Right, Pusan. Ok.
Friday was not a good day. It started with some unexpected information that I won't get into here, but it did set the tone for the rest of the day. I got through my classes until noon, at which point a guy by the name of In Soh, who I had met only once before, came to meet me and accompany me to Pusan. In Soh is a good guy, about 20 years old, but not much fun to hang around with. He readily admitted to me that he wants to do things with me mostly to improve his English. That's fine, I guess, especially since he decided to pay for everything that day and was getting me a place to sleep that night. So, I spent a full day with him.
We got to Pusan and picked up my new ID card. I am now officially an alien according to Koreans. Let the probing begin. Anyway, after this In Soh had decided that a movie would be a good idea. That sounded alright. Unfortunately, the location was at a giant mall. I hate the mall, and this one was basically what you would get if you took Metrotown and stood it on end (tall, instead of long). I consoled myself with the thought that we were just there to see a movie, then we'd go somewhere else. How wrong I was. We went to get our movie tickets, only to discover that the only movie we could settle on to see, King Arthur (which I will discuss further), didn't start for another three hours. Meanwhile, In Soh's 13 year old cousin had joined us. We wandered around the mall for an hour or so, not really looking at anything, just wandering, then they decided they wanted to play video games. I did not. So, I found a seat in a corner and wrote/read stuff for an hour and a half. I realize that malls and consumerism are as much a part of Korean culture as ancient temples and soju, but I can experience it at home if I ever choose to. I didn't come across the ocean to go to the damned mall. I was starting to feel somewhat bitter when they found me and we prepared for the movie. By this I mean we purchased snacks (popcorn and soda, despite the availability of dried, roasted squid) and stood around for a while. We finally went in to the theatre itself about 10 minutes before the movie was to start.
King Arthur is a terrible movie. Extremely cheesy with bad acting and only a few moments of unintentional humour. It was really a brutally bad movie. The special effects were obvious, the story line attempted to incorporate new archaeological "facts" and failed, and it was too damned long.
Ok, I'm done that rant now.
We finally left the mall after the movie. I was exhausted and really hungry. Luckily, we were headed to In Soh's cousins house, where we would be staying. The family was extremely nice and made me feel very comfortable. They kept feeding me. First, a tasty meat dish with rice, which had me stuffed. Then, after popping in Raiders of the Lost Ark, a pizza arrived, specially ordered for the alien. I appreciated it, but was far too full. I managed to eat one piece, though, and smile graciously throughout. After the movie, the time came to pass out. Sleep came slowly though, and it was a short sleep as the entire household woke up and started moving loudly around at 6:00am.
Breakfast on Saturday was again provided by In Soh's Aunt. It was some sort of fried doughy substance sprinkled with cinnamon and dipped in honey. It was... chewy. After breakfast, In Soh's uncle dropped us off at Haeundae Beach, Korea's most popular beach. It was cloudy and threatening to rain, so it wasn't very populated that day. In Soh and I wandered back and forth along the beach for about two hours. We didn't say much, we didn't do much. It wasn't very exciting or very interesting. Then we decided to have lunch. I had my favourite, naeng-myun, which I seasoned well with tasty spicy things, much to In Soh's amazement and occasional protest. It was yummy. After lunch, In Soh went to the train station to go back to Milyang and I wandered about Pusan for a while.
I ended up back up by the university, where I spent most of my time on my last trip. I randomly looked around the area until I got hungry then found a place to eat. I looked at the menu, asked about a few things, and decided on a rice dish they recommended. It was simply bizarre. Not what I expected in the least. What it was was a pile of rice with a thick, dark brown sauce with chunks in it poured over top. It had a chocolatey taste and the chunks were potato and bits of pork. I was really hungry, so I ate it, but I won't be getting it again.
After that it was off to the bar. I hung around Soul Trane, one of the bars I went to last time, for a good while. Jonathan, one of the people I met last time, arrived and we talked for a bit then played some pool against a couple of ultra-competitive US army jerks. Jonathan and I, not very good at pool, managed to get them down to where we were battling for the 8 ball. They won, and were complete asses about it. More of them kept coming in, so we figured that it was time to change venues. We ended up at Crossroads, which I briefly visited before. I stayed much longer this time. I met a group of bitter English teachers who's only wish was to get home. They actually had countdowns to departure programmed into their cell phones so they could check how many months/days/hours/seconds until they got to go. I actually ended up sitting with them for some time. They weren't too bad, and they had their reasons for wanting to leave, I just thought it was a little excessive.
