Heather Heffner's Blog, page 24
February 26, 2013
YEAR OF THE WOLF 50% off Smashwords Coupon
If you're a Smashwords.com shopper, enter this code in at check-out to receive 50% off of YEAR OF THE WOLF:
JL68K
Good through April 30, 2013.
JL68K
Good through April 30, 2013.
February 16, 2013
Valentine's Day in South Korea
I HAD a conversation with a co-worker about the upcoming Valentine's Day, in which we both realized how very little time we had left to buy gifts for our respective boyfriends. She wasn't as worried as me, laughing it off with, "It's Valentine's Day. He has to buy me something."
Very true in the U.S., but in South Korea, we would be up the creek without a paddle. In South Korea, February 14th is the first in a trifecta of dates celebrating love, on which the women shower the men with chocolates, flowers, and pizazz. Women look forward to March 14th, "White Day," on which the men return the favor. Most fun of all? "Black Day" on April 14th, on which all of the singles go out to eat a delicious Chinese dish known as jjajangmyeon, black bean noodles...and who knows? Maybe sparks will fly, or maybe they won't, but either way, it will be an entertaining time. Japan celebrates Valentine's Day/White Day as well.
Image courtesy of http://www.roryandjamie.com/white-day/
Image courtesy of http://www.desertcompanion.com/articl...
Yummy jjajangmyeon!
Very true in the U.S., but in South Korea, we would be up the creek without a paddle. In South Korea, February 14th is the first in a trifecta of dates celebrating love, on which the women shower the men with chocolates, flowers, and pizazz. Women look forward to March 14th, "White Day," on which the men return the favor. Most fun of all? "Black Day" on April 14th, on which all of the singles go out to eat a delicious Chinese dish known as jjajangmyeon, black bean noodles...and who knows? Maybe sparks will fly, or maybe they won't, but either way, it will be an entertaining time. Japan celebrates Valentine's Day/White Day as well.
Image courtesy of http://www.roryandjamie.com/white-day/
Image courtesy of http://www.desertcompanion.com/articl...
Yummy jjajangmyeon!
2-Day Book Giveaway
In honor of Valentine's Day Weekend, YEAR OF THE TIGER will be free for download on Amazon this February 17-18th. To USA readers, enjoy the three day weekend! Thank you everyone for your support.
2 Day Book Giveaway
In honor of Valentine's Day Weekend, YEAR OF THE TIGER will be free for download on Amazon this February 17-18th. To USA readers, enjoy the three day weekend! Thank you everyone for your support.
February 13, 2013
Hello, Barnes and Noble
I have fantastic news for all NOOK readers! Barnes and Noble has officially launched YEAR OF THE WOLF for Nook download:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/year-of-the-wolf-heather-heffner/1114304217?ean=2940044251526
Happy Hump Day!
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/year-of-the-wolf-heather-heffner/1114304217?ean=2940044251526
Happy Hump Day!
February 12, 2013
Jeju-Do 제주도: Part I
AH, JEJU-DO.
[image error]
Images courtesy of http://tripdice.com/asia-tour/beauty-...
Home of an UNESCO World Heritage Site: the Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes. I guarantee that you will visit at least one museum on your stay here, because Jeju Island offers the most unique collection of museums I've ever come across. There is the Chocolate Museum in southern Seogwipo City for chocolate lovers. There is the cuddly Teddy Bear Museum--again in Seogwipo--home to generations of teddy bears, over a hundred years in the making. And then there are the Sex Museums--three of them! "Love Land" is an outdoors sculpture park in northern Jeju City that offers a romp through a garden of creatively altered anatomical parts. The Health and Sex Museum near Seogwipo takes on a more "Ancient Rome" feel, with white pillars, grand murals, and videos designed to educate about the history of sex in various cultures of the world. One exhibition featured the Chinese foot-binding "Lotus Shoe." Alas, I did not make it to three out of three, but there is also a World Eros Museum/Museum of Erotica under the Seogwipo World Cup Stadium.
Chocolate lips!
A very cuddly teddy bear
Yeah, all you're getting is a picture of Lotus shoes.
Ahem. On to more serious matters.
