Corporate Sponsorship Part II

 With a disturbingly pleasant wake-up call (for 5:30 AM), I sprang into action, eager to see what the breakfast buffet had to offer.  The spread certainly did not disappoint, and although it had all of the usual western staples (eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, croissants, etc.) I was determined to have a typical “Korean” breakfast.  

This mindset introduced me to the fact that, unlike most western cultures, the difference between meals is very minimal here.  There was Kim-chi of course, and this was the first time I tried a white variety, mainly of cabbage, which was truly delicious; having a hearty garlic taste, but without the strong spicy heat of the red chile, allowing more subtle flavors of the other vegetables to come through.  There was bipimbap as well, and a rice porridge.  I am still trying to find the name of the porridge dish, as Ms. Lee was not at breakfast with us.  However, it appeared to me to be mainly flavored with seaweed, and although the combination does not scream breakfast ambrosia, I was really taken in with its slight saltiness and subtle and pleasant oceanic aroma.

At the toll of 6:20, we were all very politely, but unequivocally, ushered out of the grand buffet room and onto the buses, so as not to miss out departure time of 6:30.  However, despite the best efforts of our guides, Ms. Lee was not able to overcome the self-interest of one of our companions, who just had to have a cup of Starbucks coffee.  In true Air Force fashion, we could never leave a wingman behind, and so six buses full of groggy passengers waited 15 minutes for her to finally arrive (much to the consternation of the tour guides).

I must take a moment here to defend the brutal schedule keeping of the Koreans.  For one thing, they were going out of their way to show us a remarkable number of sights in a very short amount of time.  In addition, on this particular day, we were working against the weather.  The forecast was for a cold front of rain to move in and really cover the area in grey, rain and cold for the next two days.  With this in the calculation, our guides deemed it best for us to start early in order to get in as much of the outdoor locations done before the bad weather arrived.  And in true hospitality, they also provided everyone with marvelous blue ponchos which evolved to double as cat herding aids throughout the tour.

Well, with a full belly, and inquisitive mind, we departed for a park in the local Ulsan area called Daewangam Songnim (Pine Forest), a very charming park that lives up to its pine forest moniker.  However, this arboreal stroll is just a warm-up on the way to the picturesque crags that compose the shoreline of this park.  Clinging pine trees, jagged rocks and swirling seawater made this small place feel very alive and a little dangerous.  Watching the brave fishermen out on the rocks gave me a longing to grab a pole and join them in a little battle against the elements.  Then I remember how comfortably warm our bus was and quickly lost ambition.  

Along the way, Ms. Lee recounted to us the story of the burial of King Mumnu, the 30th ruler of the Shilla Empire.  As a true exemplar of the benevolent leader, he desired to be buried at sea, so that he could rise in the afterlife as a dragon to protect his people for eternity.  This was an important legend at that time because the coastal regions of the Shilla kingdom were under constant threat from Japanese pirates.  Today, this legend places his burial at a tiny island off of Bonggil Beach, and it is speculated that the large granite slab there is his actual underwater tomb.   

After an all-too-brief 45 min at Daewangam Songnim, we disembarked for the historic city of Gyeongju, the ancient capital of the Shilla Empire.  From Ms. Lee, we learned that it is a city of predominately older Koreans of moderately better means.  The city itself lacks the typical skyline of high-rises, and instead is composed of more traditional houses and very quaint shopping districts.  The vast majority of the city is actually a collection of national and provincial parks and museums, which reminds me in function a bit like Washington D.C.  Our first stop was the Bulguk temple, the largest in all of Korea, and arguably the most important.  The entry gardens are spectacular and despite the grey, rain, cold and crowds, this temple was still awe inspiring and distinctly sacred.  Again, we had only an hour here, and I will tell you that four hours would have only been enough time to satisfy my camera, not my curiosity.  As this temple is very well documented I will omit the usual explanations, and let the pictures tell the story.  

