We had about an hour before our ticketed time for the cable cars to the top of Mt. Seorak, so we spent the time seeing the Sinheungsa Temple and the large Buddha statue by the temple. We came on this vacation with some amazing friends, the Liddell's. I am so glad we got to experience Seoraksan with them. They are some great peeps.
The first thing you see when you walk towards the temple is the gigantic and beautiful Buddha statue. This is one of the tallest sitting buddhas that I have seen. The detail was so amazing and seriously beautiful.
The kids all had an especially great time with the stairs in front of the statue. The stairs had little ramp every 10 feet or so, and all the kids took it as an invitation to slide down the ramps. We were getting some nasty looks, especially since there was a sign that indicated not to slide down the ramp.
We continued past the statue and over a beautiful bridge with an amazing view of the most beautiful mountains. The mountains were so beautiful it almost didn't look real.
The temple colors matched the nature around it so peacefully. It almost looked like it belonged in nature right up against the mountains and trees.
It was so breathtaking to see such majestic mountains completely surrounding us.
It was about time for us to report for our cable ride up the mountain, so we left for the cable car station. (Our time on Mt. Seorak and the cable cars can be found in my previous post.) When we got back down the mountain, the kids were beginning to wilt. We found lunch and some ice cream. Nothing boosts moral better then an ice cream bar or a Korean ice cream milkshake in a pouch.
After eating lunch and filling the kids with sugar, we decided to conquer the Biseondae Rock Hike. To get to the Biseondae Rock, you have to go back by the sitting Buddha statue and follow the bridge to the left.
The beginning of the hike was on a super wide asphalt road. The kids pretty much divided into two groups- the older kids and the younger kids. The older kids went ahead, while the parents had the littles to encourage and bribe with candy to keep going. Luckily the trail wasn't steep, and was more like a leisure walk.
The hike had some beautiful spots to stop and rest. We followed a river the majority of the hike.
We made it to the Biseondae Rock. There were these huge rocks that had old Japanese and Korean writing on them. From my understanding, the writings on the rocks date back to when the Japanese had invaded South Korea.
There was a platform where we all decided to sit and take a break. It was the perfect place because we could hear the waterfall and the bubbling river. There was a guardrail, so we didn't have to worry about the kids falling into the water or falling off a cliff.
Since we were all taking a break, Kevin let the Monster out of the carrier. He loved being out of the carrier and had an even better time keeping up with all the little girls. The only horrible part about letting him out, was putting him back in. We had to bribe him with candy and then both Kevin and I had to help to get him strapped in the backpack. The only way he would get back in is if I carried him, instead of Kevin. So, I carried the monster in the backpack, it's a good thing I love the hiking backpack that we have and that it is so comfortable. I didn't have a problem with the additional weight.
After the kids filled up on candies and granola bars, we headed back down the way we came. I took one last look at the huge boulders.
We made our way back down the hiking trail to the sitting Buddha statue. It was great to breath fresh air and take in all the greenery, the deep valleys and tall mountains.
We found a spot on the river, and stopped and got some family pictures. We just couldn't get enough of the scenery.
We made it back with two kids crying and a few more complaining. The hike ended up taking a little longer then we had expected, but all in all the kids did fantastic. We let the monster out once again as we sat on the steps of the Buddha statue. As we were sitting there, the Liddell's told us about a tradition they have of taking a jumping photo when they visit places. We all decided Buddha was a great place to get a picture, so we had a blast getting some action pictures together. I am so glad we took this trip with the Liddell's. All the kids loved having friends with them. I know that my kids would not have completed the hike to the Biseindae Rock if it hadn't been for friends to talk to and distract them from the hike. Vacations with great friends makes for a great vacation!
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