We flew into Jeju Airport on the northern part of the island. After spending a night in Jeju City, we set off from the Intercity Bus Terminal due west, to circle around the island. Our lodging was a wonderful find--a comfortable 민박, or minbak, just off the main highway in southwestern Jeju, about a thirty minute bus ride from Jungmun Resort (중문관광단).
What is a minbak? Minbak are homestay-style lodging, sometimes with the added bonus of a bed-and-breakfast, and offer great deals, as low as 15,000 won a night (roughly 15 dollars). Our room had ondol, the heated flooring system, roll-out beds, and a TV. The showers were down the hall, and a restaurant was just through the sliding doors, which offered delicious fish and seaweed soup (a version of 미육국), as well as the wonderful instant coffee brand--Maxim--after. At least five side dishes came with the main course, ranging from kimchi to purple rice. The minbak was a nice stay in an idyllic countryside, far outside of the city...little did we know, the "idyllic" part was about to be tested.
GEPIK (Gyeonggi-do Province) Foreign English teachers typically get twenty vacation days when school is out of session, so you've gotta take advantage and go traveling while you can. My friends and I hightailed it over to Jeju-Do at the end of July, eager to get away from the downpour of monsoon rain engulfing the rest of our province. However, Jeju-Do attracts infamous typhoons during the summer months, and we were about to go toe-to-toe with one.
Now, I've been obsessed with Hallasan, the highest mountain in South Korea, from the moment my overseas job became a reality. It's a sleeping shield volcano that last erupted in 1007. During its slumber, the sapphire-blue "White Deer Lake" filled its crater, and in June, pink azaleas erupt up and down the slopes like wildfire. It is one of three spots making up the UNESCO world heritage site on Jeju. Sounds awesome, right? Yes, of course it is. I had no idea when I was going to be back on Jeju-Do again. With the typhoon poised to strike soon, there was no doubt in my mind: I was going to climb Mt. Halla, with or without the weather's blessing.
Image courtesy of: http://farrahsays.wordpress.com/tag/j...
My friends had doubts. Considerable doubts. As in, "yeah...rain, wind, and foggy conditions? No thanks." They wisely decided to stay behind. Refusing to be deterred, I was out and waiting for the bus at 6 am.
It turned out to be a good idea I left so early, because my bus information was out-of-date. I wound up in Donghong-dong, stood around, puzzled, and then caught a bus that said it was going to a town where I could transfer and catch a bus up to Hallsan.
Phew.
This transfer bus stop proved to be the most elusive yet, as I stood in a roundabout and slowly deciphered the bus stop signs, none of which were the ones I was looking for. I talked to bus drivers, and each time, we came away from the conversation half-understanding each other. They kept telling me to go back down the road, but I had no idea what exactly they were directing me to. I stood out here like an albino peacock, so naturally, everyone was concerned. One young soldier came up and asked me, "Are you O.K.?" Not really. After all, it was nearly 10, so I'd completely lost my early morning start.
It was then that I saw it: the North Face jacket. When you hike in South Korea, you will come to find that every hiker is always immaculately dressed in North Face (or Red Face) gear, while you toddle along in sweatpants and a rain poncho. I followed the jacket down to-- Yes! Hiking boots! I ran over to the hiker and asked if he was going to Hallasan. He wasn't! But he pointed me down an alleyway that I must have walked past a dozen times. There was an express bus terminal with buses heading up to the pass. I flung myself on the first one and was on my way.
Perhaps because I had worked so hard to get there, I didn't mind so much that Hallsan was completely smothered in fog, giving me no chance of a view whatsoever. Also, because of the stormy conditions, the mysterious crater lake was also off-limits. Well, I could still say I hiked on the highest mountain in South Korea. I joined up with a hiking group (that's another thing--if you're hiking alone, other hikers will always be quick to adopt you) and me and my new friend Su Hyeon* passed the time practicing the other's language. The trail eventually flattened out to a boardwalk. We followed it to an overlook of a nicerainy bank of clouds.
A particularly flattering picture
Well, at least we still had food. And lots of it. We followed the boardwalk to where it circled around a small, ghostly lake, and broke out the kimbap, hard-boiled eggs, plums, and kimchi. And on the way back, we saw a white-tailed deer. It looked like in light of the stormy weather, the namesake of the crater lake had come down to see me.