Not exactly a part of the Bulguk temple complex, but commissioned by the same official, the Seokguram Grotto lies atop the same mountain, Mt. Halla.  In order to reach the grotto, one travels a long and winding road from Bulguk-sa and ascends into the mist covered forest of the mountaintop. In fact, there are 108 bends in the road, symbolic of the monk’s belief that we suffer 108 distresses through life, and by enduring these turns (or in traditional worship bows/prostrations), we are able to relieve ourselves of the pent up anguish.  When we arrived, the fog was so thick that we could barely make out the silhouette of the enormous bell tower at the entrance to the site.  Fortunately, as we walked the path to the grotto it began to clear, and the rain turned into a light, pleasant misting.  The choice for this place of reverence and meditation could not have been better conceived.  It is as if all of the natural elements of the area were conspiring together to overwhelm you with a sense of mysticism.  Without a doubt this ranks among my favorite places in Korea, and perhaps the most spiritual location containing a man-made structure, anywhere.  Again, this site is very well documented so I will allow my pictures to tell the rest of my experience.

Due to my fascination with the grotto, it was I that accidentally overstayed our visit by 10 minutes.  Fortunately, I had by this point become the “teacher’s pet” due to my innate inquisitiveness of other cultures, so Ms. Lee happily forgave my tardiness, even if lunch was our next stop.  That day’s Korean cuisine experience was Bulgogi, or “Fired Meat.”  This is perhaps the most ubiquitous meal in all of Korea.  Like all of their meals, it is meant for a group, at least four persons, and is made and served in a large, shallow, wok-like pan.  The pan is placed over a gas burner at the center of the table, filled with thin cut marinated meat (usually beef), an assortment of vegetables, mushrooms, light seasoning and herbs.  While you cook it at the table and take turns stirring it and debating about when it will be done to everyone’s liking, you are served a large assortment of side dishes, including Kim-chi and rice.  This is a very hearty meal, but surprisingly healthy, as the ratio of meat to vegetables is low, and the broth retains the vitamins and other nutritious goodies that are left behind from the cooking, not to mention a great deal of flavor!

At this Bulgogi house the side dishes were excellent. Most I had savored before: green beans with tiny dried fish, American style side salad, radish in spicy sauce, and spinach with sesame seeds.  However, my hands down favorite was the marinated lotus root.  The root was served in slices, about ¼ in thick and 2 in diameter.  The marinade gave them a fantastic salty/sweet flavor, and the texture was firm, but not crunchy or chewy, but more like, hmmmm, well maybe a slightly undercooked potato.  It is difficult to relate to any western textures I know, so I would highly suggest finding an Asian market and trying these guys out.

To my great pleasure, the little timing oversight at the grotto did not cost us at the lunch table, and we were given ample time to indulge; myself having two serving of Bulgogi and three orders of the lotus root.  And as if the guides knew my digestive preferences, our next stop was a walking tour of the burial tombs of the Shilla kingdom, just a short drive from the restaurant.  I wondered as we were walking through the park, if the people of the era of the mounds’ creation had intended them to make such a great place for relaxation.  It just seemed to me that the mounds were composed in such a manner that the easy meandering paths of the present-day national park could have been a re-invention of a past function.

Being the longtime capital of the empire that eventually united the Korean peninsula for the first time, Gyeongju has an abundance of major historical sites in close proximity.  From the Burial mounds, we took a short drive to the National Museum, which was a very interesting complex architecturally.  It is composed of the three main museums: a step-type pyramid, underground complex, and rectangular temple building.  It also housed the Emile Bell, the second largest cast brass bell in Korea.   We then took an even shorter drive to the Anapji pond; a beautiful pastoral landscape with a dominating pavilion.  This pond and pavilion complex was originally built by the order of none other than King Munmu, in the 7th century.  Although Anapji was very pretty, I found the area surrounding it to be even more interesting.  On all sides, covering many acres, were fields of what looked like water lilies or lotus leaves, all interwoven with an elevated walk-way system.  Unfortunately I did not have time to explore, but I will certainly be returning to Gyeongju and plan on investigating this with a picnic basket and some win.

At 5:30PM our touring was brought to a close at Anapji, and for the day, and we began the hour long drive back to our Hyundai Hotel in Ulsan.  Another opulent buffet dinner awaited our arrival, and after so many hours zooming from site to site in the cold and rain, I had worked up quite the appetite; as well as a growing longing for my very comfortable bed.  The evening’s meal was composed nearly entirely of western food, so there was nothing truly new to try.  That being said, however, everything that was prepared was very tasty, I even got to have chunks of the tender fat from the roast beef, making my taste buds and arteries very happy, haha.  

