Tohamsan Peak and Seokguram Grotto

By the time I reached Seokguram Grotto by bus, there was a crowd entering the site, so instead I took the path leading to Tohamsan Peak. It was only a couple of kilometres to the top from the grotto and the trail rose gently most of the way.

The Yellow Sea island of Hong-do

My reason for visiting Mokpo was its closeness to Hong-do Island. The ferry left Yeongsan River Estuary heading west on a two-and-a-half-hour journey. Dadohaehaesang was South Korea’s largest national park. Including land and sea, it’s area was over 2,000 square kilometres. I planned to take the boat tour around the island, but by the time the ferry docked at Hong-do Island pier, I felt squeamish. Not having had a substantial breakfast the seasick feeling persisted. I kept debating the boat tour, which was the reason I’d come to the island, but when another hiker I met on the Power Station Circuit told me it was a two-and-a-half-hour tour, I knew my stomach couldn’t last the distance.