During my time with the bitter people, Jonathan had gone back to Soul Trane to meet some other people. As well, some bands played. They were fairly mediocre folksy stuff. Jonathan came back with his girlfriend and her best friend, Remi. Remi and got along really well and got into a really good music conversation. She got the bar to play some good, original Korean music, something I have been lamenting the lack of for some time.
It eventually came to light that I would not be able to sleep at Jonathan's place that night, as we had arranged earlier, due to the fact that it's a studio apartment and his girlfriend was coming over that night. Instead, he lent me some cash and set me up at a motel. This motel was completely unlike the one I stayed at last time. It was quite plainly a love motel. Right outside the elevator was a machine called the "Love Box" dispensing a variety of products. Inside the room there was red track lighting, a heart shaped headboard, strategically placed condoms, and the first channel the TV went to was porn. It was all rather humorous. I was pretty drunk, so I turned the TV back off and went to sleep.
The next morning, Sunday, I woke up, watched South Korea beat Mexico in Olympic soccer, then proceeded to get lost. I made the mistake of trusting my Lonely Planet map from three years ago and wandered far, far away from the subway. Thankfully, my general sense of direction helped me out and three hours later I found the subway again. I made my way to the fish market area and got myself some tasty sashimi done Korean style (meaning it was doused in hot stuff and mixed with rice and greens in a large bowl). I was satisfied with my food and my somewhat strange trip to Pusan. It was time to go back to Milyang.
Well, since then, not much has happened, other than my MP3 player breaking, which is actually pretty terrible. I need my music, but it will get fixed. It's Wednesday night now and I've spent the last three and a half days in a strange state of emotional flux. I'm up one hour or two and down the next. It's been weird. Actually, I've been like this more or less for the last two or three weeks, but its been more so this week. I think its a bit of homesickness, a sense of isolation, and knowing that a bigger, more entertaining city is out there with people I identify with, but I'm here and alone in this small city. I'm pretty sure I'll come to terms with things soon enough, plus I'll be doing more traveling soon, I hope. It'll all be good.
Oh yeah, I ran into Mormons today. They were hanging around outside the grocery store like kids at a 7-11. I was approached by one, and he asked me all the Heavenly Father questions. I expressed my lack of interest and he stopped bothering me. I really dislike the very idea of missionary work. Believe whatever you want, but don't try to tell people its the only way and that their way is wrong. It bugs me to no end. Such ignorant arrogance. I found it kind of interesting to run into them though, considering my last posting compared teaching English to missionary work.
That's all for now.
Guy
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
25: Converting the Masses
So, not much has happened in the past week and a half, thus the lack of updates. I've just been teaching my classes, which have been pretty uneventful, and going for walks or sitting at the computer. I sure know how to live it up!
I did go out on Saturday with Edward and a some new people he brought along. We had a tasty pork bone soup called gamja-tang and much soju. I think I've managed to adjust myself to soju as it didn't hit me very hard this time at all. Afterwards we all went out for beer and a good time was had by all.
My real reason for writing this today is that I got into a discussion today with Cathy about how we give all the Korean students English names. It's apparently a school rule to assign a new 'English-friendly' name to all students. I have been uneasy about this from the start as I know how attached to my own name I am (this despite the fact I am going by Steave here...). Anyway, my uneasiness about this has grown with the fact that many students are resistant to changing their names. I see this as not being a problem. We transcribe their proper Korean name into the Roman alphabet and I learn how to pronounce them, usually quite poorly. The discussion I had with Cathy was just that, a discussion, as we both agreed that changing someone's name against their will just isn't right. One student, who got named Fred, requested that I call him Dae Won from now on. I fully support him in that.
