Hiking up the Bukhansan
Saturday, September 2nd, 2006For almost four hours this afternoon, I hiked with Rusty and his Harvard Business School classmate Vee up one of Seoul’s mountains, the Bukhansan.
Its highest peak at almost 1000m, the Bukhansan is one of Seoul’s tallest mountains, and among the most difficult to scale. Massive rocks the size of bungalows fill the mountain range. The dirt paths are unpredictable. Some areas are so steep, it is impossible to climb or move down without the aid of hand rails.
This formidable hike was a bit of a challenge for Rusty, but even more so for me, who for the last week had been on a reluctant diet of miso soup and barley. But the pay-off was worth it. Not only were we treated to spectacular views of the city, Rusty later took us out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Park, in the trendy neighborhood of Apku-jeong.
No macrobiotic menu for my last night in Seoul - to end off my trip, we feasted on a roasted chicken (free-range) wrapped in lotus leaves, deep-fried shrimp in a creamy grapefruit sauce, sauteed asparagus with seasonal mushrooms and a scoop of wild rice ice cream for dessert.