Jeonbuk Jeongeup Naejangsan Naejangsa Temple –Tour

1.     Date and Time : Oct 26, 2018 12:00~ 15:00 ( 3 hours including 1 hour break).

2.     Location : Jeongeup District at Jeonbuk Province in Korea.

3. Distance and Course : Tour Course on foot is about 7.8km for 3 hours which is to start at the Parking Lot No 2 => Ticket Booth for Naejangsan Entrance => Naejangsan Temple Main Gate => Uwhajeong  (Octagonal Pavilion at Pond) => Back to the Parking Lot No 2 through Naejangsa Temple Main Gate. Please refer to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMo_U6xp4RA&t=32s

4.     Access :

There is several ways to connect “Seoul Central City Bus Terminal connecting at subway lines No. 3, 7 and 9 where you should get on Express bus line bound for Jeongeup Intercity Bus Terminal, non-stop and taking 2 hours and 55 minutes. When you get off at the Jeongeup Terminal, you should walk to Yeongi Apt Bus Stop taking 4 minute for 295m. Please get on local bus No. 171 and get off at Heoryeong Bus Stop taking 36 minutes for 20 bus stop passing. You then should walk as soon as get off taking 27 minutes for 1.8km as a tour. Please refer more details to the “Transportation from Seoul Central City Bus Terminal to Naejangsa Temple”. You could simply take reverse course on your way back home. I could estimate total transportation is about 4 hour plus 30 minutes (waiting interval time) for one way which comes total 9 hours for round trip. But you would reduce this transportation time to 7 hours for round trip in case you use private car or rent car which you could save two hours for the transportation.

5.  Overall Remarks.

Naejangsa Temple is located in the midst of the beautiful Naejangsan National Park. The temple is said to have been built by the Buddhist monk Yeongeunjosa in the year 636 of the Baekje dynasty. Once a large temple with over fifty buildings, Naejangsa was completely destroyed throughout the course of Jeongyujaeran (second Japanese invasion in 1597) and the Korean War (1950-1953). The present temple is largely the result of reconstruction efforts completed in the 1970s. One of the most prized treasures at the temple is the Ijo-dongjong Bell, considered a major cultural asset.

Naejangsan Temple is a representative temple of Jeollabuk-do Province along with Geumsansa Temple on Moaksan Mountain. Surrounded on all sides by towering peaks, Naejangsa Temple boasts a picturesque landscape that is particularly striking in the fall when the mountains turn crimson with autumn leaves. Nearby attractions include Baegyangsa Temple, Bangjangsan Mountain, Jangseongho Lake, and Damyangho Lake.

6.  Detailed Course Information

I have been visiting Naejangsa Temple long time ago which I could not remember when last time. I decided to take a trip together with wife and checked when would be a best time to take a tours and learned around Nov 3 this year. I had to take a choice how to get down there by personal car or tourist transportation. I knew there should be thousand or more cars moving to the Naejangsa to see peak colorful maple trees around the Naejangsa Temple. There should be a massive traffic jam on the road from Jeongeup Train Station to Naejangsan Parking Lot. I therefore booked two seat at Korail Travel to less stress for such heavy traffic jam. I left Seoul ITX Station at 06:40 hour and arrived at 10:25 hour as scheduled and walked to local transportation bus at the Jeongeup Train Station and found there were tremendous cars on the road. My bus was to start to move to the Naejangsa and almost completely stuck on the road. We hardly arrived at Naejangsan parking lot No. 2 after nearly two hours jam, about nun time. Please note it should take less than half an hour under normal traffic conditions. We had to solve lunch first of all and found order lunch menu was also heavy que jam and asked working girls at the restaurant, even not read menu which menu should be shortest delivery. She said Sanchae Bibimbab. We promptly accepted her recommending menu and waiting for some time and eventually took a chance to take Bibimbab without any review time for Bibimbab quality. When I sanded up at the table and moved to the cash counter and saw one more que. I came out and started to move forward to Naejangsa temple where I started to see colorful trees on the mountains. But I could not speed up walking on the road because so many people here and there on the road. We walked on the road for about half an hour via ticket booth and found so beautiful trees on the mountain as well as Park Area where many people tried to take excellent position under best maple trees. When we walked on the road, we faced so nice view of maple trees lining up at the road as see at the photo. We walked on this road for about 10 minutes and faced so excellent view of colorful trees at the Stream. Please see the photo. As we walked on the stream side road for 10 minutes more, we reached Uwhajeong-Octagonal Pavilion at the pond which looks so wonderful scenery especially reflecting shadow on the pond. Please appreciate at the photo herein. We were continuously walking on the road for about 10 minutes and reached Naejangsa Temple Main Gate as see at the photo. I could not make a best position to take an excellent shot since too many people to take a best shot at the Gate. We could finally reach Naejangsa Temple after more than one hour waking from starting point and shortly looked around indie and outside and tried to take best shot position to Naejangsan Rock peaks behind the Temple. I found the best position to make shots around the temple. We checked meeting time with tour guide and confirmed 16:30 hour at the Parking Lot No. 2 and started to somewhat busy walking down to Parking Lot No. 2 and got on the same local transportation bus as we took this morning and back to the Jeongeup Train Station less than 30 minutes, big difference between more than 1 hour 30 minutes this morning while less than half an hour at present. Anyhow we got on the same train as we used this morning and back to the Seoul ITX Station on schedule. As a conclusion, we with my wife agreed unanimously we shall not take this kind of so crowded and rushed tour any more. 

