Take A Deep Breath

Seoul has 37 mountains. I refuse to leave the city without walking up at least one of the thousands of trails. The rain from Typhoon Sanba last weekend cleared up by Tuesday and left the week fair and fine for every activity that requires the sun. It's apparently awesome to have such clear skies because from late March to May, the yellow dust blows in from Beijing, and the pollution index shoots straight up.

The man had no strong opinion about which trail to do. He left that to me. He just wanted some exercise outside of the hotel gym and nothing too strenuous to stretch the Opsite Flexgrid protecting his wound on the knee (from skating lah). I wanted to move and feel alive in the sun and breathe fresh air. I also wanted see temples, but only two and no more. So I picked 2 relatively easy trails and insistently scheduled them between alcohol and late nights. Trust me, it was a feat moderating alcohol intake versus carbs, versus sleep.

Mt Achasan and Hwayangsa Temple

At a height of 287m, everybody said this is an easy trail that doesn't require much preparation. Still, we geared up for a sunrise walk. We're mousey city folks who don't see many mountains. Not even hills. If it's steep, a supposedly 45-minute trail literally in our friends' backyard could very well turn into 1.5 hours for us lousy small-city dwellers.

On our way up, we really took our time. It was a well-paved trail. If in fit physical condition, one could run up quite effortlessly. The elderly folk overtook us with their brisk walking. :P We keep seeing the Hangang River that runs through Seoul, parallel to many roads we travel along. Up here, we could see how it meanders through the city. We saw the downtown area from the vantage point at the top, and also the old fortress. This was one fiercely fought-over area in the ancient Three Kingdoms of Korea (Baekje, Silla and Goguryeo. The Sui and Tang Dynasties of China had a lot to do with politics and war in Korea even back then). Decided not to go down via Mt Yongmasan which would take an extra hour or so.

Mt Umyeonsan and Daeseongsa Temple

The 293m Mt Umyeonsan (it means 'a sleeping cow'), conveniently accessible from the resplendent Seoul Arts Centre. The whole point, is also to take a look at the halls within the Arts Centre. Gorgeous. How crazy is it that you walk out from the Centre and you'll led straight onto the trail. Within the city. Awesome.

Importantly, the trail has Daeseongsa Temple and a natural spring on it. This trail requires slightly more exertion, but not a big deal if you follow a regular exercise routine. No additional training necessary. Not paved with stairs all the way, the muddy portions were still damp from the heavy rains when we ascended. Still, we were in proper hiking boots and got to the top within the hour.