Sleeping Arrangements

In my various travels crisscrossing the Korean peninsula, I've found myself (on countless occasions) facing the conundrum of exactly where to lay my weary head every night. Not one to feel the need to shell out lots of money for hotel rooms, I've been perfectly content with sleeping in rather peculiar spots. I've also come to realize the safety felt by Koreans to 'set up camp' in the middle of parks is one which holds great merit. Unfortunately, I didn't bring a tent & wasn't anxious to pick one up during my stay, so I was basically left to deal with the elements & no significant shelter to speak of.

The pagoda at the end point of the park

Throughout my time, I've noticed countless amounts of Koreans pitching tents in peculiar, yet reasonable locations, so if it's good enough for the locals, why wouldn't they be just as good for a guy like me. Here's a list of some of the more interesting spots I've called home for a night during my travels.

Wooded Park next to Songjeong beach in Busan

This option came from the incessant fireworks & revelry on the nearby beach. I knew I had a long, busy ahead of me & needed at least a few hours of shut eye. Fortunately, I found a decent sized piece of cardboard to lay on & good tree cover from some of the surrounding foliage. It was a hilly park leading to a pagoda at the point of a rocky outcropping & Koreans were constantly wandering around during the night.

Looking back at Songjeong beach before catching some zzz's

Cave & Beach Police outpost at Jungmun beach on Jeju Island

This one was just a cool experience. I found a cave etched out of the giant volcanic rock cliff next to the beach & was obviously used (likely during the summer season) to store a few necessary beach items. Being early Oct., the beach & swimming area were 'technically' closed so there weren't many people around. I found some beach chair pads to use as soft bedding & only had to fend off curious drunk couples/groups looking for a make-out point a few times throughout the night. Certainly nice to fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing as the tides retreated & returned.

After the few precious hours, I decided it was time to freshen up, so I wandered out into the sea & took a wildly invigorating swim. It served two obvious purposes....first, the water wasn't exactly balmy, so it instantly jolted my body into consciousness (lifting the grogginess of my slumber) & secondly, it offered a bit of a cleansing, aside from the lack of soap but either way, it was refreshing. I followed this by finding the Police Outpost unattended & unlocked, which, I obviously took full advantage of. Spending the next couple hours relaxing, warming up some & getting a little more 'sleep' while I watched the tide roll back in.

Double-wide bench overlooking Haeundae beach & the sea in Busan

Haeundae is the most popular beach area on the Korean mainland, thus, the cost of a bed at even the dumpiest spots is upwards of $100 so rather than staying up all night, a couple different times when I was in Busan, I found myself either hunkered down under some trees on the edge of a park right near the beach (actual tents scattered all around me) or making my way towards the rocks jutting out from the coast.

Looking back towards Busan & the Haeundae Beach area before sleepy time on a bench

Waking up to the same scene I fell asleep to

Gotta make my way back to the beach somehow

Sleeping on the rocky beach wasn't comfortable but definitely peaceful

There is a great overlook with very little late night foot traffic, wide benches & decent tree cover in case of light showers. There is also a rocky beach below it that is basically off limits but I found myself resorting to snuggling up to some giant boulders & enjoying the rhythmic sounds of waves crashing as I drifted off for a few hours.

Beach 'camping' in Pohang & Sokcho

Contemplating options by the rocky coast in Majigong (south Sokcho)

A few times, I found beaches mostly deserted, while the sky & weather both started off relatively conducive. In Pohang, the often busy Bukbu Beach usually wasn't an option, so I stayed at a new love motel a couple times but by wandering (I use the term loosely) north & south to some of the less hectic beaches I was able to get a few winks as I breathed in lungs full of good sea air. One of the spots was Wolpo Beach, to the north and the other was Guryongpo Beach, southeast of Pohang.

When I arrived in Sokcho, looking forward to hiking in Seoraksan National Park for a few days, I found the weather less than cooperative as it def looked like plenty of wind & rain might be rolling in. The 'beach' wasn't necessarily pristine as it was rocky rather than sand & there was a sheer concrete wall just a few feet from the waters edge. With tides rolling in, there seemed no possible way of getting comfortable & feeling entirely safe from the elements. However, I was able to find a canopy covering a psuedo stage near a little park & tourist information center. I settled in for the few hours of REM before the sun came up & I could make my way to Seoraksan.

As I propped my backpack up in a matter to serve as a pillow, I kicked back, bundled up (the wind was picking up & the concrete wall serving as a wind break for the stage did very little to diminish the swirling gusts. About an hour after settling in, the skies opened up & began to release a slight amount of rain for the next couple hours, making sleep more or less nonexistent. I was able to nod off a few time for little cat naps but nothing significant enough to justify actual sleep.

After fighting off the chill of the wind & the constant spattering of rain rolling off the overhead canopy, I opted to relent & make my way for the shelter of the bathroom facilities next to the info center & enjoyed the warmth of a toilet stall for the final hour or so until the sun would finally make it's appearance. Unfortunately, the forecast was for the rain to continue for another day & a half, meaning my hopes of hiking/camping at Seoraksan were pretty much washed out.

Jimjilbang in Itaewon/Seoul

Steps leading to the Jimjilbang

My only real claim to a few creature comforts was my Korean Memorial Day weekend when I stayed at a Jimjilbang in Itaewon, a mostly international area of Seoul. It turned out to be a great experience & the price was perfect - 12,000 won (about $10). There were hot spring pools, showers, hot room saunas, weight facilities, massage options, some arcade games, communal sleeping quarters as well as 'seperate' bunk rooms & plenty of heated floors & open rooms to simply lounge around watching wide-screen TV's showing all the popular Korean favorite movies & TV shows. The downfall to this option is that once you're in you're in, unless you want to fork over another 12,000 won to get back in but for the most part if you travel light & just need a place to lay your head for a few hours & freshen up in the morning, it's a great deal.

Communal sleeping area in the Jimjilbang - the place had five floors of goodness!

Admittedly, none of these really offered the best nights sleep but I've learned to survive on a few meager hours of 'sleep' on many occasions throughout my life no matter if it was sprawled out on a park bench, hunkered down under a stand of trees or nestled up next to boulders by the sea. It's been a pretty good ride so far & this has all just helped add to the adventure.