I took the cross-country bus and found my way back to the minbak--this time without getting lost. The storm was right on my heels. That night, as my friends and I slept, the winds picked up and the heat went on and off. I woke up to the howling winds scratching at the windows early in the morning. It was so pitch-black out that I couldn't see anything. Still half-asleep, I drifted down the hall to the bathroom. In the middle of conducting business, the rattles became successively louder. I looked up, blinking, to see that the ceiling was sinking in. Any second, and it could collapse.
That woke me up. I went and alerted the owner, who was busy hammering down panels in the men's bathroom.
This was my first hurricane, so to speak. The entire world was engulfed in rain, hammering against the roof and splattering across windows. The electricity tried valiantly to stay on. My friends and I holed up in the neighboring restaurant for a while, our sole source for food. During a break in the rain, my friend and I ventured outside. Gnarly trees had been blown back flat, and debris whirled through the air. The owner called urgently for us to come inside. Although we couldn't understand all of what he said, the finger he drew across his throat made it clear: the wind was whipping old rusty roof panels around like toys, panels that were easily sharp enough to decapitate.
By evening, the typhoon died down. We all breathed a collective sigh of relief. We were ready for the sun-drenched beaches and swimming beckoning on the south side.
Beach at twilight
*Names have been changed for the sake of privacy. Disclaimer: The above is depicted as fiction, not fact.
[image error]Images courtesy of http://tripdice.com/asia-tour/beauty-...
Home of an UNESCO World Heritage Site: the Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes. I guarantee that you will visit at least one museum on your stay here, because Jeju Island offers the most unique collection of museums I've ever come across. There is the Chocolate Museum in southern Seogwipo City for chocolate lovers. There is the cuddly Teddy Bear Museum--again in Seogwipo--home to generations of teddy bears, over a hundred years in the making. And then there are the Sex Museums--three of them! "Love Land" is an outdoors sculpture park in northern Jeju City that offers a romp through a garden of creatively altered anatomical parts. The Health and Sex Museum near Seogwipo takes on a more "Ancient Rome" feel, with white pillars, grand murals, and videos designed to educate about the history of sex in various cultures of the world. One exhibition featured the Chinese foot-binding "Lotus Shoe." Alas, I did not make it to three out of three, but there is also a World Eros Museum/Museum of Erotica under the Seogwipo World Cup Stadium.
Chocolate lips! 
A very cuddly teddy bear
Yeah, all you're getting is a picture of Lotus shoes.
Ahem. On to more serious matters.
We flew into Jeju Airport on the northern part of the island. After spending a night in Jeju City, we set off from the Intercity Bus Terminal due west, to circle around the island. Our lodging was a wonderful find--a comfortable 민박, or minbak, just off the main highway in southwestern Jeju, about a thirty minute bus ride from Jungmun Resort (중문관광단).
What is a minbak? Minbak are homestay-style lodging, sometimes with the added bonus of a bed-and-breakfast, and offer great deals, as low as 15,000 won a night (roughly 15 dollars). Our room had ondol, the heated flooring system, roll-out beds, and a TV. The showers were down the hall, and a restaurant was just through the sliding doors, which offered delicious fish and seaweed soup (a version of 미육국), as well as the wonderful instant coffee brand--Maxim--after. At least five side dishes came with the main course, ranging from kimchi to purple rice. The minbak was a nice stay in an idyllic countryside, far outside of the city...little did we know, the "idyllic" part was about to be tested.
GEPIK (Gyeonggi-do Province) Foreign English teachers typically get twenty vacation days when school is out of session, so you've gotta take advantage and go traveling while you can. My friends and I hightailed it over to Jeju-Do at the end of July, eager to get away from the downpour of monsoon rain engulfing the rest of our province. However, Jeju-Do attracts infamous typhoons during the summer months, and we were about to go toe-to-toe with one.