Before I could succumb to some well deserved rest, no evening on a tour is complete without a night cap.  So a few of my bus mates and I set out to find a little dive to grab a pint.  Just a few blocks from the Hyundai Hotel, on the other side of the Hyundai Department store, across the street from the Hyundai dry-docks (catching a theme here?) we stumbled upon a very well maintained little bar.  It was a nice change of pace from the Songton scene, as this bar was very clean, completely devoid of “Juicies,” and had a bartender who not only spoke great English, but was also not intent on getting us so hammered that we needed to take a taxi the two blocks back to the hotel.  With all of my objectives for the day accomplished, I turned in for a very satisfying night’s rest.  

Corporate Sponsorship Part III coming soon….

Corporate Sponsorship Part I

     Due to my exceptional powers persuasion and general awesomeness, I was one of a lucky few airmen selected to participate in the Hyundai Motor's Cultural Friendship Tour (actually, I just happened to be the only new guy in the shop who showed any interest in Korean culture, but hey, allow me my fantasies).  In order to promote good continuing relations between our countries, Hyundai sponsors these three day trips twice a year for about 120 service members each.  In that short period we travel to both ends of the peninsula, visit industrial, historical, artistic, religious and military points of interest, as well as are educated on Korean culture throughout the ride.  Needless to say, this was right up my alley and I am still thinking of the best way to appropriately thank my supervisor for getting me on this trip!!

     It all started in Seoul, well, actually in Songtan for me, as it is an hour bus ride to Seoul, specifically Youngsan Army Base, where we were gathering.  Anyways,  once there we were briefed on what was expected of us and the general itinerary.  As it happened, they basically just wanted us to be polite, pay attention, take lots of pictures and eat Korean food.  Daunting as these tasks may be, I was resolved to do whatever it took to impress, even if that meant I had to order seconds or thirds! LOL  The group of about 100 was divided into six buses, each assigned its own tour guide.  As a member of Bus 6 I was introduced to our super-high-tech and very comfortable bus, insanely masterful driver, and beautiful and gracious tour guide Ms. Linn.  Introductions complete, and cheeks comfortably situated, the caravan disembarked starting our five hour drive to Ulsan City and the main production site of Hyundai Motors.

     Along the way we stopped twice at rest stations on the Korean highway, and I was very impressed with the facilities there.  The stations seemed to be semi-standardized, with large restroom accomodations, a cafateria, several fast food vendors and the ubiquitous snack carts.  Everything was clean, but at every stop we were swarmed by children on school trips.  Now, I know everyone is used to me being a paragon of patience and cultural understanding...however, the shear number of children and the inherent chaos they bring was almost too much for me to bear.  So, rest stops were made with the utmost of haste on my part, lest I get swept away in a tide of grumpy-old-man outrage.... 

     On a more pleasant note, we ate lunch at one of the cafeterias and I had some not-so-special Bipimbop (basically steamed rice with various "stuff" added) which was actually quite tastey and filling, as well as a simple squid salad.  Of more interest was a side dish of unpeeled root vegetables that looked like miniature parsnips, in a kimchi-like sauce.  I asked Ms. Linn about them, but she was not sure how to translate, and so I just have to leave it as a culinary mystery at this point.  I am fond of the crunchy and earthy texture they have left in my memory.  At about 1330 we arrived in Ulsan city, about 15 minutes behind schedule.  This will become important later... 

     Ulsan city, home to the original Hyundai motor plant, and now home to their Heavy Industries division as well, is a very wealthy city, and it definitely showed.  All of the roads were in top condition, the streets were cleaner than I had seen in any other city here, and there was a running trail/park along both sides of the river that meanders through a great portion of the city.  Besides being unusually well manicured, this city actually smelled good.  To put this into perspective, but not intending to cast any insults at Songtan, the latent aroma of the Songtan Entertainment District (which is the very polite official designation for the trashy bar scene that stretches out before the gates of Osan Airbase) is somewhat of a cross between stale cigarette butts, urine, beer, old frier grease and rotting garbage, with a slight whiff of cologne.  Appealing, no?  Well, as I tried to explain to a local bartender the last night we were in Ulsan, the air there carried none of those aromas.  Sure it had a bit of an industrial scent, but the breeze from the harbor and general cleanliness of the city made it seem like a field full of the Aunts' roses.

