The word hike, by definition, is a long walk. In Korea, this could mean lots of different things. On one hand, with my school trips, it usually means a long walk on a paved surface with minimal incline. On the other hand, it could mean 3 hours of wondering why the heck you made your outfit decisions, and deciding in your head which of your friends you’ll eat first because that banana you had for breakfast just isn’t cutting it anymore. Our trip up and over Geumjangsan falls somewhere in the middle. Nobody died, though, and that’s a plus. The chance to make and take home a big bucket of makgeolli at the end of the hike was a pretty good reward. The pots of gold at the end, guys. They exist.

Our Saturday started bright and early, 10 AM to be exact, at Beomeosa subway station in Busan. We took a quick walk up the hill to the buses waiting to shuttle us up the rest of the way to the temple. After that, we hiked for a pretty nice distance all the way to the top of the mountain, where we got a ridiculously good view of Busan. I’d imagine it would be much more amazing without the pollution, but it was still really nice.

After we left the peak, we headed to a nice little traditional restaurant nestled in the side of the hill with outdoor seating. The restaurant served makgeolli and tubu kimchi, so if that’s not your style, pack a lunch! It was a welcome break from all of the walking we’d just done.

When we left the restaurant, we headed down to the place where we’d make makgeolli. Geumjeong Sanseong makgeolli is regarded as one of the most delicious makgeollis that money can buy. They’ve even got their own writeup on the internet makgeolli database! Click here to check that out.

“It is famous!” –Every Korean I’ve told about my trip.

The workshop where we took the class is absolutely adorable. The walls are lined with hand thrown pottery, there are makgeolli bottle sculptures outside, and the tiny bathroom is decorated with ladybugs.

The actual class was pretty straight-forward. When we arrived, we were given bottles of makgeolli to enjoy while we prepped our own buckets of future makgeolli. They provided each group with a yeast disc, a large bowl of rice, and buckets to fill with the mixture. All we had to do was crush the yeast, mix it with the rice, add it to our buckets, and fill those buckets with water. After that, there was a makgeolli drinking contest with some pretty awesome pottery prizes. Needless to say, everybody was a little silly when it was time to leave.

If you’re in Busan, definitely check out Busan Daytrippers on Facebook. That’s who my friends and I went through for this trip. Click here for their page.

Photo time!