On Saturday we woke up in the wee hours of the morning to catch a cab in order to meet up with the Adventure Korea tour bus. We signed up for another outing and this time the Adventure Korea folks were shuttling us off to Chungju Lake and Kosu Cave in Chungcheonbuk province.
The trip to the lake took a little under three hours. The day started off bleak and blustery with chilly winds whipping off the lake. The surronding mountains, however, still held their deep greens with only tinges of fall oranges and yellows starting to show.
The bus ride may have been long, but it was worth it to be out of the city and in the open air. Fresh air, I might add. I’m surprised the fresh air didn’t choke us all since our lungs have probably been conditioned to thrive only on Seoul polluted air.
At the dock we were able to stock up on supplies before the ferry departed. We, of course, purchased large quantities of beer and a few snacks. Can’t go caving without being in a drunken stupor or at least tipsy, right? A few others had the same idea.
Despite the chilly weather we opted for the roof. The sights were lovely and the sun did peak out at times to give us all brief bouts of warmth.
Not as harrowing as the Congo, but those little kids playing nearby seemed as ferocious as any crocodile or river snake.
This Korean guy was a hoot and a half. We couldn’t understand a word he said and I think that had more to do with alcohol than with any language barriers. Friendliness was his middle name. Well, either that or wandering hand. I’ll have to ask Sam which fits better.
We passed by a sister ship with passengers headed to parts unknown.
A mini golden gate bridge?
When we came ashore we stopped for a brief respite before continuing on to the caves.
The entrance to Kosu Cave has that lost in the jungle look doesn’t it? Climbing those steps, my anticipation built and built as I pictured a treacherous cave of jagged stone and pitfall drops. Maybe the fact that grandmothers and grandfathers were climbing those same steps next to me should have clued me in that the experience wouldn’t be nearly so extreme, but hey I was in the moment.
Kosu Cave is 1,300 meters deep and made of limestone.
As you can see, a walkway has been installed inside the cave. There is also stairways that spiral up and down and low hanging passages where you have to duck and practically crawl to get through.
I found all the patterns and colors and differing shapes and designs to be great. I haven’t been caving before and didn’t know quite to expect. I know its the tame version but the cave itself was a marvel even with the walkways and staircases. iv>
At some points it did seem a bit dodgy and you expected falling debris to come tumbling down at any moment.
It was stalagtite and stalagmite heaven. I thought there might be bats around but I never saw a sign of them. Not even the tell tale guano on ground.
The cave truly was massive. There was also a truck load of people clamoring to see every square inch of it and they kept hustling everyone along the walkways, which were narrow so you had to go single file for much of the journey, and stopping to just appreciate the sights brought the entire que to a grumbling halt.
Sam really needs to get out of the caves and grab some sun.
This reminded me of Geiger’s work. It’s like some alien sci fi movie set piece and hardly seems real at all.
I wouldn’t advise making the trip if you’re scared of enclosed tight places. It’s a claustrophobic’s nightmare in Kosu, but a pretty amazing nightmare for sure.
The textures and colors varied like the terrain on a map.
Outside a river nearby. I’m not sure why it had to be curtained off with barb wire, but perhaps it gets pretty rough when the rainy season comes. On the way back to the bus there were shops selling souvenir rocks, plants, vegetables, fruits and whatever keepsake you might want to take back from your Kosu experience.
After Kosu we went to see Seokmun, the stone gate, however we got distracted and instead of making the 300 meter trip up that steep hill we hung out at the fountain where a Karaoke machine blared the music stylings of enthusiastic Koreans singing torch songs.
We didn’t get back into Seoul until Eight that night. We were hoping to catch the tri national fireworks exhibition at the Han river, but the traffic proved to difficult to conqueor. I heard that a million people showed up for the fireworks so you can imagine the traffic and the overflowing subways. We were probably better off missing it, besides the caves turned out to be a fun time! Don’t miss out.
I’m a blogger, writer, and teacher. I’ve been working in South Korea’s ESL field for the last three years. My one year contract has unexpectedly turned into a journey that I’m still on and loving.
Thanks, Arnold, how did you enjoy your stay in Korea?
Hey nice photos of Korea! I was just there recently 🙂
.-= Arnold aka Mr.Gadget´s last blog ..New Look Facebook Now Out =-.