KMK: Suanbo part 2

We kept trekking to the temple and discovered quite a big site. The sounds of chanting droned on and on thanks to a fine speaker system. There were only a few others there who had actually come to pray instead of sightsee. The highlight of the grounds is a huge Buddha statue. We snapped a few pics and then doubled back.

On the way we stopped at a local restaurant to sample their homemade rice wine and potato pancake, which was scrumptious, but I doubt I’ll be trying that rice wine again any time too soon.

After the snack we piled into the car and sped off to town for some much needed supplies. Town might give you the wrong impression. Think of Northern Exposure and slice that place in thirds and you get the idea of how small and isolated this place feels. You may also feel isolated as well as dated if you immediately get the Northern Exposure reference. The village of Suanbo really is just a gas station, hotel, pc bang, a convenience store, a few restaurants for tourists and some apartments.

We stocked up on goodies and then checked out the local tourist information spots which consisted of a little old lady in a hut who seemed ever so glad to practice her English. We almost went for a hot spring dip but discovered there would be no coed mingling so we ditched that idea and decided to barbeque back at the house and chill by the brook.

Back at the house we unpacked and prepped for dinner. Kalli was a one woman wonder tag teaming both the Korean dishes and the barbeque grill. We sat down to a great meal, good conversation and an unexpected dessert as one of the neighbors brought over a bowl of corn. The rest of the night was spent in a haze of drinking games.

The next morning we cleaned, corralled our gear, and sped off back to Seoul. Next time I think we’re going to definitely have to do those hot springs.