Now, I've been obsessed with Hallasan, the highest mountain in South Korea, from the moment my overseas job became a reality. It's a sleeping shield volcano that last erupted in 1007. During its slumber, the sapphire-blue "White Deer Lake" filled its crater, and in June, pink azaleas erupt up and down the slopes like wildfire. It is one of three spots making up the UNESCO world heritage site on Jeju. Sounds awesome, right? Yes, of course it is. I had no idea when I was going to be back on Jeju-Do again. With the typhoon poised to strike soon, there was no doubt in my mind: I was going to climb Mt. Halla, with or without the weather's blessing.
Image courtesy of: http://farrahsays.wordpress.com/tag/j... My friends had doubts. Considerable doubts. As in, "yeah...rain, wind, and foggy conditions? No thanks." They wisely decided to stay behind. Refusing to be deterred, I was out and waiting for the bus at 6 am.
It turned out to be a good idea I left so early, because my bus information was out-of-date. I wound up in Donghong-dong, stood around, puzzled, and then caught a bus that said it was going to a town where I could transfer and catch a bus up to Hallsan.
Phew.
This transfer bus stop proved to be the most elusive yet, as I stood in a roundabout and slowly deciphered the bus stop signs, none of which were the ones I was looking for. I talked to bus drivers, and each time, we came away from the conversation half-understanding each other. They kept telling me to go back down the road, but I had no idea what exactly they were directing me to. I stood out here like an albino peacock, so naturally, everyone was concerned. One young soldier came up and asked me, "Are you O.K.?" Not really. After all, it was nearly 10, so I'd completely lost my early morning start.
It was then that I saw it: the North Face jacket. When you hike in South Korea, you will come to find that every hiker is always immaculately dressed in North Face (or Red Face) gear, while you toddle along in sweatpants and a rain poncho. I followed the jacket down to-- Yes! Hiking boots! I ran over to the hiker and asked if he was going to Hallasan. He wasn't! But he pointed me down an alleyway that I must have walked past a dozen times. There was an express bus terminal with buses heading up to the pass. I flung myself on the first one and was on my way.
Perhaps because I had worked so hard to get there, I didn't mind so much that Hallsan was completely smothered in fog, giving me no chance of a view whatsoever. Also, because of the stormy conditions, the mysterious crater lake was also off-limits. Well, I could still say I hiked on the highest mountain in South Korea. I joined up with a hiking group (that's another thing--if you're hiking alone, other hikers will always be quick to adopt you) and me and my new friend Su Hyeon* passed the time practicing the other's language. The trail eventually flattened out to a boardwalk. We followed it to an overlook of a nicerainy bank of clouds.
A particularly flattering picture Well, at least we still had food. And lots of it. We followed the boardwalk to where it circled around a small, ghostly lake, and broke out the kimbap, hard-boiled eggs, plums, and kimchi. And on the way back, we saw a white-tailed deer. It looked like in light of the stormy weather, the namesake of the crater lake had come down to see me.
I took the cross-country bus and found my way back to the minbak--this time without getting lost. The storm was right on my heels. That night, as my friends and I slept, the winds picked up and the heat went on and off. I woke up to the howling winds scratching at the windows early in the morning. It was so pitch-black out that I couldn't see anything. Still half-asleep, I drifted down the hall to the bathroom. In the middle of conducting business, the rattles became successively louder. I looked up, blinking, to see that the ceiling was sinking in. Any second, and it could collapse.
That woke me up. I went and alerted the owner, who was busy hammering down panels in the men's bathroom.
This was my first hurricane, so to speak. The entire world was engulfed in rain, hammering against the roof and splattering across windows. The electricity tried valiantly to stay on. My friends and I holed up in the neighboring restaurant for a while, our sole source for food. During a break in the rain, my friend and I ventured outside. Gnarly trees had been blown back flat, and debris whirled through the air. The owner called urgently for us to come inside. Although we couldn't understand all of what he said, the finger he drew across his throat made it clear: the wind was whipping old rusty roof panels around like toys, panels that were easily sharp enough to decapitate.
By evening, the typhoon died down. We all breathed a collective sigh of relief. We were ready for the sun-drenched beaches and swimming beckoning on the south side.
Beach at twilight*Names have been changed for the sake of privacy. Disclaimer: The above is depicted as fiction, not fact.
