Namhansanseong Fortress—

I’ve always wanted to travel to China to see the famous “Great Wall.” Sadly, my finances and schedule have restrained me from marching straight to the airport. Lucky for me, I got my fortress fix this past weekend – right outside of Seoul!

Some Korean friends of mine asked if I wanted to go hiking. Thinking it was going to be just any ol’ hike, I shrugged and said, “Sure.” To my great surprise, we arrived at a massive mountain with an equally enormous fortress wall. Okay so it’s not the “Great Wall,” but it’s still pretty damn cool.

                              
There are several hiking routes one can take. Due to my noob hiking status, my friends were gracious enough to suggest the shortest hike. It took about an hour and a half. It could have been done in a shorter span of time, but my wheezing and panting delayed us. I’m sure the main factor was that I am desperately out of shape, but there were some mean inclines!

The fortress wall looms three to seven meters high and runs about nine kilometers long. The highest point of the area is at an impressive 453 meters (I didn't quite make it that far). The wall snakes around Namhan Mountain and has a terrific view of Seoul and its outer regions all along the wall. The fortress was built in 672 to protect the Silla Dynasty from China. (I thought this was kind of funny. China builds a wall to ward off invaders, Korea builds a wall to ward off China). I wish I was more of a history buff so I could give more information, but this is what I managed to gather when I wasn’t sweating my face off.    
     

Thirty minutes into the hike, I begged my friends for a break and we veered off the course a little ways for some refreshing “makkoli” (Korean traditional rice wine). After quenching our thirst, we continued up. Along the way we discovered neat, hidden passageways and quiet, secluded areas.

            

After burning some major calories, our stomachs began to grumble and groan for food. We made our way back to the bottom of the mountain to the main street, which boasts several restaurants. The specialties are “Mak Gook Soo” (막국수), a cold noodle dish similar to “Naengmyun” (냉면), and “Ddalk Baeksoo” (닭백숙), a chicken soup dish similar to “Samgyetang” (삼계탕).

I haven’t done much hiking around Korea. When I went to Seoraksan, I cheated and took the cable car up. Where are some of the best hiking spots you’ve been to? I figure if I’m going to become a true hiker, I should start slow. As always, suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

How to get there:

By subway – Take Line #8 to Sanseong Station, Exit 2. Take City Bus #9 and get off at Namhansanseong bus stop. (approximately 20 minutes)

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