Bukhansan National Park, Seoul

A great way to escape the city on a nice day, highly recommended !

We went to hike the mountain at Bukhansan in 2017 celebrating our honeymoon. I could go on about the many wonderful sights, the arduous hike, and gracious fellow travelers,however, one experience here has stayed heavy in my heart. As we climbed higher and higher, we were greeted by the most gentle dog belonging to who I presume is the owner of the restaurant that was right up ahead. He gently guided us to his home and we were relieved to know we could get a hot meal after a tiring hike. There is a nice elder lady who greeted us and offered us hot noodles and water. We gladly accepted. As she proceeded to open the prepackaged noodles and put hot water in the cups, we came to the sudden realization that the cash we had brought along with us on the hike had slipped through my pants pockets and we had no way to pay her. She also did not have the capability to accept credit cards. Much to her dismay, we communicated via sign language (because we don’t speak Korean) that we had no money to give her. The elder lady started yelling and screaming at us, presumably because we just had her open up cups of noodles and go through all the effort without being able to pay for it. We were embarrassed and were told to leave, not surprisingly. The scolding was reminiscent of how our own mothers and grandmothers used to yell and scream at us for being insolent or otherwise just plain dumb. Then came the part which still brings tears to my eyes. She chased after us as we were beginning the final leg of our trek up the mountain. In the most universal motherly way, she continued to yell at us, I assume cursed in Korean while demanding that we eat the noodles and drink water before heading up the mountain. She made sure we finished every last bit of noodle. We apologized profusely for being unable to pay and for her to still allow us to eat our meal and not challenge the mountain on an empty stomach. I still feel guilt today for not being able to repay this woman’s kindness. She brought back fond memories of our childhood scoldings and fond memories of our loving grandparents. It was an experience that we will never forget. It is the experience that defined the best of South Korea. I don’t know when we will be able to return to this beautiful land but I have a request for anyone who reads this review. If you happen to run into the old lady (hajima?) at the restaurant near the top of Mount Bhukansan, please pay her an extra $10 USD for your meal. We may not have been the only senseless travelers she had offered to feed for free. We long to return the favor to her some day.