Makoli.

The geography of South Korea is blessed with some of the best hiking trails anywhere, with dozens of craggy yet accessible mountain peaks. I had the opportunity long ago to hike the trails of Songnisan National Park, about 2 hours southeast of Seoul. We started a bit late in the day so by the time we parked the car and hiked up the mountain to marvel at the views, the sun was beginning to set. On the trail down we made a youthful decision to stop off at one refreshment huts adjacent to the trail, yes right there in the forest on the mountain.

My Korean friends convinced me to try a local beverage called makoli, an alcoholic drink which appears to be a bowl of milk, but is actually a fairly potent form of rice-based moonshine. So we sat on rocks and talked for a bit and then realized two unfortunate things. One, it was becoming quite dark and we still had to maneuver down a fairly steep trail to get back to the car; and two, the makoli had begun to have some rather distinct effects on out ability to reason and, well, maneuver. My memory becomes a bit vague at this point — either a result of my brain cells leaping to their death into a foaming sea of makoli, or my singular attempt to forget the stumbling avalanche of terror which likely followed. I remember going down in a heap a couple of times and the sound of distant giggling.

If you get to Korea in your travels I can recommend taking a day to hike Songnisan. And if someone offers you a bowl of milk along the way, I suggest waiting until you reach a flat spot, preferably one with cushions.