                  

Jeonbuk Wanju Daedunsan Mountain Hike in Korea- Course 1 and 2 via Cable Car Station Course

1.     Date and Time : Oct 31, 2018 09:00~12:00 (3 hours with including round trip cable car transportation).

2.     Location: . . Wanju-District, Jeollabuk-Province and Geumsan-District, Nonsan-City, Chungcheongnam-Province.  

3. Distance and Course : About 5.0km. Course is to start at Cable Car High Station => Samseon Stairs => Heypgok Samgueri-Gorge Junction => Daedunsan Summit (878m Altitude) => Yongmungol => Back to the Cable Car High Station. Please see Hike Corse Map and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h97GZqi-4s4 

4.     Access :

There is several ways to connect “KTX Seoul Station” connecting by subway lines No. 1, 4 and AREX). Please walk to the KTX Seoul Station from the Subway Station taking 2 minutes for 240m and check boarding gate number at the information sign board and follows the information and get on KTX bound for Daejeon taking 50 minutes. When you get off at the Daejeon KTX Station, please walk to Daejeon Station Bus Stop taking 4 minute for 242m. You could get on local bus No. 413 and get off at Mueti Sagueri Bus Stop taking 18 minutes for 12 bus stop passing. Please change to local bus 34 there and get off at the Daedunsan Hyeugueso taking 50 minutes for 42 bus and walk to Daedunsan Cable Car Station taking 16 minutes for 1.1km. Please refer more details to the “Transportation from KTX Seoul Station to Daedunsan Cable Car Station”. You could simply take reverse course on your way back home. I could estimate total transportation is about 3 hours and half an hour including waiting times for one way which comes total 7 hours for round trip. But you would reduce this transportation time to 5 hours for round trip in case you use private car or rent car which you could save two hours for the transportation. 

5.     Overall Remarks.

A range of Noryeong mountain goes towards the Mangyeong plain in Gimje and forms an independent group of mountains, creating a scenic masterpiece. It is Daedunsan (Mt.). This mountain is also called Sogeumgang (Little Geumgang) in Honam. It forms wonderful rock peaks such as Chilseongbong (Peak) and Janggunbong (Peak) mixed with several mountain ranges that stretch out all around including Macheondae (878m), the summit of this mountain. The physical aspect is beautiful and graceful, harmonized with rocks like Samseonbawi (Rock), Yongmungul (Cave), Geumgangmun (Gate) and trees all around.
Especially the section between Macheondae and Nakjodae along with north ridge is a magnificent spectacle and the view of sunrise and sunset from Nakjodae is a masterpiece. It was designated as a provincial park and has become a new attraction with newly installed cable cars and Geumgang-gureumdari (Viaduct). Landing down from 5 minutes' ride in a cable car and going up steep steps, you'll see Geumgang-gureumdari which is 81m high and 50m long across Imgeumbawi (Rock) and Ipseokdae (Pedestal). There are also historic temples such as Taegosa (Temple) in Jinsan, Ansimsa (Temple) in Unju, Sinsounsa (Temple) in Byeolgok etc.

