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ROCK CLIMBING CAMP

Leaving Seoul on Saturday morning everyone seemed upbeat and friendly which was to set the tone for the whole weekend. The sun was shining, the bus was full, nobody complained too much about the movie we watched and there was an abundance of drums, a recipe for a good trip I think. When we arrived at Mungyeong we quickly found our rooms and made our way the short distance to the nearby waterfall where some of the braver among us decided to numb their sensory nerves, disrobe and hop in. At least it was a sign that this was not going to be a weekend where people were too shy to talk to each other. A moment of respect to the chef here, the lunch that followed was excellent!
Shortly after our poor instructors set about trying to teach us how to attach our harnesses but not many of us got it first time. There was some stretching and then some hiking and there we were, looking at our first wall (or victim as Chadley seemed to feel). How difficult it was depends on who you ask I suppose but it was definitely made easier by the heckling we all provided from the comfort and security of the ground. Still, after the quick climb the view was pretty rewarding. As the small area around the tree on top got crowded people began the return journey and it seemed that most people took to it pretty well. It wasn’t far but I think most of us took our time as our instructors and Ripley calmly reassured us that we weren’t falling to our demise. We moved on to our next destination which was going to be down only. No climbing, just falling with grace. Granted we were in single file but I don’t remember seeing anyone looking terribly nervous about the 35 metre descent. Glancing down wasn’t always the best idea mind you. At any rate the whole thing went off without a hitch and we were soon all smiling at the bottom watching the last few who seemed a lot more graceful then the rest of us. Seok jin offered a second round for five fool hardy souls and off we went. The second time was easier and afforded the chance to savour the whole thing a bit more…for those of us who took more then quarter of a minute about it. We gathered firewood as we headed home and there followed a mission for snacks, drinks and alcohol. It shows what teaching in Korea does to you, not happy with spending the day bouncing off rocks many people came back with arms laden with alcohol and the smiles of folk with nothing to lose. Fire and more great food got the ball rolling. Before long some of the company were drumming up a storm. We played a game that proves you can make an inuendo out of anything with some frank admissions of pornstar names. It was a good night and stories were exchanged of water aversion and mysterious arrests in the American Mid West.
No one was too unhappy the next morning, at least no one complained too much over coffee and toast. We eventually headed on to Juryang-san (I can’t spell in English so don’t assume Korean will be any better). It was a steep and at times challenging hike but it was a lot quieter than many Korean mountains and the surroundings were stunning. We really lucked out on the weather as it was actually pretty hot. No casualties except a near miss with a bag and some tired folk by the time we sat down to our carefully prepared sandwiches. Still, no one was complaining about a hang over at least. We headed on and reached the summit just as most of us were nearing the end of our tether. Lucky enough the return journey was quick and pretty easy. We were a happy bunch when we reached the bottom. We said good bye to our guides, their magic dog and determined kids and headed for Seoul. Course I didn’t make it to Seoul I was too busy misleading Matt and Juleen to the bus terminal in Chongju which is not, as I realised later, Cheongju. All in all, a memorable weekend!

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