     Anyways, Ms. Linn informed us that due to the presence of Hyundai and its workers, and those companies sub-contracted out to Hyundai, the average income of the city was nearly double that of the rest of the country.  As we took our tour of the facility, we discovered that Hyundai takes very good care of its employees.  They are given a generous salary, housing stipend, healthcare, pension, and pay for your first three children to attend college!!!  Not too shabby, and as others on my bus said, where do I apply?

     Now, as I said, we were running about 15 min late for our tour of the car factory.  To be honest, as much as I am a stickler for a schedule, 15 min does not seem like a big deal, but our schedule was jam packed, and could ill afford any errors.  Once we arrived, we were ushered into the theater adjacent to the large showroom, introduced to the facility and its capabilities, and shown a promotional video extolling the virtues of Hyundai and its bright future across the globe.  I do not doubt any of their claims, and have seem the company grow in the market over the past five years considerably, however, I have to admit that industrial tours are just not my thing.  Fortunately for me, our 15min verspaetung meant that our Hyundai appointed tour guide put her high-heels into overdrive and had us through five factory buildings and a complete production life of a car in ten minutes flat. Just in time to be rushed out the door and whisked across town to the Hyundai Heavy Industries compound, where they construct large equipment, but most impressively cargo ships, of which they are the 4th largest producer in the world. 

     Cargo Ships.  Yeah, I agree, not getting my blood going either.  Until I saw the sections waiting to be attached, the cranes involved in the construction and then the unbelievable size of these vehicles.  Being able to see the entire ship in the dry-dock, without the water to obscure the potions under the waves, really put into perspective just how incredibly massive and complex these ships are.  We drove through the construction grounds (photos were prohibited here, and back at the car factory) first by the large warehouses where the various sections of the ships were constructed and stored.  This began to give me an idea of how massive these ships were.  Then we turned the corner and my jaw dropped.  There were cranes, ten stories high straddling a dry-dock the same depth and over 700 feet long, in which lay a partially constructed ship crawling with ants -read people- and twinkling with the light of welding torches.  Slowly I began processing all of the data.  The cranes said they were rated for 1209 tons,  that is nearly 2.5 MILLION pounds!!  And then it struck me that these ships were being held aloft in the dry-docks with steel pillars that looked in comparison like toothpicks.  I thought how uncomfortable would I feel walking underneath something so earth-shatteringly huge at work everyday, knowing it is being held up by only a few lengths of metal?  As you can tell, my assumptions about industrial tours have changed quite significantly thanks to Hyundai Heavy Industries. 

     After the driving tour, we were greeted with similar treatment as at the car factory: politely ushered into theater, given spiel about how thankful they are, we reciprocate, watch indoctrination, oops, promotional video, receive gift.  The heavy industries also had a small museum which we briefly toured.  It functioned as both as showcase of their accomplishments, and as a shrine to their founder; a man of modest beginnings, great ambition, good fortune, and humble way of life.

     With all of this strenuous touring, my tummy began to rumble as we were leaving the museum.  Fortunately for me, we were back on schedule and slated for dinner at the Lotte Hotel (pronounced like the popular coffee drink Latte), which is a large corporation in Korea, and has very high standards.  The hotel itself was very well appointed, reminiscent of a Grand Hyatt or Westin style business hotel.  However, the Americans had been prepared for this fancy occasion to occur the following day, and so we were all dressed in very casual attire, to which I was slightly embarrassed.  However, not so much as Lt. Col. Kim, who was the highest ranking member of our group and the figurehead for all functions.  His Korean counterpart, who was waiting at the hotel, was the VP of Hyundai Motors, a rather influential and well-to-do gentleman.  So I can only imagine how initially uncomfortable Col Kim must have felt when he found out the plans had changed.  Despite the impromptu nature to the gathering, Col Kim was very well spoken and received, and the dinner itself was bountiful and delicious.  In true hotel opulence, there was an ice sculpture commemorating the event, 20 feet each of appetizers, sushi, and hot plates, and desserts, as well as cooked to order Korean BBQ.  Also, I suppose the kitchen was informed of my attendance, as there was a roasted suckling pig awaiting my attention.  After the ceremony and picture taking, we had exactly 57 minutes to enjoy the great spread before it was time to be ushered out of this hotel, and be sent across town to the Hyundai Hotel where we would be spending the night for the next two days.  The Hyundai Hotel, although attractive, clean and modern, was more like a Marriot than a resort, but served our purpose grandly, and catered fantastic meals of their own.  With a head full of fresh memories and unexpected sights, and a belly fully of tasty treats, I settle in for a well deserved nights sleep, aided by a nip of scotch.

