LEILA FADEL, HOST:
South Korea's city parks are catering to a growing number of urban campers - people who want to camp in cities. NPR's Anthony Kuhn sends this postcard from Seoul.
ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: Traffic in and out of Seoul, which is home to some 10 million people, can be a nightmare, but you can beat it by taking the subway...
(SOUNDBITE OF SUBWAY TRAIN JINGLE)
KUHN: ...To places like, for example, the Choansan Mountain campsite northeast of the city center. Park Mi-hee (ph), who lives just a 10-minute drive from here, came with her extended family.
PARK MI-HEE: (Through interpreter) The biggest advantage is that it's close to home. Getting in and out is quick. During the summer, we went to Gangwon Province, and getting to and from there took so much time. You spend almost a day on the road.
KUHN: Gangwon Province has some of South Korea's most popular beaches and mountains. Seoul's urban campsites may not rival those, but Park says it's still a big improvement.
PARK: (Through interpreter) You usually don't have this many trees around you. Once you're in here, the air is different, and it's cool in the evening. And in the morning, you are awakened by birds chirping from 5 a.m.
(SOUNDBITE OF BIRDS AND CRICKETS CHIRPING)
KUHN: The birds and crickets are interrupted by the occasional police or ambulance siren and, of course, fellow campers. Whether in the city or the countryside, camping South Korean style is anything but a solitary experience. Campsites are divided into rows of compact plots, and many include parking spots. There are communal bathrooms, showers and dishwashing areas and convenience stores with food and supplies. There's also usually electricity and Wi-Fi.
Park and her family book two sites. One is a bedroom, and the other is a living room. The living room has a mesh tent with ceiling fans, tables, chairs, a grill, icemaker and cooler. For dinner, her family prepares Spanish garlic shrimps, Korean pancakes with green onions and Korean rice wine.
(SOUNDBITE OF HAMMERING TENT STAKES)
KUHN: Nearby, Cho Young-hoon (ph) is driving stakes for his tent. He opens large storage boxes full of neatly organized equipment.
CHO YOUNG-HOON: (Through interpreter) South Korean campers tend to be well-equipped.
KUHN: He's modest about his accomplishments as a camping gearhead.
CHO: (Through interpreter) Because it's a hobby I like, I did invest a lot in it. But people with other hobbies seem to invest similar amounts. It just depends on how much you like it.
KUHN: You also see that sort of investment on Seoul's local mountain trails, which are often packed with bands of spry retirees, kitted out from head to toe in high-tech hiking apparel. Park Mi-hee says competition to get a weekend spot in Seoul's urban campsites can get pretty intense. She says she's poised to pounce on the park's website ahead of time. And as soon as it starts taking reservations, she starts clicking like mad.
PARK: (Through interpreter) You get so many error messages, but you just keep clicking, and at some point, it goes through. If you can get it, you get it. If not, you've got to keep checking for canceled reservations.
KUHN: The stress of it is enough to make you want to go camping. But since you're so busy, probably best to do it in the city.
Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Seoul.
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