South Korea
From north to south:
Hiking near Seoul
Seoul
Visiting during Chuseok (the Autumn Harvest festival) made for a quiet city. Some of the palaces were temporarily free for the holiday, yet not crowded.
I enjoyed exploring the city’s alleyways, and that’s not primarily because of the cats. However, I have no good photos.
The squid-ink bread is worth trying. It is dark green and sold in various bakeries.
Birobong Peak, Sobaek-san National Park, near Danyang, North Chungcheong Province
This was a circuit from Danyang, with a bus almost to the Eouigok-ri trailhead and another one down from near the Cheondong-ri trailhead. It was my favorite of four hikes in Korea.
A Korean couple chatted with me as we hiked up through the forest. When I caught up to them at the peak, they told me that they became concerned when they crossed the treeline and realized I was no longer with them. They hadn’t guessed that anyone would stop to apply sunscreen in October.
North Gyeongsang Province
Busan
Jeju Island
I stayed in the southern hub, Seogwipo, and took buses to Halla-san, Seong-san Ilchulbong, and the Manjanggul lava caves (which were so unmemorable that I forgot about them until reviewing my photos).
