Gwangju rice

I have seen loads of rice paddy fields on the edges of Gwangju and even more on the few bus trips I’ve taken away from the city. Today’s photo is of the only rice paddy I have observed right in the middle of the city, and I get to see it daily as it is right next to where I live on the Chonnam University campus. Watching the rice grow over the past six weeks has been amazing. The stalks have more than doubled in height in that period of time, and now there is actual rice on the top.

Posted on August 1st, 2013 under Korea. Tags: chonnam national university, gwangju, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, rice paddy. Comments Off on Rice

Jikso waterfall

The Jikso Falls can be found inside Byeonsanbando National Park (변산반도국립공원). You can’t drive to this location. You can hike to it from two different directions. We took the shorter route (not the route from Naeso Temple) which was probably about 3 kilometers and not as steep. The waterfall can be seen in the far right portion of today’s panorama. We ate lunch right next to the waterfall even though a sign had been put up in the prior month saying you can no longer eat there or go in the falls. Our guide did not know about these new rules.

Posted on July 31st, 2013 under Korea. Tags: jikso falls, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, panorama, photomerge, waterfalls. Comments: 1

Henry Sosa of the KIA Tigers

It feels like I’m stabbing my best friend in the back by saying this, but watching professional baseball in Korea (한국프로야구) is second to none. The players may not be as good as those found in Japan or as those playing in MLB, but watching a game with the crazy fans in Korea is a fantastic experience. Perhaps it is in part because I am in Gwangju and the fans for the local KIA Tigers are the craziest. For instance, when I watch a KIA Tigers away game on TV, the fans for the visiting KIA Tigers team are louder than those for the home team. When do you see that in the USA or even Japan?

Today’s photo is of Henry Sosa, formerly of the Houston Astros, who is one of two foreign players on the Tigers. Korea, like Japan, limits its foreign players to two per team. Unlike Japan, most, if not all, of the foreigners in Korea are pitchers. I have yet to see a single position player. Sometimes the starting pitching in a Korean Professional Baseball game will be foreigner against foreigner. Why? I don’t know. The Japan leader board for hitting is filled with foreigners, year after year. Josh Whitesell, Dae-ho Lee, Wily Mo Pena, Jose Ortiz, Casey McGehee, Alex Cabrera, and others have put up big numbers in Japan in recent years, but for some reason Korea seems to sign only pitchers. Maybe they feel like pitching is the area they need the most help?

Posted on July 30th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: baseball, gwangju, kia tigers, Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Telephoto Lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on KIA Tigers

Baekyangsa (고불총림 백양사) in Naejangsan National Park (내장산국립공원)

Today’s photo is of the aforementioned “classic” shot of the entrance to the Baekyangsa Temple.

Posted on July 29th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: baekyangsa temple, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on Naejangsan (내장산)

Pho Bay Vietnamese noodle soup in Gwangju

In the bus terminal in Gwangju there are many restaurants. Just like the rest of town, though, many of them specialize in menu items for two or more people. The Chinese restaurant didn’t seem to have anything for an individual. So I went with some Vietnamese noodle soup instead. This pho was surprisingly good. You can’t really see it in the photo, above, but the soup was loaded with rice noodles and two different kinds of beef. The broth was just right too. I went back a week later and was mildly disappointed with the beef Pad Thai I ordered. It didn’t look at all like the picture in the menu, and it didn’t taste anything like any Pad Thai I had ever eaten. I may go back, but if I do I’ll go with another pho. I also noticed a PhoBay (Pho Bay?) on the top story of the Lotte Department store in Gwangju. I think you can find PhoBays all over Korea.

Posted on July 28th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: food, gwangju, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on PhoBay – Korean chain