This discussion of name appropriation got me thinking even deeper on things, thoughts I'm sure have gone through almost every ESL teachers mind when abroad. Are we not just new missionaries spreading our words to the unconverted and thus, unknowledgeable? Is the Anglicisation of the world really an honourable goal? While it is true that many, maybe even most, Koreans seek out English, there are quite a few who only learn it because it is a required subject in school or because their parents force them to. As well, of those who seek it out, their primary motivation is to get a good paying job with a trading company. This would be logical if they traded mostly with English speaking companies but, quite rightly, Korea trades mostly with Japan and China. That said, Japanese and Chinese (either Mandarin or Cantonese) are taught, but are not required learning or as actively sought out.
English here appears to be almost a national obsession. As I mentioned, it is required subject for all students, and most children and many adults seek outside schooling to reinforce those classes (thus, I have a job). I just wonder whether it is a symptom of the constant presence of American influence here since the Korean War or a true quest to gain knowledge of a foreign language. It's not so much that Koreans are so ardent in their pursuit of the English language, but that English seems to be the second or third language of choice worldwide while native English speakers are the least likely to bother learning another language. It just seems like arrogance to me, and its all nicely summed up in the "you should take on an English name because we don't want to try to learn how to pronounce your real one" attitude.
I am never one to criticize someone else for trying to gain more knowledge. I just am concerned that I may be an unintentional agent of cultural attack. I am one of those who believes that language plays a very integral role in cultural identity. From what I see of Korea, and admittedly it is not much yet, it is grasping very strongly onto American culture and quickly forgetting many things Korean. As of this point, the Korean language is still easily the most dominant, but with the huge number of active English language academies and the knowledge of English being demanded by schools, corporations and government, I kind of have to wonder how long things will remain this way.
Korean culture in no way appears to be weak, but the ubiquitous presence of Starbucks, McDonald's, English language academies and the fact that everyone here seems to have a brand new car and a cell phone leads me to wonder about later.
These really are just musings of an uninformed outsider, though. Most likely I am dead wrong and Koreans just grab what they like from western culture and ignore the rest, but at times it seems so pervasive that I can't help but think of myself as a new missionary, here to convert to "right" path.
***
Well, on a far less serious note, I just opened up a can of "Spicy Squids." I had bought it two weeks ago, but for some reason never opened it. They were tasty. I'll get them again. Really, how can one resist a label that says that?
That's all today. I go to Pusan again on Friday, so maybe more news this weekend.
Guy
I did go out on Saturday with Edward and a some new people he brought along. We had a tasty pork bone soup called gamja-tang and much soju. I think I've managed to adjust myself to soju as it didn't hit me very hard this time at all. Afterwards we all went out for beer and a good time was had by all.
My real reason for writing this today is that I got into a discussion today with Cathy about how we give all the Korean students English names. It's apparently a school rule to assign a new 'English-friendly' name to all students. I have been uneasy about this from the start as I know how attached to my own name I am (this despite the fact I am going by Steave here...). Anyway, my uneasiness about this has grown with the fact that many students are resistant to changing their names. I see this as not being a problem. We transcribe their proper Korean name into the Roman alphabet and I learn how to pronounce them, usually quite poorly. The discussion I had with Cathy was just that, a discussion, as we both agreed that changing someone's name against their will just isn't right. One student, who got named Fred, requested that I call him Dae Won from now on. I fully support him in that.
This discussion of name appropriation got me thinking even deeper on things, thoughts I'm sure have gone through almost every ESL teachers mind when abroad. Are we not just new missionaries spreading our words to the unconverted and thus, unknowledgeable? Is the Anglicisation of the world really an honourable goal? While it is true that many, maybe even most, Koreans seek out English, there are quite a few who only learn it because it is a required subject in school or because their parents force them to. As well, of those who seek it out, their primary motivation is to get a good paying job with a trading company. This would be logical if they traded mostly with English speaking companies but, quite rightly, Korea trades mostly with Japan and China. That said, Japanese and Chinese (either Mandarin or Cantonese) are taught, but are not required learning or as actively sought out.
