Rachel of the 8 wonders.

In front of the paljak pavilion in Goseon

Colorful pavilion ceiling

The view from the pavilion

The coastline near Goseon

Trail leading to the pavilion

On Saturday I got a special treat. One of the new Korean teachers at AP, Rachel, asked me to go with her to Goseon (a city just north of Sokcho). I had no idea what to expect, having never spent much time there (Paul and I had only passed through once on our way to Hwajinpo). But Rachel offered to pick me up and drive us there, to check out what she later explained were "the eight wonders."
Sokcho has eight wonders, eight sites that any visitor absolutely must see in order to get the full experience of the city (according to the locals, anyway). Well, it turns out that Goseon has the same idea. Rachel's father grew up in Goseon, and her family has spent a lot of time there, so she was eager to show me around. It turns out that we only got to see 3 of them yesterday, but it was still worth it.
First of all, it was just fabulous to be driving around with the windows down on a beautiful sunny day, with the winding coast and white rocky beaches to our right, and green forested mountains in the distance to our left. One thing I said to Paul today was "We will probably never live in a place this unique ever again", and it's true. Sokcho, and Korea in general, is so wildly beautiful and it's unlike anywhere I've ever been. The pictures I post don't even begin to convey how spectacular and majestic it is.
Rachel took us first to a pavilion overlooking the beach. These spots are very popular on New Years' Day, when Koreans come to catch a picturesque sunrise. They are also very peaceful, with the view of the water and the mountains, and the sound of the lapping waves beneath. I was very excited to see that, like me, Rachel is a photographer, and likes to capture the landscape on film.
Next, she took me to a different pavilion (this one smaller and older), a little north of the first one, and smack dab on a cliff. This one was once famous for the number of cranes that would circle the rocks below, in search of food. There was a small "rock island" in the distance, with rock formations that resembled animal shapes. To the left there was a small beach where we could see a scuba diving school, with a group of "students" already out in the water for their morning dip. We also spotted several older Koreans shelling and cutting up sea urchins for sale.
On our way back to the car, we spotted a really funky (but pretty) garden, which had several figurines on metal poles. It had a trellis with roses, orange lilies, and also a vegetable garden with pumpkins, cucumbers, and tomatoes. One of the neighbors let us walk through and check out the homeowner's funky collection of windmills, angels, and statues.
The third wonder we saw was a famous old Buddhist temple, near Kumgang mountain. We had to drive further back toward the mountains, on some out-of-the-way roads. "I don't like to be in places with a lot of people," Rachel told me. "I prefer quiet places." Ah--a girl after my own heart! This was the first time I had been with someone (in Korea) so proud of their natural treasures, and so willing to share them with me. The temple turned out to be quite interesting--over 500 years old and full of history. Like most Korean temples, much of it had been destroyed and burned during wars with Japan, and several fields where there should have been buildings were instead filled with wildflowers. But it is still quite functional, and we saw several folks coming to the temple to pray. We walked around the grounds for over an hour, quietly taking in the loveliness of the surrounding landscape and the peaceful rhythm of the monk community. It just so happens that Rachel's father is Buddhist (her mother is Christian), so she was able to explain some of the rituals and beliefs to me in great detail. Inside the temple (facing the Buddha), she also taught me the correct way to bow.
Buddhist temples here in Korea are extremely peaceful places, and I find it hard to tear myself away to leave. The sheer beauty of the painting inside the walls of the temple, the comforting smell of the burning incense, the free flowing wind entering and leaving the open doors, and the colorful lanterns hung with prayers of the faithful make visiting a very aesthetically pleasing experience. I could spend days inside, in silence, just studying the intricate details of the place, in lost in wonder. It's a celebration of the senses.
After our time in the temple, Rachel gave me another gift--she treated me to lunch! She took me to a great restaurant in the countryside, where we had bulgogi, squid sundae, sweet potato noodles, fish, clams, snails, kimchi, vegetable pancake, jellyfish, and about a zillion other side dishes (24 side dishes!). It was a ton of food, so I ended up taking some home--now our refrigerator smells like kimchi!
It was a very special day, and I'm so glad I got to know my new friend Rachel better! She's a very sweet and generous person...thank you Rachel!