Bukhansan and Nami Island

Bukhansan Mountain

In an attempt to soak up as much of what is unique to Korea, and what is new to me I have spent the last two weekends outside with friends taking in the last days of fall.

Last weekend three of my coworkers and I went to the most popular and the tallest mountain in the Seoul area, Bukhansan Mountain in northern Seoul.

At the start of our hike (which ended up being about 4 hours there and back) the colors of the leaves were exceptionally bright and varied. Even my camera can't really do the scene justice, and the extra fog that day tinted everything just a bit. Once again nature has impressed me with its way of outdoing itself.

I am lucky to work with a lot of people from all over America and Canada that seems to want to explore as much as I do. Between the different people in our group of about 16 teachers, someone is always discovering something new and interesting to do on the weekends.

At the top and looking over the ridge line. I am standing (perhaps inappropriately) on the top of the fortress wall that runs along this part of the mountain. For several years part of this park had been closed off to everyone. The closing was a result of discovering that it was being used for North Korean spies to sneak into South Korea. Part of the popularity of this mountain is the ability to hike these recently opened and relatively untouched areas that were closed off for more than a decade.

There isn't a much more picturesque scene of Korea in fall than this bridge and the colors around it. I still have a lot to understand about Korea, but something about this picture helps me to feel I know it a bit better.

Welcome to Nami Island...


This interesting little half moon shaped island was created as the result of the building of a local damn in the 1940's. Its roughly 4km in diameter and sits in the middle of the Northern Han river. Unlike Bukhansan mountain this island is completely man made and designed with a feeling in mind. One unique fact, there are no telephone poles on the island as all the cables have been run underground to maintain a natural feeling on Nami.

These kids were doing there best "heart- shape" poses.

Nami island is also known for its romance appeal and has such alluring sites as "First Kiss Bridge" the "Love Hut".... which turned out to be a log pathway along the water. Korea will always make room for its couples.

Here I am at "First Kiss" Bridge.....

I can't remember what kind of trees these were, but looking back on it they seemed like the trees that might lead into Narnia. And this place does have a bit of a surreal feel to it.

Nami Island is also the site for the filming on a famous Korean "soap opera" series as well as some movies.

Korea is a small country will millions of people and like many places I've been to in Asia, its also hard to find a spot where there is no one else around. I like this picture because for a moment this little corner of Nami looks isolated.

Nami Island, you just may have convinced me to come back in the spring.