Ben had a four-day weekend, so we decided to make the most of it. We drove to Mount Sorak on Korea's eastern coast. We got really excited when we saw this:
The border between North and South Korea was roughly drawn across the 38th parallel. We had fun telling friends that we camped on the beach above the 38th parallel. Really, the border looks like this:
Originally, we planned to hike and camp at the national park, but they didn't allow dogs in the park or campgrounds, so we headed for the beach to explore.
I guess North Korean spies try to sneak into South Korea by swimming or boating onto the coasts. We were so close to the border of North Korea that the beach we stayed on was patrolled regularly by South Korean soldiers. Comforting.
The next morning, we hiked to Naksan Buddhist Temple. There were some amazing views of the coast.
Look! Real Korean monks!
And at the top, the largest Buddhist statue in the orient. She is the goddess of mercy and stands almost 50 feet high!
It was an amazing two days - I would love to go back in the fall to see the autumn leaves.
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