Day 4 (16 Feb 08) Pictures of Mt. Sorak, Sorak Waterpia and Seorak Hanwha Resort

We had buffet breakfast at the hotel (Jeju Namseoul Hotel) we were staying before proceeding to the airport for our flight back to Seoul. The porridge with seaweed and the pancake with scrambled egg were very yummy.





Once we reach Seoul we had to take a 3 hours bus ride to Mt. Sorak. It was -5 Degree Celsius and we were struck in a traffic jam. My motion sickness got worse and I vomited in the bus. Luckily I had a zip lock bag with me and did not dirty the bus.
I have suffered from motion sickness since small and would feel nauseous whenever I had to travel for long hours. I’m able to bear with it normally but the flight from Jeju plus 2 hours of bus ride made it very unbearable.

Luckily we stopped for lunch soon and I was able to take a breather. Lunch was Korean Steamboat with my favourite Bibimbap.


Korean Steamboat


Kimchi


Bibimbap

What a waste as I had no appetite for food after vomiting. I was also afraid that I would get motion sickness again as we still had to travel 1 more hour before reaching. Luckily my motion sickness got better after I paste on a motion sickness patch given to me by Rain. She was also suffering from motion sickness and had bought the motion sickness patch at the recommendation of our tour guide. Our tour guide told us that the patch helps to prevent motion sickness for 3 days once pasted behind our ear lobe.


Once we reached Mt. Sorak National Park, I was fascinated by the beautiful view and the granite peaks, lush green valleys and dense forests. We were able to ascend to the summit by cable car and took lot of pictures. However it was very slippery walking to the summit due to the snow and I had a fall and landed on my buttock which was both painful and embarrassing. Our tour guide was very helpful and helped all of us to take a lot of pictures at the summit. He also knows at which angle we were able to take great pictures but I was so afraid that I would fall again as the snow makes the ground very slippery. But for the nice pictures, I guess even falling down was worth it haha…


Waiting for cable car


In the cable car with Rain


Hubby and me at the summit







We also visited a Buddhist temple (Shinheungsa Temple) that has a giant Buddha statue. Hubby and I both felt at peace looking at the statue.


Shinheungsa Temple



Giant Buddha Statue



We next proceeded to check in to the Seorak Hanwha Resort where we would spend the night. After leaving our luggage in our room, we spent the afternoon relaxing at the Sorak Waterpia, a hot spring resort with outdoor and indoor hot spring water swimming pools and sauna. Sorak Waterpia is located against the backdrop of the majestic Seoraksan National Park, and uses 100% natural hot spring water. It was so nice to just soak in the water and the Heat Bath at 44 Degree Celsius water was really soothing.


I also tried the mushroom bath and the Prickle Bath. In the bath shaped like mushroom, you can feel fresh as if you were standing below the deep valley fall when water falls on your shoulder from the top. Even if you are just sitting down, your neck, shoulder, and the upper part of your body get massaged which feels really relaxing. In the Prickle Bath, you can receive a massage all over your body through the bubbles when lying on the bench. You can experience the effect of the excellent spring cure in the most comfortable position. The Heat Bath is for taking a rest for a while in order to maintain the body temperature before using the pool or other facilities.


Heat Bath


Mushroom Bath


Prickle Bath


Sorak Waterpia



I like the outdoor stream pool the most as I could not believe that we were able to soak and swim in the pool with the temperature at -5 degree Celsius! It was also like a mini adventure swimming and exploring the different shaped pools with hubby and some of our tour members. I guess after soaking in the Heat Bath we were able to withstand even the coldest of weather outdoor!


We ended the day having seafood steamboat for dinner and exploring the supermarket in the resort. Most of us slept early as we were all feeling relaxed after soaking in the hot spring. We were given a choice of sleeping on a bed or on the heated floor. Our tour guide was persuading us to sleep on the floor with the mattresses provided to truly experience real Korean living. We chose to sleep on the floor and it was truly comfortable with the heated floor making the mattresses and blankets warm.




Seafood Steamboat


In the Supermarket





Our room