The BBQ dinner at the up-market Korean hotel complete with 'Mama-Mia' playing at full blast on a huge TV screen was brought to an abrubt halt when the storms arrived very quickly - first the TV screen was blown out by the wind, quickly followed by the BBQ tents, and buffet displays. The brits kept the composure and continued to eat whilst chaos rained all around - holding onto beer glasses and plates.
Riding south from Sokcho the next morning, we saw more evidence of general precautions against the sudden storms - lashed trees;
From the coast line we took a lovely little detour up into the mountains in Naksan Provincial Park, a fantastic roller coaster climb from sea level to 1000m in only a few miles, snaking up throught the treelined roads. At the top, an image that would soon become common place, crops planted on almost every inch of level ground;
In fact as the day wore on, we marvelled at the meticulous crop fields that crammed into tiny valleys and were planted hard up to the road edge. Everywhere;
A further climb up the mountain to some monument or other (with a budda)...
After a fantastic blast on the twisties down the mountain, we got back to the coast road, where the barbed wire fences we had read about (to keep North Korean's out), were on prominent display, complete with military personnel armed with machine guns!!
Unification park (on the coast) contained a North Korean submarine, captured in the mid 90's of the South Korean coast - this sub is 35m long, and was manned by 30 men!
A little bittle of luxury for lunch - no kimchi, and no seafood in sight, all in view of the beach;
We'd enjoyed the roads a little too much today, and crawled into the hotel in the dark - and guess what was playing - bleedin' Abba...
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