English here appears to be almost a national obsession. As I mentioned, it is required subject for all students, and most children and many adults seek outside schooling to reinforce those classes (thus, I have a job). I just wonder whether it is a symptom of the constant presence of American influence here since the Korean War or a true quest to gain knowledge of a foreign language. It's not so much that Koreans are so ardent in their pursuit of the English language, but that English seems to be the second or third language of choice worldwide while native English speakers are the least likely to bother learning another language. It just seems like arrogance to me, and its all nicely summed up in the "you should take on an English name because we don't want to try to learn how to pronounce your real one" attitude.
I am never one to criticize someone else for trying to gain more knowledge. I just am concerned that I may be an unintentional agent of cultural attack. I am one of those who believes that language plays a very integral role in cultural identity. From what I see of Korea, and admittedly it is not much yet, it is grasping very strongly onto American culture and quickly forgetting many things Korean. As of this point, the Korean language is still easily the most dominant, but with the huge number of active English language academies and the knowledge of English being demanded by schools, corporations and government, I kind of have to wonder how long things will remain this way.
Korean culture in no way appears to be weak, but the ubiquitous presence of Starbucks, McDonald's, English language academies and the fact that everyone here seems to have a brand new car and a cell phone leads me to wonder about later.
These really are just musings of an uninformed outsider, though. Most likely I am dead wrong and Koreans just grab what they like from western culture and ignore the rest, but at times it seems so pervasive that I can't help but think of myself as a new missionary, here to convert to "right" path.
***
Well, on a far less serious note, I just opened up a can of "Spicy Squids." I had bought it two weeks ago, but for some reason never opened it. They were tasty. I'll get them again. Really, how can one resist a label that says that?
That's all today. I go to Pusan again on Friday, so maybe more news this weekend.
Guy
Sunday, August 01, 2004
24: Pusan
Pusan was so much fun. My train ride down was uneventful and quite quick. The scenery was pretty spectacular in spots. I can't wait to go on longer trips around the country! Once I arrived in Pusan, I very quickly took care of the ID card stuff I had to do there (still have to back in two weeks to pick it up), but then I was free to explore for as long as my money held out. Which wouldn't be long, really.
I set myself up for a night at a nice little hotel, or yeogwan as they're called here. It was cheap, clean and had air conditioning, a working TV, a private bathroom, a real shower with hot water, and appeared to be bug free. Thus, it was significantly more attractive than my apartment in Miryang which has none of the above amenities except cheapness and a private bathroom. I didn't spend much time in there, though, as I wanted to explore.
My first goal was to familiarize myself with the subway system. That was simple enough. What a great, clean, efficient system they have. It goes practically everywhere in city (which is huge), and is super cheap and easy to use. I especially like how certain stops have their own special song played as they announce the stop. I also liked how the subway cars were air conditioned. That's pretty sweet on a hot and humid day.
I took the subway to the Jagalchi/Nampo area in the south central area of town. It was full of stores and restaurants and such. Very much a shopping district. Also nearby was the Jagalchi fish market, which was, as the name implies, full of fish. I had decided upon leaving my hotel room that there was no way I could not look like a tourist, what with the Lonely Planet guide and camera, so I decided to go all out and be a tourist. I went up the Pusan Tower. It has a rather pretty park surrounding it and some ancient structure too, one of which contained the biggest bell I have ever seen. Anyway, the views from the tower were quite good and I got a really good idea of just how big this city is. I met a rather nice man named Peter, from Washington, DC, while up there. He was actually born in Korea, but his parents moved to the US when he was 6 or so. He speaks no Korean. He relayed to me how troublesome this can be. He looks Korean, so people assume he speaks it, and when he explains that he can't, they start to speak in Japanese to him. We talked for a good while about how we're enjoying it here and some of the little things that confuse of frustrate us, then he wandered off.
After this I hopped back on the subway and went up to the university area and wandered around there. That's a pretty hopping area. So much going on and so many people. I decided that it would be a good place to come back to that night for beer.
Before I did that though, I needed a nap. I was unbelievably tired. So, I made my way back to my room and passed out for 2-3 hours. I woke up hungry. I remembered seeing a sushi place up by the university, and that sounded good. Mmm, real sushi, with fish and such. I had been craving it for a good long time and now I would satisfy that craving. It was good. Not the best I've ever had, but certainly enough to dull the craving.