Much more to come in Parts II and III, as the whirlwind tour continues :-)

A Steep Climb

On the return leg of one of my regular trips up Burak-san a few weeks ago, along an overgrown side trail, I stumbled upon somebody foraging in the bushes.  It turned out to be the gentleman from the library who had originally given me directions to Burak-san.  He was collecting a small green berry that grows along the lesser traveled paths, and was just as surprised by me as I was him.  Once we recognized each other, though, we had a good laugh at the coincidence and realized just how much the other enjoyed tromping through the mountains.  Well, one thing led to another, and after a few days we had arrainged to meet up to go hiking at a local mountain Mr. Pae suggested.  This, he promised, would be a much more strenouous hike than Burak-san, which is a fairly gradual climb...and boy was he right.

Our destination was located on the border of our town of Song-tan and the larger neighboring city of Anseong.  As we approached the parking lot for the trail-head, we were both shocked at how popular this trail was.  There were over a hundred cars in the designated lot, with massive overflow into the lot for the independence memorial across the road.  This was definitely a serious destination, with its very own refreshment complex housing four restaurants and a great patio with a grotto and waterfall. 
While gearing up Mr. Pae explained that about three miles down the trail was our "destination," a small temple with a spring and public restrooms, which really peaked my interest.  So with our enthusiasm high, and a supply of delicious sandwiches from Mrs. Pae, we headed off to a great adventure. 

 

Well, after two miles of intense climbing we agreed that it was time for a well deserved break, and indulgence in the sandwiches so thoughtfully prepared. In addition to the ham, egg and cheese sandwiches, I was introduced to Mr. Pae's favorite drink, a black sesame and soy milk drink, which was slightly sweet, but more savory and had an enchanting and distinctly toasty sesame character.

Another 20 minutes of hiking brought us to our destination.  Due to the heat and humidity that was supposed to have dissapered the week before, fatigue was starting to set in.  We were in need of a re-supply of our water stores and a cool break.  With our batteries a bit recharged from the spring, we finished the short climb up the hill to the temple, and began a little investigation.

According to the information plaque, the temple was originally built in the 9th century and fully renovated in 1986, and is still in radiant condition.  It intended function was to accommodate a fortress nearby, but its usefulness and beauty have endured.  Of particular interest, was an exterior series of ten paintings documenting the path to enlightenment through the metaphor of a boy who lost his cow.  I was particularly happy to have Mr. Pae along for this, as he seemed to derive as much interest in discovering its meaning and following the story of as myself.  This temple also carried a theme of remarkably carved dragons in the rafters and gables, all carrying the famed "Dragon Ball (pearl)" which is said to symbolize the dragon's ability to grant wishes.

 

The return trip was even more grueling than the initial trek.  You see, I have become accustomed to the trails of the American West, which were predominately used originally for pack animals in the mining industry.  To accommodate the loads, a rather "modern" technology was employed; switch-backs.  It has been years since I did a significant hike that did not utilize switch-backs to mitigate the rate of ascent, and man alive was this a wake up call to how convenient they are.  At one point, on the back side of this mountain, we gained 800' of elevation over a horizontal distance of only a quarter mile.  That is a whopping 60% grade!!!!!!!  It necessitated three breaks, and three soaked handkerchiefs.

The adventure left me with a very satisfied sense of accomplishment when we finally returned to the trail head.  Before departing, however, we made a brief detour to the independence memorial.  It tells the history of the importance of Anseong in the "March First Movement" of 1919.  These were the first riots in opposition to the oppressive occupation of Korea by the Japanese.  The brutality of the Japanese displayed in the history of the occupation is blood chilling.  The independence of the Koreans is as hard fought and dear to them as any free nation, and I am proud to serve in the defense of its continuation.

A Beautiful Temple, and Unforgetable Stew!

Staying closer to home, I chose to travel to the famous "Dragon Jewell" Temple, a.k.a. Yongju-sa, as well as the neighboring tombs of a Joseon Royalty, "Yungneung and Geolleung."  Both built in connection with the Hwaseong Fortress, and burial site of Crown Prince Sado.

On the long walk to the temple from the metro station, I grabbed a quick bite from a street vendor and found that the Koreans have one-uped us on unhealthy food. They took a perfectly unhealthy all American corn dog, fried it, then covered it in a second layer of batter and fried it again!  You got to love ingenuity, haha!!

