Bukhansan National Park
As the weekend came to a close, the group decided to go to the Bukhansan National Park to hike up to a Buddhist temple located to the north of Seoul. As I strolled up the hill, I found myself more and more overjoyed by the nature around me. The rocks and foliage scattered about made for great pictures, but more importantly, a memorable experience. At times, we passed rivers intersecting the path up the hill. In such cases, our kind tour guide, Kay, proceeded first, carving out a route for the group to follow.
Throughout the hike, I remained close with my two friends, Alex K. and Felipe, pictured below. We would exchange laughs and pleasantries about the hike and our experiences in Korea thus far.
After half an hour, we reached the Buddhist temple nested into the hill. The beginning of the holy region was characterized by a series of building with light blue, cyan-like roof tiles. The area was genuinely beautiful, making the hike absolutely worth it. This was certainly one of my favorite activities in Korea.
Bulgogi Cooking Class
After the hiking, we freshened up at the airport before heading out to a bulgogi cooking class. Bulgogi, a traditional Korean dish, is made mainly of vegetables with a sprinkle of meat. It is made from vegetables “lying around”, but traditionally is characterizes by its colorful nature. Five main colors should be present in a traditional bulgogi dish: yellow, green, orange, brown/black, and white. My cooking partner was Mitch and together we crafted a tasty treat, depicted above. During the cooking process, we took some creative liberties. For instance, instance of making the typical sunny side up egg, we cooked a Colombian-style flat egg. Overall, the meal was very tasty and delicious—a perfect representation of the variety and diversity offered by the Korean food culture.
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better”.
-Albert Einstein