D 12 - Solo Car Camping Trip: Gangneung → Sokcho

2021.06.04(Fri)

Sometimes I miss home so much that I just want to go back as soon as possible, but other times I don’t want to return to daily life and think maybe I should just take this trip as slowly as I can.

Just the other day, I told myself I’d move at a slower pace since I had been covering too much ground too quickly. But today, all I could think about was how much I missed home and how badly I wanted to return. Still, since I’ve already made it more than halfway, it feels like such a waste to give up now, so I decided to think of this as a kind of pilgrimage—empty my mind and finish the rest of this journey strong.

I used to be a total night owl who couldn’t give up my late mornings, always staying up late and waking up late. But ever since starting this trip, with nothing much to do after sunset, I started going to bed early, and naturally my routine shifted into that of a morning person. I used to wake up before 8 a.m. less than ten times in a year, but these days my eyes open naturally at 7. Honestly, I’m glad I at least gained this one thing from the trip.

Since I do stealth camping alone, I always make sure to lock the car doors tight at night and avoid turning on any lights inside to stay safe. Because of these restrictions, I usually spend evenings writing or watching movies on my laptop. That eats up a lot of battery, so these days I almost always start my mornings at a café to recharge.

This morning was no different—I started the day at a café. While most people insist on iced Americanos even in freezing weather, I’m one of those who sticks with hot Americanos even in the heat. I don’t really know why. Sure, I drink iced ones sometimes, but sipping a hot Americano, blowing gently on it to cool it down, just feels more like real coffee to me.

With a warm coffee in hand, today’s morning feels bright and clear.

After savoring my coffee and catching up on some work, I headed to Sokcho’s Lighthouse Beach.

Just like with coffee, I also prefer hot weather over cold. In fact, I absolutely love days when the sun is blazing. Sometimes I wonder if it’s a bit strange to feel most alive under the scorching sun. Of course, I can’t stand humidity, but the dry heat? I love it.

Today’s temperature was 27 degrees—perfect.

With excitement, I grabbed my mat and a book, then found a quiet spot far off on the beach. On sunny days, sunglasses are a must. So I slipped them on, covered myself head to toe in sunscreen, and basked in the sunlight while reading.

People might think I read a lot since I always carry books, but to be honest, today was the first time during this trip that I actually finished one. Since I’m not used to reading, staying focused can be tough—half the time I end up lost in other thoughts. But that’s okay; for me, it’s more about enjoying the act itself.

After reading, I stretched out on the sand and took a nap. A nap with the ocean breeze brushing over me is pure bliss. Lying there, I thought, maybe for just a moment, I could be like a sleeping princess under the sea.

By the time lunch had long passed, I started feeling hungry. Since I had come all the way to Sokcho, it would’ve been a shame to leave without trying mulhoe (cold raw fish soup). Following a friend’s recommendation, I headed to the famous “Cheongcho-su Mulhoe.” Even though I arrived around 3:30 p.m., I still had to wait about 15 minutes. The place was much larger than I expected, which caught me off guard. I thought it was just an ordinary restaurant, but turns out it was a true hotspot. There were even two guards managing the waiting line, and once inside, the sheer size of the building and the crowd gave me a second shock.

Eventually, I was awkwardly seated alone at a four-person table and ordered a single bowl of mulhoe. Instead of being served in the usual way, the dishes were brought out by robots. I found myself saying thank you to the robots and carrying my food and side dishes myself, which felt both a little pitiful and funny at the same time. So many random emotions hit me in that moment.

Normally, I don’t mind eating alone in crowded places, but at a restaurant with a waiting line like this, occupying a table for four by myself made me feel a bit guilty, so I hurried through my meal. Still, the mulhoe was absolutely delicious.

This place definitely deserves its reputation.

As night fell, I found myself at the pojangmacha (street food tent) street right next to Lighthouse Beach. Since it was Friday night, the place was packed with couples, friends, and families laughing and chatting over drinks. Watching them, I almost felt like grabbing a stranger just to share a shot of soju with.

It was one of those nights when I craved soju so badly. Strangely, beer goes down smoothly even when I drink alone, but soju? I just can’t bring myself to drink it solo. So instead, I quietly bought a can of beer and some dried squid from the convenience store, then went back to my car to watch a movie while drinking alone.

If I could’ve, I would’ve driven straight down to Daejeon that night to clink soju glasses with my friends. But instead, it turned into a rather lonely night.

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12. The Overview Effect: the profound shift in perspective astronauts experience after seeing the Earth from space, realizing the bigger picture and coming to view life with broader values.

From such a vast vantage point, countless competitions, conflicts, and problems seem incredibly small and insignificant. In other words, how we choose to perceive and define the events we face in daily life—the perspective we take—can ultimately shape our destiny. What feels like a tragedy up close can appear beautiful from afar.

Astronauts often describe this when they look back at Earth from their spacecraft. They once believed society was endlessly complicated and busy, filled with constant events and crises. Yet from space, Earth appears unimaginably calm, and the contrast strikes them deeply.

This effect applies just as much to our everyday lives.

We’ve all had moments where we were anxious or stressed about something beforehand, only to realize afterward that it really wasn’t a big deal. Or, when looking back with time, we wonder why we wasted so much emotional energy on something so trivial.

Perhaps at that moment, we were only staring straight at the challenge ahead, feeling fear and hesitation. But life is four-dimensional, and everything within it exists in three dimensions—with multiple sides and perspectives. How can we judge something by only looking at one side?

Looking from behind, from the side, up close, or from a distance—each angle reveals something new. That is the nature of life itself.

For instance, the process of learning and striving toward a goal can feel exhausting and overwhelming. But from another perspective, it’s a beautiful journey where we build patience, expand knowledge, and move one step closer to our dreams.

I, too, often lose control of my emotions and feel lost when facing problems. But from now on, I want to remind myself of this effect and practice seeing the world from multiple perspectives, at different distances, with a more open mind.

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