Leg 34: Mukho Station to Okgye Market

 

While I rested in my room after completing the hike from the day before, there was a rattle, as though a large truck had gone by outside my motel.  I found out later that a fairly large earthquake had shaken the country in the south.  It was barely noticeable in Donghae, but it was quite a trembler down in Gyeongju.  But it wasn’t about to stop me, particularly with its small effect where I was, hundreds of kilometres to the north.  And that made me pause for just a moment.  I had passed by Gyeongju in the spring.  And since then I had walk/hiked three or four hundred kilometres.  It was quite impressive.

In the morning, I got up and headed out for more of the trail.  The leg marker signs suggested that Mukho Station was historic and nice.  However, it looked a bit dingy to me.

But with the daylight, the red light district was not open.  So I could take a photo of it.  It still seemed a bit of an odd choice for the trail route.  However, it was not up to me.  I am going to write to the Korea Tourism Organization to let them a few things about this trail, but the route is their business.

The trail led up and away from Donghae’s harbour area, onto a hill above the town.  There were lots of murals again, showing what I think must have been regular-ish sights in the area.

And then there was this, an apparent celebration of the lowly outhouse.  Odd…

A view back on the town showed how nice the day looked to be.  I was looking forward to a nice hike.

The sea was fairly rambunctious on this day.

And the toll of the seas on our puny constructions was in evidence.  A wall seemed in need of repair after the continuous pounding of the relentless sea.

Also in evidence was an increased presence of military precautions.  North Korea is a belligerent neighbour, and they have tried to put people ashore in the past.  Trying to prevent that, formidable fencing began to be in evidence, guarding unpopulated coast, unfrequented beaches, and river openings.

Towards the end of the leg, it was up into the hills and away from the coast.  There were nice rice fields and rolling hills…

…and more tombs above the little village where the trail ended at a market in a little village in the hills at the edge of the next large section of the trail, Gangneung.  It was a great place to stop for lunch.