Greeting the Dawn with friends at Sokch Seorak Sunrise Park

Today, we arose early in order to greet the dawn and rising sun at Sokch Seorak Sunrise Park. Hot coffee and warm clothing buffered us against 1C temperature and mild winds. The time before dawn is most peaceful to walk along the seashore. Many Sokcho residents were still sleeping and businesses closed. We met only a few other intrepid souls and remembered those we miss while traveling as Paralympic volunteers.

Jung Mi is a great Team leader for international volunteers!

Many fisherman were already at sea for first days' catch.
A couple of stragglers rushed to join the others; must have
been late risers! We teased the groggy sun, which
seemed to slowly rise at first, and then rapidly filled the
sky as a fireball.

Wake-up sleepy sun!

Sokch Seorak Sunrise Park with Seoroksan (snow rock) Mountain in the distance

Further exploration of Sokcho, a coastal city in ROK

Sokcho - 15 March, 2018

We returned to Sokcho located in Gangwon-do Province via taxi. We had an unexpected free afternoon after rehearsal for Closing Ceremonies was canceled due to rain and colder weather. Olympic Stadium is open and not protected from the elements. 

Sokcho Tourist Fish Market

The City of Sokcho is well known for its fresh and dried fish markets, which attract locals and tourists alike. Select your supper and cook on site or carry home to make your own special dish. 

Within the Fish Market, we found vendors selling buckwheat flour and noodles, fresh and dried fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, toys, clothes, and an unusual frozen beer and ice cream float! 

What is your pleasure -- fresh octopus, varieties of crab (snow, king), cuttlefish, ray, sea squirt, sea cucumber, jetting squid, abalone, pen shell, whelk, clams, mackerel, knife fish, sea bass, fat rock fish, huge flounder, cuttlefish sausage, seaweed and oysters? 

From TripAdvisor.com, "But throughout the day, there is on display just about everything that swims, slithers, or sits about under water and is edible - plus a few things that don't exactly look too taste-tempting. Most people go in the evening between 7pm and 9pm to eat and drink."

This afternoon, we selected steamed snow crab with numerous tasty banchan. These small dishes included Dak-gangleon (spicy fried chicken in a sweet sauce), chili radish, fiery small green peppers, kim-chee, soondae (Korean blood sausage), corn salad, lettuce with apple dressing, sweet cabbage and fish cake. Our gracious hostess offered to mix the crab eggs and innards with fried rice. The last course was spicy ramen with vegetables. All dishes were delicious!   

Steamed snow crab anyone? Sweet, no butter needed!

Navigating streets and alleys of Sokcho

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According to Lonely Planet.com, "Sokcho is only about 60km from the border and was part of North Korea from 1945 to the end of the Korean War. Most of the coastline is lined with barbed wire. At night, remember that lights in the water are to attract squid; lights on the beaches are to detect infiltrators."

Reminds me of the famous bull on Wall Street in NYC!

Try fresh octopus for dinner --
Imagine enjoying with spicy sauce!

Today was my day off after working extra long hours into the night preparing for Opening Ceremonies of the 2018 Paralympic Games in PyeongChang. 

We were thrilled with an adventurous day spent in Seoraksan National Park, designated as a biosphere preservation district by UNESCO.  My traveling companions were Mitchell, my roommate from New Mexico, and Valentina, who is from Russia. We welcomed the sun after overcast snowy days. Many families came out to play this weekend day in the mountains. Parents and children enjoyed snowball fights; others made snowmen. 

Expedia Travel Guide to Seoraksan

We visited a mountain Buddhist temple built during the Joseon Dynasty in the 17th Century. Miraculously, it survived conflicts with Japan, North Korea and China. We marveled at colorful and ferocious guardians and listened to prayers chanted by grey-clad monks. For a small donation, visitors may leave offerings of rice and drink fresh spring water. 

After lunch of seafood pancake and coffee, it was time for a thrilling cable car ride! We visited a memorial to fallen soldiers of The Republic of Korea, who fought valiantly against the Red Army invaders in 1951. 

We climbed an ancient mountain of 5,000 feet using a cable trail in deep snow and felt atop of the World with splashing waterfalls and breathtaking views of craggy peaks. We saw nutcrackers, black-billed magpie and white-backed woodpecker foraging in the melting snow. Signs of mammal activity were chipmunks gathering seeds and tracks of musk deer and black bear. 

Despite having prosthetic implants, I was able to make the climb, but must admit it was challenging due to elevation, icy trail and cold temps. We welcomed the sun after overcast snowy days!

For dinner, we hopped a city bus and traveled to the nearby coastal city of Sokcho. Thankfully, others helped with directions about the fare and stop! 

We walked the colorful harbor twinkling with lights and busy with visitors seeking the perfect meal from the sea. We were amazed by hundreds of tanks permitting diners to select their entree straight from the ocean. Some deep water crabs had bodies bigger than my head! Also for sale were urchins, bass, sea squirts, abalone, oysters, flounder, mackerel, octopus and eel. 

We chose three fresh grilled fish and banchan small side dishes of kim-chee, seaweed salad, seaweed soup, bean sprouts, Korean sweet rice, very spicy dried fish, mushrooms, and marinated tofu. Three of us ate like kings for $40 total!  We dined as Koreans, sitting on floor mats...wonderful! A cup of brewed coffee and time for rest back at Hyundai Soo accommodations. 

Tomorrow is an early start for Men's biathalon!