The Mountain of Samcheongdong
I often find myself to be lost. Not just in the poetic way but in the very real, physical, ”I’ve no idea where in the world I am” kind of way. Anyone who has ever been lost will now that it isn’t necessarily the greatest feeling, but that doesn’t mean that something good can’t come out of it. At least that’s what I find whenever I am lost which, I can tell you, is actually quite often. It’s actually odd that I so often have no idea where I am, as my dear parents equipped me with a lovely smartphone, which should make it easy for me to navigate almost no matter where in the world I am, maybe it’s because I actually like being lost in some ways, for often I find the most interesting things when I have no idea where I am.
This is the case for the place I’m going to tell you about now. This is what you might call a hidden gem, for it is somewhat off the beaten path, and despite the fact that it has it’s own page on the Korean Tourism Organizations website, it doesn’t seem to be place many people now of. At least that’s my impression, for whenever I talk about this place people just give me blank stares as they’ve never heard about it before.
One day I was walking around Samcheongdong and suddenly found myself in an area out of the “tourist zone” that I didn’t know how to get out of. That was when I saw it, the entrance to (what seemed at first) a small park. I figured that since I had no idea where I was anyways I might just as well take a stroll in the park; it probably wouldn’t take long anyways, as it seemed pretty small. Now imagine my surprise when I discovered that my “little park” actually contained a small mountain with a hiking path leading all the way to the top. Not being one to let down an opportunity to climb a mountain, we don’t have any in Denmark, so I have to seize the opportunity when I get it, I immediately began my way to the top.
Samcheongdong Mountain (that’s what I called it until I after some research discovered that it’s actually called Mt. Bugak), isn’t that big, but it still took me a good hour or so to get all the way to the top and back again, and that’s excluding the selfie/resting time I had at the top. Keep in mind that I tend to move pretty fast, so it may take a little longer for people with a more normal pace. I came on a weekday, in the middle of the afternoon, and there weren’t many people hiking along with me, the few that were, were mainly elderly people. At the top were the remnants of an old fortress, as well as a great view of Seoul and other mountains. However it wasn’t the destination as much as the journey I would say made physical exertion worth the while, for the walk up was a very beautiful one with trees dressed in their best autumn robes.
Should you happen to be in Samcheongdong I would definitely recommend you to go by Samcheong Park and up the Mt. Bugak, it’s a lovely little walk and a great way of getting your dose if nature in the metropolis that is Seoul. Below I’ve put a map with the entrance of the park marked for your convenience, you’re welcome.[mapsmarker marker=”8″]