Thursday, July 24, 2008- 2:03 PM- Gyeounju, South Korea- in transit to Busan for airport

Thursday, July 24, 2008- 12:03 AM- Mississippi, USA

Korea is a naturally lush and beautiful country. Today, as we have now moved to the countryside city of Gyeounju, I have seen it more and more. In Seoul, towering peaks were seen shadowing the city’s skyscrapers, but out here, one has a fully unobstructed view of the mountains. At our hotel, really a resort, we had amazing views of Anapji Pond. At our very American breakfast this morning, we were able to see a large portion of it along with mountains in the background thanks to a wall of windows. We promptly checked out and headed to a Buddhist temple, which was just as engaging and set right in the midst of small ponds and greenery. We were even able to see the monks and Buddhist followers say their many prayers to several golden Buddha statues. It reminded me of a book I read not long ago: Eat, Pray, Love, in which the author goes on a year-long spiritual journey and follows many practices of Buddhism. While the book was very unlike anything I believe, it did help explain many of the rituals that I saw and heard today. Next, we went to a nook in this town to make pottery. I say a nook because it was literally a curvy street filled with homes and artisan shops tucked into a mountainside. It had a lot of character and charm. There we were able to see one man at his pottery wheel, making beautiful art that is a strong tradition in Korea. We saw his kiln, unlike the ones in the United States. Then we were able to go into his classroom and make the pottery ourselves. Viewing his shop was like stepping back in time. His tools were very traditional and included no newfangled materials. Some wire, leather, and hewn wood were all he used. His wheel was manual as well. While we didn’t get to keep our pottery because of timing, it was nevertheless a very cool experience. We moved on to lunch at a Korean traditional restaurant, observing the tradition of the eldest sitting in the center and eating their dishes first. I sat at a table with the younglings, as I am the second to youngest on this trip. We ate shashimi (raw fish), kimchi, beef, porridge, noodles made from squid, vegetables, miso soup, wheat pancakes, and much more. Sounds like a lot of food, but I haven’t gotten “stuffed” like I would in America since coming to Korea. Because those at our table didn’t eat all of our dishes, we passed them along to the table next to us. I have included a picture of their table, because the number of dishes on it is way more than normal. Koreans eat using many small plates filled with each side dish or main dish. Its community eating, as you always share those dishes with the others at your table. After lunch we were able to pass by the Anapji Pond area, but due to our running behind schedule, it was only a view of flower fields. Lotus flowers and some orange, unnamed flowers grew on both sides of our road. The lotuses were especially striking to see. Actually, last night at dinner, lotus roots were served as a side dish. Anyway, we have now made it to the airport in Busan, where I am now finishing this post. I cannot find a wireless signal (not surprising) so I will postpone this post until I have one, hopefully at my hotel tonight. I am really excited to finally make it to Jeju Island. Since receiving the itinerary and looking it up, I knew it would be a relaxing way to end this trip. Can’t wait to tell about it.