February 8, 2013
Year of the Wolf Quiz
Could you survive in Citlalli's Seoul? Take this quiz and find out!
Goodreads Quiz Year of the Wolf Quiz
Goodreads Quiz Year of the Wolf Quiz
January 29, 2013
Create A Riveting E-Book Cover...in Powerpoint
Very few people are blessed with mad artistic skills as well as writing ability, which leads most indie authors to dread the cover image creation process. That small little rectangle on the screen with your title and name scrunched in is the first impression readers will have of your e-book, before they even get to the book description. That being said, the text and sharpness of image must be just as clear on the product description page as it is on the e-reader. Make sure to check your final cover image on a variety of views in JPEG format by zooming in and out.
Cover Image Requirements:
Amazon.com: 600x800 pixels
Smashwords.com (Imports to Apple, Barnes and Noble, Sony, ect.): 1600x2400 pixels
Cover Image Options:
1. Hire A Cover Designer
Quick Steps: Check out your favorite self-published e-books. See an Indie cover you like? Look who the cover design is by. Contact them via email to receive quotes.The cost will range, depending on what you want done. Some packages are available for $100-200. Other professional designs that include custom illustrations can range from $500-1000.
No idea where to start? The Kindle Boards have a list of artsy folks:
http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php/topic,123703.0.html
2. Create the cover yourself using public domain images/stock photos
Public Domain Images: free images for use that are not under intellectual property rights. Always examine a "public domain" image carefully for licensing agreements, however.
Stock Photos: a collection of random images to be used for creative purposes-at a cost, available on a variety of websites. Stock photos can be as little as a dollar to hundreds of dollars, depending on the size and resolution. Make sure you read contracts carefully to understand what the copyright limitations are for that photo. If you are using a stock photo with a model who is identifiable in any way, make sure the website has negotiated a model release, meaning the model is giving their permission to use their image to create and sell. (This is also important if you've decided to create your own original artwork and are using a friend as a model, for example.)
www.istockphoto.com I have worked with www.istockphoto.com for my book covers without complaint. The website can be on the pricier side, but a little extra for imagination and quality will matter that much more to readers. Plus, istockphoto.com always negotiates model releases, gives you a legal guarantee, and offers a wide range of how the image can be used for e-book authors. (In print, the image can be used for book covers up to 499,999 times, before it requires one of their extended licenses.)
Create the E-Book Cover:Most Important: At the beginning of the post, you noticed that Amazon.com asks for your final book cover image to be 600x800 pixels, while Smashwords.com recently changed their cover requirements to 1600x2400. Always keep these in mind when buying images, as stock websites like istockphoto.com will offer you a variety of photo sizes to choose from. You might have heard the saying, it's easier to scale an image down than to make it larger, and it's true- no one wants to try and resize their cover image pixel count in Paint and wind up with a blurry image.
However, I bought the original YEAR OF THE WOLF cover at 1132x1696 pixels and was able to make it work for both retailers. How? I followed fellow author William King's steps for creating an e-book cover yourself in Powerpoint. I give full kudos to Mr. King for his clever thinking and conciseness:
http://www.williamking.me/2012/02/22/create-your-own-ebook-cover-step-by-step-with-pictures/
Mr. King has written instructions for importing a 600x800 cover to Amazon.com. For Smashwords.com, when you are setting up the slide's dimensions, simply play around with the ratio. For example, I set my slide's dimensions to 16.7 by 25 inches, and then followed Mr. King's steps. When I saved the slide as a JPEG photo, it clocked in at 1603x2400 pixels.
Check Your Pixels:
Unsure about the pixel count? Hover over the JPEG image icon to see the dimensions. Or open the image up in Paint and check for the Pixels--PX--count along the bottom blue tab.
Public Domain and Stockphoto Websites:
Ready to shop around for cover images? Start at these websites:
1. www.istockphoto.com
2. www.dreamstime.com
3. www.shutterstock.com
4. www.publicdomainpictures.net (free and commercial use)
5. http://www.public-domain-photos.com (free)
6. www.flickr.com (check licensing restrictions)
7. www.sxc.hu (free)
*If you are a cover designer who would like to be featured, send me a message.
