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200 degrees – Meeting of the Rivers – Gwangju, Korea
From my photos you’d think there were always blue skies in Gwangju this time of year. In reality, the skies are usually gray, but I get photo happy on the rare occasions when they are not. In the distance in the center of this photo you can see the new baseball stadium.
Tea House @ Korea’s Naeso Temple with the peaks of Byeonsan-bando (변산반도국립공원) in the background
This weekend I’m heading to Busan for the first time. Last weekend I went on my first (and sadly only as the next one is after I am gone) GIC Culture Tour to Buan/Byeonsan-bando National Park. If you are ever in Gwangju, make sure to see if the GIC (Gwangju International Center) is doing a tour. They usually do one a month, and you probably have to book weeks in advance as they quickly fill up. I got on the waitlist and was let on the tour just a few days before it happened. The GIC tours are very affordable and well done. I’ve been on tours elsewhere (Italy, Hawaii, Portland, Japan, Thailand) that cost three to five times as much for a similar experience.
Today’s photo is from a building on the Naeso Temple grounds where we enjoyed cold mulberry leaf tea the region is famous for.
Gwangju’s Shinsegae
I have shown you some of the action that takes place in the basement of this building, and now you can see what Shinsegae looks like from the outside during a rare (for this time of year) bit of blue sky. I was coming back from a bus trip, and the bus terminal is close to this location.
Baekyangsa Temple (백양사)
Approaching the entry to the Baekyangsa Temple (sometimes spelled Baegyangsa Temple) there is a pavilion on the edge of a body of water. The pavilion with the water in the foreground and mountain in the background is the “classic” shot of this area, especially during autumn when all of the Japanese maple leaves are changing color. Today’s photo is from inside the pavilion itself, looking up to the mountain.
Korean hanafuda
I frequently see Koreans playing games with Japanese hanafuda cards. Alcohol is always involved, usually large amounts of soju. According to Wikipedia, “in South Korea, the cards are called Hwatu (화투)” and “the name literally translates as battle of flowers.” Two of the most common Hwatu games are Go-stop (고스톱) and Seotda (섯다). Again, according to Wiki, “Hwatu is very commonly played in South Korea during special holidays such as the Lunar New Years, and also during the Korean holiday of Chuseok (추석).” I haven’t seen it limited to these occasions. It is hard to not go for a hike, take a bike ride, or just walk past a park in the neighborhood without seeing a group of Koreans playing. If only I could speak Korean; I could join in…
May 18th National Cemetery
Last week I got on Bus 518, near the front gate of Chonnam National University (where the May 18, 1980 events began in Gwangju), and rode to the final resting place of many of the individuals who took part in the Gwangju Democratization Movement. This tower, to the left of center, is known as the May 18 People’s Uprising Memorial Tower (5·18민중항쟁추모탑).