The entrance to the Yongju-sa is guarded by simply magnificent wooden statues of the "Four Heavenly Kings."  These are about eight feet in height while seated, giving a very imposing impression, while the ferociousness in thier visages made me think twice about taking their picture...but I found the courage in the end.  This tidbit of their mythology is humourous, and it makes me wonder what they would have to report in today's climate; "On the 8th, 14th and 15th days of each lunar month, the Four Heavenly Kings either send out messengers or go themselves to see how virtue and morality are faring in the world of men." (from wikipedia).  And here they are:

The North

The South

The East

The West

 
They are all stomping on these gremlins which I suppose would symbolize the opposing notions of greed, violence and suffering among others, perhaps.

This is one of the lager temple complexes in the area, with over a dozen seperate buildings, all of which have specific purposes.

All of the exterior woodwork of the temple buildings are painted in remarkable detail.  I found the work on the beams and rafters of the bell house to be truly exceptional.

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Within a park in the city of Hwaseong, about a ten minute train ride and 40 min walk from my place, lay Crown Prince Sado (the father of Jeongjo) and Princess Hyegyeong (posthumously named Emperor Sangjo and Empress Heongyeong), and King Jeongjo and Queen Hyoui.  There is a very sad story as to why the son King went to such great lengths to pay tribute to his deceased father.  It seems that the good intentions of the crown prince were subverted by a power hungry consort to the reigning king.  In seeking to have her progeny raised to the throne she had to get rid of Prince Sado, and so with the help of other court officials had him accused of treason.  Now, the current king thought of Prince Sado as a friend and trusted advisor, but in the face of stiff political opposition, and an emotional ploy, he was convinced enough to have prince Sado punished.  The choice of punishment was confinement to a rice box.  These were wooden chests measuring about 2.5x3x3 feet.  In such a confining space, and without any nutrition, Prince Sado died and was buried in the city of Seoul.  To the great displeasure of the treacherous consort, Prince Sado's son Jeonjo was crowned the King's successor several years later.  In order to exonerate his murdered father, King Jeongjo decided to relocate his tomb to an area south of Seoul, in a grand arrangment.  In addition to the physical tomb structure, King Jeongjo made yearly trips to the tomb to pay homage, and we all know that a king does not travel alone.  In fact, in order to accomodate these journeys the great fortress of Hwaseong, which I visited the week before, was built to house his 6,000 retainers.  And we gripe about the cost of a plane for the president, imagine what would happen if he had to take 6,000 people and a fortress with him, every time he wanted to leave the capital!!!!  As his final act of filial piety, King Jeongjo decreed that he would be buried beside his father.  Over the past centuries, the tombs have changed location twice and been through numerous renovations, but remain true to the achitecure of the early 18th century, and currently are surrounded by a wooded park in the outskirts of Hwaseong City (about 20 min south of the fortress of the same name).

 

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After about five solid hours of walking and touring I was ready to sit down and have a hearty meal before the hour long walk back to the metro station.  Fortunately, just a block from the tombs are two heavily trafficed korean restaraunts, so I followed a group of folks into one and settled in for an authentic meal.  Now although this city is not that far from base, in fact much closer than most places the other Americans visit, it is a little off the beaten path and does not see many non-koreans.  To that end, there was a distinct lack of picture menus, which are my best help in ordering.  So, feeling confidant in my choice in restaraunt, I courageously took the menu, point to the third thing on the list, and said I will have that please.  With a smile and nod, my server dissapered to bring the onipresent kim-chi to tide me over till my meal waqs ready.  Well, as it hit the table, it was not all that apparent how much I had erred, as it appeared like many of my other meals; a steaming bowl of hearty broth with vegatables and muchrooms, rice, and a bowl of, of...what is that stuff I am supposed to eat in my soup???  As I pondered the deep purple blobs in the metal bowl, I took a few sips of the broth, and up sprouted an ARTERY!  Well, now my brain was racing, and the answers my highly analytic mind were delivering were not at all comforting.  What else do I know that has the color of the bobs?  Blood sausage and pudding, obviously.  What do arteries do?  Transmit bllod through the body.  What is this soup?  Congealed blood and artery soup, you nin-kum-poop!  Never on to baulk from a culinary challege, I put on my most gracious face for my doting hosts, plopped the blood in the soup and went to task.  Aided by a generous addition of chile paste, I managed to chew every rubery bit and bloody bite.  In truth the congealed blood had very little flavor and was of a semi-hard texture reminicent of softer aspic jelly, without any chewiness.  The artery bitson the other hand were excessively chewy, with a very gamey aftertaste that I did not truly enjoy.  Laughing together at my my expense a the counter, I thanked them for my meal and their hospitality, and with a look of true curiousity they asked me literally if it was "deliciousy."  Well, I would hate to be called a liar, but I couldn't be the guy to steal the sparkle from their eyes in witnessing some unwitting bloke down such a bizarre meal...so I say yes, emphatically, haha.

