Geun-lin Park

November 5, 2013. Geun-lin Park, Cheonan.

This park is right across the street from Asan and Cheonan-Asan train stations, which is about a 10-minute bus ride from where I live, so I wind up going there fairly often. November 5th was an exceptionally pretty day, full of lovely reflections and ginkgo leaves.

The park can be really pretty, but it's actually not that well taken care of. The first time I went, weeds were overgrowing the path surrounding the lake and the water had trash floating around in it (which isn't too surprising as I've seen many Koreans just throw their trash wherever they happen to be at the time). But the yellow bridge crossing the lake has multi-colored lights that come on at night, and there is a colorful fountain show every now and then (I don't have the schedule pegged down yet). There are also ducks!

Ducks!

A Bukchon Stroll

November 16, 2013. Bukchon, Seoul, Korea.

Dino says no parking.

This past Saturday was the annual Fulbright Thanksgiving get-together in Seoul, but before dinner, I decided to roam about. I found my way to Bukchon, an area known for its Hanok, or traditional Korean buildings.

Hanok tiles and doors...

It was cold and hazy, but I wound up spending a few hours exploring the alleys anyway. The homes are a pleasant surprise in the middle of the bustling giant that is Seoul, and there is graffiti and other art scattered throughout. There are also crowds, power lines, and those lovely big city smells, but nothing overwhelming. From a photography perspective, this place was a challenge, but that just means I get to go back!

I really liked the mailboxes!

After walking for a while, I came out on top of a hill on the eastern side of Bukchon, with a beautiful fall view of Bukaksan. I made my way down and worked through more alleys until I hit the subway.

They had blanks for Korean, Chinese, and English! Pretty cool.

This was between Bukchon and Gyeongbokgung (Gyeongbok Palace).

Beopjusa in Fall

October 27, 2013. Beopjusa, Boeun, Korea.

Beopjusa's huge standing Buddha.

After hiking Songnisan (previous post), I visited this temple, called Beopjusa (법주사), which is a 10-minute walk past the Songnisan park entrance. I arrived just after sunset and didn't have a lot of time since the park was closing soon, so I decided to head back for sunrise the next morning. I woke up at 6am, arrived at the temple around 6:30, 15 minutes or so before sunrise, and stayed for about an hour and a half, taking photos and watching the sun slowly light its way through the temple complex.

First view through the main gate (left). They are renovating a colossal pagoda-style building behind this one.
The customary water basin (right). These two photos were taken just after sunset.

A dash of color.

There are more monks than visitors this early in the morning.

I love these colors.

The main temple building.

Songnisan in Fall

October 26, 2013. Songnisan National Park, Korea.

Iljumun (일주문), the entrance gate to Beopjusa and the hiking trails leading to Songnisan's peaks

This past weekend, I decided to go hiking and check out the fall colors in Korea. My mountain of choice was Songnisan, which I've been to once before. I started hiking around noon on Saturday, reached Munjangdae Peak around 2:30, and left Songnisan National Park a little after sunset. The hike itself only took around 4 and a half or five hours, but I took my time taking photos, hung out on the peak eating and reading, and spent a while roaming Beopjusa Temple after I descended (photos from the temple will be my next post).



Fall colors on the way to Munjangdae

At 1054 meters (around 3,458 feet), Munjangdae is actually the second-highest peak, but it's only three meters short of tying the highest peak and has a ridiculous view. It was a little hazy as it hasn't rained in a while, but totally worth the time and sore legs.

After yet another set of stairs, you arrive where all of the people are in this photo. From there, it's a short walk/climb to the peak.

You have a 360 degree view from Munjangdae Peak.

Buses from the Cheongju bus terminal take about and hour and 45 minutes to get to the Songnisan Terminal, and it costs ₩8,600. Getting into the park costs 4,000 won (around 4 dollars) and it's open from around 5am to sunset. This is a pretty popular area, so the best time to go would be a weekday.

Bulguksa Visit

October 20, 2013, Gyeongju, South Korea.

Spent my Sunday afternoon with a group of 12 or so Fulbright renewees. It was the free day of conference, so we decided to rent bikes ($8 for four hours) and ride over to Bulguksa, which is one of the more famous temples in Korea (judging from the number of pictures plastered all over the country). Didn't get as much time as I would have liked, so I definitely plan on going back. Hopefully before fall turns to winter...