Saryeoni Forest

Soegwipo town is perched quite high from its port area. This makes it windier than any other place I've been to on the island. As it's also drizzling, its not a pleasant day in town. My head cold is still annoying me, so I decide to go for a stroll in a forest as therapy.

Saryeoni Forest is to the east of Mt Hallasan. It is possible to catch a bus close(ish) to one entrance, walk through the forest to another entrance and catch another bus back to Seogwipo. So I'm back on the 182 bus which takes me to the Goryeo intersection. It's 1500 metres or so to the forest entrance, then I'm in.

The lady at the information booth is very helpful about the route I should take (first photo). The red bits of the trails are off limits. There are a few other hikers (strollers) going the same way as me. It's not that I'm sprinting, but I overtake the people in front of me and then it's clean air (as they say in F1).

Because it's quiet on the trail I catch a deer by surprise. I hear it crash through the undergrowth where it had been grazing, then I briefly glimpse it. It's off the trail by 30 metres or so. This slows me down subsequently as I'm on guard for other animal encounters, sadly it's the only one.

As I progress along the trail, I meet more people coming the other way. It becomes clear why when I reach the other park entrance (my exit). There are many cars parked here, so their occupants don't walk through but only to a point where they then backtrack to the car.

I have to catch 2 buses to return to Seogwipo. This makes it a longer day than I expected. Back at Seogwipo I stop in at Cafe Wookun for a hot beverage. I order a latte and the server brings it to my table. But it's not what I call a latte, it is a flat white (my coffee preference) and the best coffee I've had since leaving Brisbane.

I take a 40 minute bus trip later that afternoon to Jungmun. I eat at Soul Kitchen which offers Western food. I have a salmon fillet which comes with potato wedges, probably the 2nd best meal I've had overseas (after the steak in Suwon). Definitely worth the 80 minute round trip.Read more