Sources:
1. King, William. "Create Your Own Ebook Cover, Step by Step, With Pictures." 02/22/2012. Accessed January 2013. http://www.williamking.me/2012/02/22/....
Cover Image Requirements:
Amazon.com: 600x800 pixels
Smashwords.com (Imports to Apple, Barnes and Noble, Sony, ect.): 1600x2400 pixels
Cover Image Options:
1. Hire A Cover Designer
Quick Steps: Check out your favorite self-published e-books. See an Indie cover you like? Look who the cover design is by. Contact them via email to receive quotes.The cost will range, depending on what you want done. Some packages are available for $100-200. Other professional designs that include custom illustrations can range from $500-1000.
No idea where to start? The Kindle Boards have a list of artsy folks:
http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php/topic,123703.0.html
2. Create the cover yourself using public domain images/stock photos
Public Domain Images: free images for use that are not under intellectual property rights. Always examine a "public domain" image carefully for licensing agreements, however.
Stock Photos: a collection of random images to be used for creative purposes-at a cost, available on a variety of websites. Stock photos can be as little as a dollar to hundreds of dollars, depending on the size and resolution. Make sure you read contracts carefully to understand what the copyright limitations are for that photo. If you are using a stock photo with a model who is identifiable in any way, make sure the website has negotiated a model release, meaning the model is giving their permission to use their image to create and sell. (This is also important if you've decided to create your own original artwork and are using a friend as a model, for example.)
www.istockphoto.com I have worked with www.istockphoto.com for my book covers without complaint. The website can be on the pricier side, but a little extra for imagination and quality will matter that much more to readers. Plus, istockphoto.com always negotiates model releases, gives you a legal guarantee, and offers a wide range of how the image can be used for e-book authors. (In print, the image can be used for book covers up to 499,999 times, before it requires one of their extended licenses.)
Create the E-Book Cover:Most Important: At the beginning of the post, you noticed that Amazon.com asks for your final book cover image to be 600x800 pixels, while Smashwords.com recently changed their cover requirements to 1600x2400. Always keep these in mind when buying images, as stock websites like istockphoto.com will offer you a variety of photo sizes to choose from. You might have heard the saying, it's easier to scale an image down than to make it larger, and it's true- no one wants to try and resize their cover image pixel count in Paint and wind up with a blurry image.
However, I bought the original YEAR OF THE WOLF cover at 1132x1696 pixels and was able to make it work for both retailers. How? I followed fellow author William King's steps for creating an e-book cover yourself in Powerpoint. I give full kudos to Mr. King for his clever thinking and conciseness:
http://www.williamking.me/2012/02/22/create-your-own-ebook-cover-step-by-step-with-pictures/
Mr. King has written instructions for importing a 600x800 cover to Amazon.com. For Smashwords.com, when you are setting up the slide's dimensions, simply play around with the ratio. For example, I set my slide's dimensions to 16.7 by 25 inches, and then followed Mr. King's steps. When I saved the slide as a JPEG photo, it clocked in at 1603x2400 pixels.
Check Your Pixels:
Unsure about the pixel count? Hover over the JPEG image icon to see the dimensions. Or open the image up in Paint and check for the Pixels--PX--count along the bottom blue tab.
Public Domain and Stockphoto Websites:
Ready to shop around for cover images? Start at these websites:
1. www.istockphoto.com
2. www.dreamstime.com
3. www.shutterstock.com
4. www.publicdomainpictures.net (free and commercial use)
5. http://www.public-domain-photos.com (free)
6. www.flickr.com (check licensing restrictions)
7. www.sxc.hu (free)
*If you are a cover designer who would like to be featured, send me a message.
Sources:
1. King, William. "Create Your Own Ebook Cover, Step by Step, With Pictures." 02/22/2012. Accessed January 2013. http://www.williamking.me/2012/02/22/....
January 17, 2013
Hiking in the Backbone of South Korea: Seorak San National Park 설악산 국립공원
TUCKED away in the eastern corner of South Korea is a dramatic crown of mountain tops plunging into the ocean: Seorak San National Park, spanning over 150 miles of peaks in the Taebaek Mountain Range. They are dressed in shades of fiery red in fall, glacial blue in winter, andcherry blossom pink in spring. The park is named after the third tallest mountain in South Korea: Seorak, so named because for the longest time, the snow never melted.
