car

after you get off the cable car

our picture.  amazing climb and scary

the first bridge

cable car

first bridge

Not our picture

After our 3 hours hike we made it back to the bottom and headed back to Daejeon on a whirlwind 30 minute bus ride.  Fabulous weekend! 
For anyone coming to visit us, this is a must-do hike even if we don't hike to the top.  It's steep but not hard.   Worth every step. 


Oh you wanted the shoe?  

wonder what the story is