The aunty takes a hike, a very long one!

Wong pulling herself up on the steel ropes at the foot of summit.

I CAME, I saw, I climbed, but I did not conquer the mountain. In the end, I was defeated by fatigue and an aching knee.

Despite my failure, I came away feeling really proud of myself. I had survived a seven-and-a-half hour strenuous mountainous hike in Seoul, South Korea.

This was the much anticipated experience I mentioned in my previous column, “Long time, no see, huh?”, in which I shared my plans for my long-awaited return visit with my son, Nick. Today, I will share with you how it all went.

From the moment we got to Seoul, we hit the ground running as we had a lot to cover in just under a week.

We did some quick shopping in Myeongdong; got dressed up in traditional garb called hanbok to join hordes of similarly dressed visitors to explore the magnificent Gyeongbukgung palace complex; and watched a most entertaining stage show called The Painters.

It featured four young male performers creating art pieces using a variety of mediums and was interspersed with dance moves, slapstick humour and cute audience participation. It was so entertaining, I didn’t want it to end.

We made it to the historic Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the buffer zone between the two Koreas.

My friend Jung drove us in his car. He is the proud owner of the latest model of the Kia Sorento, and we could see why. This is a gorgeous and well-appointed beast of an SUV with loads of gadgets that greatly improve safety and the driving experience.

I also noted how well maintained the roads and highways were in and outside Seoul. There was nary a pothole or poorly paved stretch in sight. Jung said that’s because the elected city mayors have to do a good job to stay in office.

At the DMZ, we went down the infiltration tunnel dug by the North Koreans and peered at the hermit nation from the viewing platform, Nick came away feeling, as he put it, underwhelmed.

Thanks to the hype, he was anticipating a hugely exciting time. Although there are many interesting and dramatic real events linked to the place, the reality is this is a highly sensitive military outpost with tight security so you can’t wander around and what you see is just rather dull countryside scenery.

Sunday was the day of our Great Hiking Adventure in the Bukhansan National Park with three peaks located in the Seoul metropolitan area. There are many trails here, ranging from easy, moderate and intermediate to advanced and expert levels.

Jung had warned me in advance that we would be doing a five-hour hike, so I prepped for it by exercising a bit more before the trip. But I assumed he would lead us on an easy to moderate trail since I am no spring chicken.

Aigoo, what I didn’t know was Seoul senior citizens are fit and agile like mountain goats, most likely because their city is very hilly with plenty of slopes and staircases and they have this wonderful park at their doorstep.

Enter Aunty from PJ who is slightly overweight and had become too sedentary post retirement and during the pandemic. I knew I was going to suffer from the moment we stepped out of the taxi and walked up steep narrow residential streets to the Gugi-dong park entrance.

What was supposed to be a five-hour hike to the most popular and highest peak in the park, Baegundae, became two-and-half hours longer as I had to go very slowly and gingerly on the steep, stony trail interspersed with seemingly endless rock steps and wooden staircases. I had to give way many times to more speedy hikers on the same trail.

But the hard trek had its rewards in the amazing scenery of babbling brooks, majestic trees, gorgeous foliage and breathtaking views of the mountains and city. As parts of the trail run parallel to the rebuilt fortress wall called Bukhansanseong, which protected Seoul from invasions during the Joseon dynasty, I felt like I was literally walking in history.

I made it to the foot of Baegundae after clearing the hardest part by pulling myself up along steel guide ropes over a steep rock incline.

By then, Jung could see I was a spent force and my right knee had started to ache. He told Nick to continue by himself to the peak while we waited at a rest area. But Nick decided to turn back because his knee was also acting up and he got quite unnerved by the very long queue of people on the very narrow ledge waiting to get to the top.

And so we made our descent, with me again holding up traffic. By the end of it, I had a personal best record of 25,587 steps covering 15.14km on my Samsung Health app.

My climb may not impress experienced hikers, but no one can take away my sense of accomplishment in surviving my first Korean hike. I have Jung to thank for that. I would have never thought of doing such a hike if not for him.

Nick and I recovered well enough the next day to meet up with my new friend Prof Emeritus Jin Youngsun at Korea’s absolutely stunning National Museum.

I always believe that museums, especially national ones, must possess gravitas that immediately creates a sense of awe, admiration, respect and curiosity in the visitor, and that was exactly how I felt from the moment I caught sight of the building.

Prof Jin, a respected visual artist herself, shepherded us to her favourite rooms and exhibitions on Buddhism, pottery and furniture. I wish we could have explored the museum’s grounds too, but we were still feeling the effects of the hike and the temperature had soared so it was very hot and dry outdoors.

We also visited a 500-year-old arboretum – again thanks to Jung – aquariums, an art gallery and walked along the Han River. We watched a very orderly street demonstration in the heart of Seoul by nurses and nursing students clamouring for a new law to improve their pay and working conditions.

That reminded us of the demonstration to oust disgraced President Park Guen-hye in Busan back in December 2016.

Getting around on the Metro was super easy and affordable with our rechargeable T-Money travel card.

And, for the first time before embarking on an overseas trip, I did not have to change money because I had a Wise international debit card that I could use widely.

As for the food, except for a disappointing McDonald breakfast, we never had a bad meal. While the prices seemed higher than before, the portions and quality of ingredients remained the same.

Whether it was a pork cutlet lunch set at the Lotte department store food court, refreshing cold noodles (called naengmyeon) at a hole-in--the-wall eatery, hot pot with lots of mushrooms and minari (the vegetable made famous in the Oscar-nominated film of the same name) at Jung’s favourite suburban restaurant, fried chicken with beer in touristy Myeongdong and Hongdae, the raw beef dish of yukhoe at Gwangjang Market, bimbimbap at the museum café, the traditional red bean and walnut pastry snack called hodoya bought from a Metro station vendor or just gimbap (seaweed wrapped rice rolls) munched during a rest break by a stream in Bukhansan, everything tasted great.

On our final day, Nick brought us to a place which he knew I would love – a café located in a building that was the dormitory of the K-pop group BTS when they were rookies starting out. I am a huge fan, and Nick knew I would enjoy the experience. The café walls are covered with fan notes to the band members. I stuck my love note on the wall too.

So, am I done with Seoul? No way! There is still so much more to explore and discover in this city and its surroundings.

There are many parks and attractions to visit, shows to watch and food to eat. Jung has promised me a much gentler hike in Bukhansan. I can imagine seeing the trees in their ravishingly lovely autumn colours. How can I resist?

The views expressed here are the writer’s own.