6.     Detailed Course Information

     I could come over to the Daedunsan Parking Lot somewhat before 9 o’clock and paid KRW 2,000- for parking fee and found only few cars were parked at the Parking Lot because of early in the morning. I found there were so elegant and spectacular mountains which look so beautiful landscape and picture along with colorful trees and mysterious rocks. When I came here from hotel this morning, I could easily recognize Daedunsan Mountain is there at far away since its landscape was not normal and mysterious. Anyhow I looked around and first of all checked the Hike Course Map at the Parking Lot and found there are two possible hike courses, the one Curse 1 starting from the Parking Lot area up to Macheondae Summit via Cable Car High Station and the other starting from Yongmungol Entrance to the Macheondae Summit via Yongmungol Samgeori. But I decided to combine Course 1 and 2 which means I will go up to Cable Car High Station by Cable Car and start to hike there and ascend the Course 1 up to Macheondae Summit and take Course 2 on the way down up to Yongmungol Samgeori (Junction) where I will turn right to head Cable Car High Station. When I got off the Cable Car, I recognized Daedunsan Course should be one of toughest hike course since steepness is not a normal level but extraordinary sloped course. I looked around at the Cable Car High Station and found there were many mysterious and wonderful Rocks here and there. I took such a nice and an excellent scene at the camera. I started to ascend the so steep steel stairs just out of the Cable car Station and struggled to walk up the stairs for about 5 minutes and reached junction where I could take either way 50m to the suspension bridge at left or 250m to Samseon Stairs. I made a choice to take right direction considering I could walk the suspension bridge on the way down from the Summit. But I could soon recognize I could go there to suspension bridge because I shall not return the Cable Car High Station through Course 1 after the Summit. I climbed to the Samseon Stair       from the junction for about 15 minutes walking through so steep wood stairs and rough rocky road and saw junction; either through narrow and deeply sloped steel stairs at left or through ordinary steel stairs at right. I took Samseon Steel Stairs at left and m oved a few steps and found this steel stairs were really and highly steeped steel stair road as see at the photo. I just moved up through so narrow and heavily inclined steel stairs step by step for two to three minutes and reached Samseon Rock Peak where I could see so great scenery of around rocks as see at the photo herein. I saw Macheondae Summit (878m altitude) at left and other splendid rocks at the observation on top of the Samseon Rock. Please see attached photo. I stated to climb again highly steeped rocky road and struggled to move these road for 15 minutes and reached junction at gorge where I could take a choice either going up 150m to the Macheondae Summit at left or going down 450m to the Yongmungol Samgeori at right. I took left direction road and walking up the Summit for about 10 minutes and finally touched down the 878m altitude Macheondae Summit and looked around the surrounding mountains. But I could not see the surrounding mountains around and instead some rock peaks around. As shortly took a look around, I started to descend the Summit and moved down about 20 minutes via gorge junction and faced rocky slippery road in front and very carefully passed the road. I looked back to the Summit and found clear and nice view of Macheondae Summit Monument which I was so closed that I could take whole Macheondae Monument. There was very small and limited space available at the top area in fact. I was continuously walking down on these road for about 15 minutes and met junction where I could take either way; 400m to Yongmungol Samgeori junction or 400m to Taegosa Temple at straight. I took a right way and started to downhill which was too deeply sloped and slippery rocky downhill to get down with normal attention or carefulness. I made remarkably carefully downhill and unsupported effort alone for about half an hour and touched next junction; either take one way between 570m to Cable Car Station at right or 70m to Chilseongbong Observation at left. I took a short brake and kept walking through somewhat sloped ridge road for about 40 minutes and finally returned Cable Car Upper Station where I could get down to the Parking Lot through Cable Car Lower Station. Please note it would take only 5 minutes from lower cable car Station to upper cable car station. I could of course walk through hike course 1 and 2, going up through Course 1 and get down through course 2 which would take more than 8 hours, too heavy for me at present.