Last day in North Korea

Our last day in North Korea focused on the main hike up the Mangmulsang course. It was a really beautiful hike. Unfortunately, we weren't able to complete the full hike. The top of the course had become so iced that only hikers with crampons were being allowed to complete the walk. However, there were some highlights.



The hike followed the course of the partially frozen Gwaneum river. We were surrounded by incredible cliffs on all sides, so despite the fact that it was mid-morning the path was often cast into shadow. Which is the reason that so much of it was ice covered.



There are a lot of superstitions about the water from this area. We were told that drinking the water from this river was supposed to add years to your life and take 10 years from your face. I don't know what the origin of this belief is, but all the S. Koreans were carrying cups and bottles with them so they could taste and save some of the water. I filled both my water bottles from the river and brought them both back with me to Busan. I brought one of the bottles to work with me so everyone could try it. I think some of the South Korean women in the office were quite excited to drink real Geumgang water :)



One of my favorite spots on the hike was the frozen waterfall you can see in the picture above. At times the hike was too crowded. It's easy to forget sometimes how many people live in this tiny country, but whenever you go to a popular tourist place you are reminded how many people you are sharing your space with. However, once you accept that when in the great outdoors you can't enjoy the same seclusion as in Australia or Canada, it's not so bad. At least people are good at giving each other room to take a good picture.



I was with the first group to make it to the top of the trail (or at least the top of the trail we were allowed on without crampons) and we got a nice Korean guy to take our picture. I met some really nice people on this trip. All of the people in the picture were new acquaintances I met on the trip. They were all really nice people. Most of the people in this particular picture are from Canada. The people on the trip were from all over the place. There were N. Americans, Europeans, Australians and New Zealanders. However, there were definitely a disproportionate number of Canadians. For some reason, there are a lot more of us in Korea than you would expect from our small population.
Anyway, after the hike we headed back to the hotel for a late lunch and some time in the Jimjilbang (bathhouse). It was the nicest Jimjilbang I have been to in Korea. The indoor area was nice, but nothing out of the ordinary. However, the outdoor section was really amazing. When you go outside you are protected from prying eyes by a stone wall. There are a number of hot and cold pools which had hot and cold waterfalls you can stand under for a water pressure massage. However, the best part is that the whole thing is designed so that over the stone walls you can see the entire panorama of the Geumgangsan mountains spread out before you. It had rained and snowed on the first day, so the air was crystal clear. I spent a long time just lying in the water mesmerized by the view. It's too bad you can't take pictures in a bath house :)
Anyway, we got back on the buses around 4:30 for the long trek back to Seoul. My friend Lindsey and I got an 11pm bus from Seoul back to Pusan, which arrived at about 3:30 in the morning. I was pretty dead for work on Monday, but it was definitely a great trip!