We caught a bus from the East Seoul Terminal which took us over the pass and into little seaside Sokcho City in two hours. Just around the corner was the House Hostel, which had fantastic English-speaking service (Their website is available in Korean, English, and Japanese). The owner’s son sat down with us and helped map out the highlights of the area: Wangshi Riku Hanmadang, the rustic all-you-can-eat seafood buffet for 8,000 won (6 dollars), and Seorak Waterpia, a steamy hot springs--the perfect end to a day spent trekking the well-maintained trails of Seorak San.
The 7 and 7-1 bus take you straight to the park entrance. We headed past the statue of the rare Asiatic black bear, and followed the overhanging string of colorful lanterns out into the wilderness. The scent of incense lingered in the air, offerings to a gigantic bronze Buddha housed in a broad pavilion.
From there, well-marked trails split off, each leading to a spectacularly different hidden treasure: the Biryong Falls trail is leisurely and well-suited for families, and leads directly along the gorge. Iron cages protect hikers from the slippery rocks and mists. A more moderate hike that does involve a harrowing staircase up a cliff face is Geumganggeul Cave. The hike is well-traveled up to a red bridge and restaurant hidden up the valley, but upon emerging from the tree lines, the stairs go on for what can seem like forever. It’s well worth it. The cave itself is a slim doorway overlooking a vast sea of trees: emerald in springtime, and a halo of fire in autumn. This cave is, in fact, a Buddhist shrine, an ideal place to meditate with only the wind to whisper in your ear.
The highlight day climb of the park, which can be done by all age groups if properly equipped, is Ulsanbawi Rock. The trail is a ponderous climb through the misty valley floor, in which tiny Buddha statues wink at you from the arms of cherry trees, past the steady beat of a local monastery’s drum, and then, finally, to the foot of a worn red staircase. You’ll be all too familiar with stairs by this point, and the climb to the summit can be eerie, surrounded on all sides by rolling fog. In the brief breaks, the steep granite faces plunging down on either side of you are mesmerizing, but take advantage of it quickly: all too soon, waves of clouds will swallow the view whole. We were surprised by several showers on our way up; the Koreans we fell into company with instantly pulled out umbrellas or donned ponchos. The range of ages was a surprise—the young, twenty-somethings were failing to represent; instead, a fleet of grandmothers and grandfathers charged their way up those steps. Round trip will take anywhere from 3-5 hours depending on experience level with Stairmaster. (This is a hike you definitely want to take time to enjoy)
When we saw the Korean flag waving at the summit, we all celebrated together. Winds whipped about our ears and plunged into endless chasms, and a whole range of mountains bucked up and down like a rodeo for as far as the eye could see. This was the whole of Seoraksan, one of the most unique national parks I’ve seen in my travels; it’s a view so incredible that you welcome the rain and the roaming fog—it only makes the rugged backbone of peaks more extraordinary.
For serious backpackers, there are more multi-day hikes available into the back country, such as the famous Dinosaur Ridge (Gongryong) that spans 13 up-and-down miles. It’s advised never to hike alone, but the Koreans are quite friendly and curious about foreigners they encounter on the trails. My recommendation is to bring along extra snack food, because you might find yourself sharing some kimbap—popular rice rolls wrapped in seaweed—with that elderly Korean woman you’re fighting to keep up with.
For more information on Seorak San National Park, visit: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264211.
January 16, 2013
YEAR OF THE WOLF available in multiple E-Book Formats
YEAR OF THE WOLF has expanded to Smashwords.com, a wonderful e-book website that includes e-reading formats for PDF, RTF, Nook, Sony Reader, Apple iTunes, and more!
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/274894
Book II, YEAR OF THE TIGER, is still under exclusive contact with Amazon.com, but will also be available on Smashwords.com on April 5, 2013.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/274894
Book II, YEAR OF THE TIGER, is still under exclusive contact with Amazon.com, but will also be available on Smashwords.com on April 5, 2013.
