Usually this consists of all teachers and staff (unless you have an excellent excuse) piling into a bus after the first day of exams is complete, usually around 2pm, and heading off to a mountain or other scenic location for a bit of climbing or walking.

This year was no exception. I really don’t know where we initially were headed except I know we never got there. It was supposed to be an easy mountain to climb, except that today there was a fire burning, so the mountain was out.

Instead, we headed deep into Jeongseon county, past the Cave we had visited previously and onto the Hwaam Mineral water springs.

Here, naturally carbonated mineral water bubbles up out of the ground. They have actually built “pools” for this, where you can “harvest” the water for drinking or bottling for later.

From Hwaam Mineral Water Springs

After sampling the water we continued walking uphill, following the road and then off into a temple that was up in the mountains.

From Hwaam Mineral Water Springs

Following the walk/climng it then is time to sit down for the serious part of the trip. The food and drink.

Sorry but no photo’s of this, suffice to say we ate copious amounts of “mountain vegetables”. Steamed, cooked in pancakes, deep fried, you name it, we ate it. All washed down with DongDongJu, a kind of wine produced by fermenting corn. Not the best stuff.

Lots of drinking later the teachers and I all piled back into the bus where the hell really began. Yes, I’m talking about the NoRay Bus (Karaoke bus). Very loud music with singing and dancing the whole way home. Pretty painful

From Hwaam Mineral Water Springs

Still, worth doing? Yes.