After that, it was time to search out a good place for beer. The Lonely Planet guided me to a place called Monk. It was a good place, and I happened to come in on a night where a band was playing. Sweet! They set up a few minutes after I arrived and as soon as the first chord was played I recognized it. Ends up they were an Alice in Chains cover band. They were really good. The singer managed to sound almost exactly like Layne Staley. I was impressed. Their set was pretty short though and the bar emptied out almost immediately afterwards. I had picked up an ad for a group of bars in the area though, and it had a map on the back. I decided to go to a place called Soul Trane. This was a good choice. As soon as I walked in I was welcomed by a pair of fellow North Americans, a girl from Toronto and a guy from Chicago. Their names are Tiffany and Jonathan, respectively. They were great. They introduced me to all their Korean friends, some of whom were in a punk cover band that would be playing later that night. Two bands in one night! Great! We sat and drank for a bit, Jonathan took me briefly over to another bar to meet some other people, then we came back to see the Astro Boys, as the punk band is called. They were amazing. They played a Ramones song, a bunch of Rancid, a Weezer song, and a Billy Joel song. Everything was done with great energy and the bass player was awesome.
I have criticized much of the music I've heard in Korea, and justifiably so. The stuff you hear everywhere is pure crap pop junk taken from the mould that American recording companies have created. But, after watching those two bands in Pusan, I see that there is hope for Korean music. Sure, they were cover bands, and yes they were still covering American music. But the energy they had and the skill with which they played their instruments and engaged the audience leads me to believe that it is only a matter of time before a true underground music scene develops here with original music being written and performed. For all I know, it already has and I haven't seen it yet. But I feel better about Korean music now.
Anyway, after the show I went back to my hotel. I missed the last subway (why does it stop running before midnight?) and had to take a taxi. It was pricier than expected, but nothing too exorbitant. I slept later than expected and woke up more hungover than expected, leading me to tally up my beer total from the night before. Turns out the hangover was not out of line. So, with my beer drinking and cab taking, my money was getting perilously low. But I still had enough to eat, do a couple of things, and catch my train back to Miryang (oh yeah, I finally have established the proper way to pronounce Miryang; it's Milyahng and should be spelled that way for stupid foreigners like me).
So, what to do? Well, first, I needed to eat. I went out for some naengmyun, which is cold, thin noodles in a broth of ice water and spices. It is sooooo good, especially on a hot day. After that, I decided that some mountain climbing was in order. Right in the middle of Pusan is a place called Kumgang Park. Its a massive mountainous park that used to be a fortress. It's completely surrounded by the city. Now, when I say mountains, I don't mean some hills that people have attached the word mountain to. These are true mountains, the tallest rising over 800m from sea level (and remember that Pusan is a port city, so is at sea level). The first part of the climb up was done by cable car. Its a great way to climb a mountain, for sure. It takes you the first 540m up, basically to the top of the first peak. According to the pamphlet I received, the cable car was built in 1967 and "is still receiving much love from residents of the city."
At the top of the cable car ride was a rather nice forest park area, which I think the pamphlet describes better than I can:
To say the park and the views from it were spectacular does not begin to do it justice. The old fortress that was built up there is an amazing thing in that they built a stone wall 17km around the tops of these mountains and some rather beautiful gates. I took many pictures which I hope to post eventually. My hike up the other mountains was long and exhausting and I ended up with a pretty nice sunburn, but it was worth it. The weathered granite rock formations jutting out of the mountain sides and surrounded by trees were simply awesome. The breeze at the peaks was extremely invigorating and the views completely astonished me. I love this place. I was hiking for a good 4 hours before I decided to make my way back down for some food. I never made it the top of the highest peak. As a matter of fact, I only made it about halfway through the park.
I was extremely sore and tired and dirty when I got to the bottom of the mountains and back into town. I forget what I ate, but I know I ate something then made my way back to the train station for the trek back to Miryang.
I love Pusan. There is still so much there that I want to explore, plus there is the potential for a much more active social life and the watching of live music. I'll be going back as often as I can.
Steave
I set myself up for a night at a nice little hotel, or yeogwan as they're called here. It was cheap, clean and had air conditioning, a working TV, a private bathroom, a real shower with hot water, and appeared to be bug free. Thus, it was significantly more attractive than my apartment in Miryang which has none of the above amenities except cheapness and a private bathroom. I didn't spend much time in there, though, as I wanted to explore.
