The weather is finally warming up in Korea, which means more time spent outdoors! I figured I should get in as much outdoor activities now before the rainy season invades the Korean summer.
Korea is a mountainous country. If it's not blocked by apartments, you can find them anywhere. Even in Seoul, a city of over ten million people, there are mountains to climb. Yongma mountain, or as Koreans call it Yongma-san, is located in east Seoul.
I'm not much of a climber, so I had a bit of a hard time convincing myself that I would even make it to the top. This is the view from the bottom:
Once you start making progress, you will come across this rewarding view: (not of my complaining face, but of east Seoul)
It's even a great photo spot:
The top of the mountain is even more awesome. The view is stunning and you can see literally all of Seoul from there.
Also at the top is a gym. I don't know how or who carried all those weights up there, but all the older men working out looked more fit than most people do in their twenties.
If you have time after climbing, you should check out the park next door. It has a man-made waterfall that turns on only in the summer time at scheduled hours. No tourist sites tell you this, so here is the schedule: (May through September)
One mountain down, 41 more to go in just Seoul alone.
