June 12th-13th

I jumped the gun a little early with my last post and pictures. I should have done this one before the Everland post. During the week while we were at work, all of us co-workers were discussing what we wanted to do for the weekend and the only things we could come up with was to party on the rooftop with a bbq and all that fun stuff. It is always a good time and was a good idea but it feels like something we could just do if we were back home. So, it was Friday afternoon and I told Daniel that I wanted to get away and actually go do something for our weekend. He was definitely in the same boat and about a week before this, we had ran into a friend who said every weekend she goes camping and rock climbing and told us if we ever wanted to join, to just give her a call. Her name is Theresa and Daniel got a hold of her and asked if she was going and sure enough, she was. Daniel and I told her that we were in and it was also going to be another one of her friends. We did not care, we just wanted to get away and we knew it would be a good time with Theresa anyways. We planned to leave early on Saturday morning to catch the bus to "Wonju" where this park was. After work, Daniel and I went to the gym real quick and then to the store to get camping items that we knew we would need. Mainly just a drinking foldout chair and some bug repellent. This was such a spur of the moment plan that we actually did not know the exact plans till almost 1 AM.

We woke up at 6:15AM on Saturday morning to ride our bikes to the subway station and catch the subway to meet Theresa and Amanda at the bus station. Daniel and I looked so funny just showing up with our backpacks full as can be and with fold up chairs in hand. I am sure many Koreans got a kick out of us foreigners. We got on our bus which turned out to be a 2 hour ride or so. From the bus station, we caught a taxi who took us to Wonju and no joke, I never once imagined I would see this kind of scenery in Korea. I was in absolute shock driving through and seeing the type of land that we did. It was this huge National Forest (I believe) that was honestly in the middle of nowhere and there were so many people there. The taxi took us all the way to that back where Theresa knew where to go. We got out of the taxi, crossed a bridge, walked along the river and just dropped our stuff and set up the tent. Once we got all settled in, it was time to go check things out and see this place of beauty. Right from the start, I could tell this was the perfect getaway from work that I know I needed. As you will see in the pictures, I thought this place with the thick forest/jungle like land and big rocks and river running through it all looked like a place you would see in an exotic country. I never once thought Korea could offer this type of place and from what I have heard; there are TONS of places like this. It is my goal to find many more.

After touring a little, Theresa took the three of us over to where the rock climbing wall is. This was incredible. There were so many people (Koreans and foreigners) all along the rock climbing away. When we crossed the bridge to the rock, there was the tough wall where the professionals were climbing. Did you know that there were such things as "climbing teams?" Well there is and the teams all have uniform t-shirts and they are very intense and unreal. We saw some people doing things you never imagined possible on a rock. We went over to an easier part of the rock where Theresa had climbed the weekend prior and we met up with some other foreigners that Theresa knew would be there. She actually had never met them but found a website in Korea that was for rock climbing and this group just goes places on the weekends and Wonju was the place of choice this weekend. To start off, I did not expect to climb because for one, I did not have any gear (shoes, ropes, clips chalk, etc.) but Theresa and the other foreigners we had just met were so generous and lent us their gear when they were taking a break and Daniel and I were able to do our first "real rock climb" ever. I was stoked about this opportunity and they asked who wanted to go first and I was all over that. Theresa tied me all up, gave me a crash course of the rock climbing "lingo" and reassured me that I was safe with all the ropes and how they were tied. I was a little nervous at first but I think I was more scared that I was not going to be able to do it and then I would have been embarrassed. I would say the rock was probably 100-120 feet high. I got about a third of the way there was just tearing it up but quickly after that, I was starting to run out of steam and needed to pace myself. There were times where I would just be standing there and it seemed I had nowhere to go. No finger or foot spots and I was just stuck. Sometimes you had to go back down and then take a different path to make sure you can find the right grips in places. I finally got going again and made it to the top. It was such an amazing feeling and Theresa did something with the ropes where it allowed me to just relax at the top and see such an amazing view of the place from so high up. It was gorgeous. I was also able to take some pictures from the top to show you guys what I was seeing. I made my way back down the mountain and no joke, the whole experience was exhilarating. I don’t think I have ever done anything like that. I also did a second climb later on that day and it was a much tougher course. I was able to do it but it took a lot longer than the first course. I had to do a lot of pondering of where I would go next and how. Rock climbing was an incredible experience and I think you will enjoy all of the pics and video me and the group.

After a long day of rock climbing, we thought it was only fair to get the party started and treat ourselves to a good dinner, beers and soju. For those of you that do not know or remember, "soju" is the Korean Saki. We went for beef bbq at a restaurant with the four of us who came together and then our other foreigner friends we met climbing. We ended up becoming awesome friends with them and hung out the whole night. One was from Cali, two were from New Zealand and the other was from Nova Scotia. At dinner, we had a few drinks and then began walking back to where our tent was set up on the river side because we had built a fire pit for that night where we could drink, chat and just enjoy ourselves at a beautiful resort on an awesome night with new friends. Before we could make it back to the tent, we stopped at a Korean party that was nothing but old people but DAMN, were they partying! They had the booze lined up, a DJ and glow sticks. They reeled us all in and we danced Korean style until the cops came and broke it up. That is when we headed back to the tent and got the fire going. Daniel and I were very thankful we bought those chairs because they became very handy at the bonfire. After a few hours out at the bonfire, we all began to fade away from the long day and needed some rest. We still had all day Sunday to enjoy the park because our train did not leave until Sunday night.

On Sunday, I woke up first around 8 because sleeping four in a three person tent may not have been the best idea. No complaining though because I slept great. Theresa is crazy into rock climbing and after the night before, I didn’t think I would make it up on the rocks. Once everyone was awake, Daniel and I headed for the beach-like area where we ended up laying on the sand and falling asleep in the sun in our swimsuits. We both woke up and looked at one another and knew we were going to be so burnt. I guess falling asleep in the sun with no block is not the best idea. We went swimming in the lake and totally relaxed the whole day until our train was leaving. It was something I would not have changed for that day. There was not much that sounded much better than lying on some white sand next to a river. Around seven, we packed up all of our stuff and headed to the train station and headed back home for another week of work. Ever since this weekend, I have told myself that I will try my best to do something similar every weekend until the nice weather is gone. I bet you are wondering if I have followed that goal. I guess you better keep reading my blogs to see if I have.....enjoy the pics, this was an incredible weekend!