Head to the East Sea and relax on the white sand of Sokcho beach

Living in Seoul is great, but as a native California girl its great to get out of the big city and head to the beach!

A speed boat will take passengers on a fast ride around in circles!

    As I stood on Sokcho beach I was in awe as I looked back at the beautiful mountains within Seoraksan National Park. Sokcho's white sand reminded me of the thick grainy sand that I see on the beaches in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. There is no train going to Sokcho, but the 3 hour bus ride from Seoul will leave you dreaming about the salty remnants left on your skin after a long day at the beach.
   A trip to Sokcho is hard to do in one day, especially because there is so much to see. I recommend spending a weekend so that you can go hiking at Seoraksan National Park, and then enjoy the beach the next day. Sokcho beach has crystal clear water, and many Koreans who are not fond of swimming (or don't know how too) leave plenty of room for those that love to swim. I took a trip to Sokcho in May, the water was not warm enough for swimming then, but I jumped in anyway! All the Korean's thought I was crazy, and not for only going in the water, but for wearing a bikini on the beach! Almost no one was wearing a swimsuit, and everyone was decked out from head to toe in skin protective clothing and giant hats.

A cool tree sculpture on the pier.

    There are plenty of love motels to stay at right near Sokcho beach. There is also a jimjilbang down the street if you are looking to save even more money. The sauna costs about 7,000 won, and if you want a private sleeping room you can spend another 5,000 won. I'm not a fan of sleeping in jimjilbang's due to my lack of comfort with strangers and need for pillows to snuggle with. If you're like me, you might like to check out The House Hostel. Its not directly in front of Sokcho beach, but it has great reviews and seems very comfortable and cheap.

If you have any questions or comments about "Head to the East Sea and relax on the white sand of Sokcho beach" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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What's happening in June 2011: Check out the Mud Festival and head to the beaches of Busan

A beautiful day downtown at City Hall.

Summer is here!  Here is a comprehensive list of whats going on this month around Korea.  Be sure to check back for updates throughout the month! I hope everyone enjoys their Korean memorial day!


June 5 Rafting at Inje river and hiking: Join the Seoul hiking group lead by the awesome founder Warren Seung Il Kim! There are a few spots open and this one day trip costs only 43,000 won. There are other activities such at ATV's, bungee jumping, and zip lining for an extra fee. To learn more about the event visit their facebook page here. 

June 6 SHITY Korean Memorial Day Hike: This hike will start at Hwagye Temple and you will hike in the surrounding mountains. This group is a small group I found on Facebook a while ago. The hike is free but they recommend you bring your own Makgeolli for the top!  Learn more here.

June 3-6 Haeundae Sand Festival in Busan: Take a trip down to the beach in Busan to see the ever famous sand sculptures.  Because this is a holiday weekend be sure to book your train tickets in advance!  Check out more at the Korea Tourism Org.


July 15-19 Seoul International book fair: This is a great event for those that love meeting authors, and learning about publishing. There will be several opportunities for book signings and even a seminar on the controversy surrounding e-books. To learn more visit the Korea Tourism Org.


July 16-24 Boryeong Mud Festival:  This event sells out every year, so it is a good idea to start looking at train and bus tickets or trip tours to this event now. This is without a doubt the most popular event in Korea all year among foreigners and Koreans alike. There are several groups taking tours such as Adventure Korea and The Seoul Hiking Group.  To learn more visit the Korea Tourism Org.





If you have any questions or comments about "Whats happening in June 2011" please leave them in the comment box below or email goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

  Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

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