Seokmodo: A Quick Escape

By Michael Schreiber

The ferry leaves the shore of Ganghwa Island while the sea breeze starts blowing into the passengers' faces. Suddenly the world seems a little bit quieter. Two lines take you in either five or 15 minutes to the tiny island of Seokmodo, whose main attraction is a temple hiding in the hills.

Said to have been founded in the 7th century, Bomun Temple is reached from the island's main road, after going past a line of restaurants serving Seokmodo's famous crab stew and other colorful seafood dishes.

A steep incline lined with trees leads to a huge natural grotto, a lying Buddha statue and a pagoda surrounded by an amphitheater with sitting statues. After resting under an enormous, 600-year-old tree, travelers have to take a few hundred steps up Mt. Haemyeong to get to a Buddha image carved into the mountain's rock. Though it currently is almost completely hidden by scaffolding, the view alone is well worth the effort.

The narrow road going around the island invites visitors to rent a bike when getting off the ferry, but shuttle buses are also available. Surrounded by rice fields, the sea on one side and the 400 meters high hills on the other, the journey itself makes for a relaxing experience.

The ferry terminal in Oepo-ri can be reached by bus from Sinchon Intercity Bus Terminal in Seoul in about two hours or from Ganghwa-eup's bus terminal. A return trip on the ferries is 2,000 won per person, and 14,000 per car.