In the future I plan on doing a much more thorough interrogation concerning my meals, but hey, how many people can say they had Congealed Blood and Artery Soup?  Hopefully Friday I will get to posting my adventure with my budding new hiking buddy Pae Hyong Chon, one of the librarians on base ;-)

Bustling Suwon

After visiting Burak-san, and getting accustomed to my local stomping grounds, I figured I would take a little trip north for the sights in Suwon.  The view as you step outside the metro station:

 

A few views of the region from its highest point.

 

A city of 1.2 million in an area less than half the size of Denver, Suwon is quite the busy little metropolis.  The biggest attraction here is the well preserved Hwaseong fortress.  It covers the high ground in the center of the city and provides fantastic views of the region and a link to the fortress building past of the Joseon Dynasty. The outer wall of the fortress is more that four miles in circumference, which makes for a great hiking tour.  Because all of the land inside the fortress that was not part of the preservation project, this fortress reminded me of a German city that still had its wall preserved, like a jam packed city within a city.  It took me several hours to tour the outer wall, stopping frequently for pictures.  For all of its many remarkable attributes, it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Just outside the museum, there was this memorial.  Apparently, there was a tradition for the umbilical cords of the kings to be preserved in monuments such as this...not judging, just a bit strange to my standards.

Just outside the main gate is a SPRAWLING market selling fresh produce, dried chillies, meat, seafood, shoes, clothes, plants, perfume, purses, watches, everything you can possibly imagine, by numerous vendors and all prices negotiable.  Tonya would have to be given a homing beacon and wheelbarrow for any visit here, as the maze of merchandise and bargains are unending!

The packaging for this SPAM really spoke to me.  It is done with the same reverence that I think Pap-pap and I place on this delicacy :-)

After passing all of the food stalls my mouth had begun to water, so it was time to grab a little meal.  I stopped in a tiny Korean restaurant, that seemed authentic and unintimidating.  Unfortunately, they did not have a picture menu.  As luck would have it, the gentlemen eating at the corner table took a special interest in helping me order.  It turned out to be a delicious dumpling soup.  Four large vegetable and mushroom filled dumpling in a steaming light broth, accompanied with rice and two types of Kim-chi and a tea pot.  To my surprise, what I thought was a small pot of tea was actually some type of warm rice/water mixture of a lightly thickened consistance and neutral taste. 

As I started to dig into the meal, I noticed that the guys in the corner kept glancing at me and smiling and saying hello.  I figured they were just interested in talking to an American, so I did the polite thing and smiled back and said hello.  Well, I guess I kinda opened up the door at that point, because one gentleman yelled over at me and told me to come to the table....holding a shot glass of sojou (Korean vodka).  It should come as no surprise that I could not refuse, and I made my way over and one shot lend to another, and then a few broken sentences later and they were feeding me from their table and I was pouring them drinks from mine.  I learned that they were five brothers out for their weekend meal together.  I also was introduced to just how incredibly friendly the Korean people are.  The chef came out and joined in our conversation, adding his help with translation, because by this point the brothers were very deep into a day of drinking, and language training was out the door.  As we wrapped things up, they insisted on paying for my meal, as long as I promised to spread the word on how friendly and hospitable they are...and this recounting is part of keeping that promise.  Below is a picture of me with brothers number two and five.  Brother five could speak the most English, and brother two was the most interested in figuring out what some crazy American was doing walking around by himself in Suwon.

After this great experience I made my way through the palace on the fortress grounds, and then on my way back to the Metro, stumbled upon a beautiful temple snuggled up with the bars and stores of the market district.

Fortunately Suwon is only about a 20 min ride from base so I will be back frequently, and next time plan on taking plenty of pictures of the market!