My first goal was to familiarize myself with the subway system. That was simple enough. What a great, clean, efficient system they have. It goes practically everywhere in city (which is huge), and is super cheap and easy to use. I especially like how certain stops have their own special song played as they announce the stop. I also liked how the subway cars were air conditioned. That's pretty sweet on a hot and humid day.
I took the subway to the Jagalchi/Nampo area in the south central area of town. It was full of stores and restaurants and such. Very much a shopping district. Also nearby was the Jagalchi fish market, which was, as the name implies, full of fish. I had decided upon leaving my hotel room that there was no way I could not look like a tourist, what with the Lonely Planet guide and camera, so I decided to go all out and be a tourist. I went up the Pusan Tower. It has a rather pretty park surrounding it and some ancient structure too, one of which contained the biggest bell I have ever seen. Anyway, the views from the tower were quite good and I got a really good idea of just how big this city is. I met a rather nice man named Peter, from Washington, DC, while up there. He was actually born in Korea, but his parents moved to the US when he was 6 or so. He speaks no Korean. He relayed to me how troublesome this can be. He looks Korean, so people assume he speaks it, and when he explains that he can't, they start to speak in Japanese to him. We talked for a good while about how we're enjoying it here and some of the little things that confuse of frustrate us, then he wandered off.
After this I hopped back on the subway and went up to the university area and wandered around there. That's a pretty hopping area. So much going on and so many people. I decided that it would be a good place to come back to that night for beer.
Before I did that though, I needed a nap. I was unbelievably tired. So, I made my way back to my room and passed out for 2-3 hours. I woke up hungry. I remembered seeing a sushi place up by the university, and that sounded good. Mmm, real sushi, with fish and such. I had been craving it for a good long time and now I would satisfy that craving. It was good. Not the best I've ever had, but certainly enough to dull the craving.
After that, it was time to search out a good place for beer. The Lonely Planet guided me to a place called Monk. It was a good place, and I happened to come in on a night where a band was playing. Sweet! They set up a few minutes after I arrived and as soon as the first chord was played I recognized it. Ends up they were an Alice in Chains cover band. They were really good. The singer managed to sound almost exactly like Layne Staley. I was impressed. Their set was pretty short though and the bar emptied out almost immediately afterwards. I had picked up an ad for a group of bars in the area though, and it had a map on the back. I decided to go to a place called Soul Trane. This was a good choice. As soon as I walked in I was welcomed by a pair of fellow North Americans, a girl from Toronto and a guy from Chicago. Their names are Tiffany and Jonathan, respectively. They were great. They introduced me to all their Korean friends, some of whom were in a punk cover band that would be playing later that night. Two bands in one night! Great! We sat and drank for a bit, Jonathan took me briefly over to another bar to meet some other people, then we came back to see the Astro Boys, as the punk band is called. They were amazing. They played a Ramones song, a bunch of Rancid, a Weezer song, and a Billy Joel song. Everything was done with great energy and the bass player was awesome.
I have criticized much of the music I've heard in Korea, and justifiably so. The stuff you hear everywhere is pure crap pop junk taken from the mould that American recording companies have created. But, after watching those two bands in Pusan, I see that there is hope for Korean music. Sure, they were cover bands, and yes they were still covering American music. But the energy they had and the skill with which they played their instruments and engaged the audience leads me to believe that it is only a matter of time before a true underground music scene develops here with original music being written and performed. For all I know, it already has and I haven't seen it yet. But I feel better about Korean music now.
Anyway, after the show I went back to my hotel. I missed the last subway (why does it stop running before midnight?) and had to take a taxi. It was pricier than expected, but nothing too exorbitant. I slept later than expected and woke up more hungover than expected, leading me to tally up my beer total from the night before. Turns out the hangover was not out of line. So, with my beer drinking and cab taking, my money was getting perilously low. But I still had enough to eat, do a couple of things, and catch my train back to Miryang (oh yeah, I finally have established the proper way to pronounce Miryang; it's Milyahng and should be spelled that way for stupid foreigners like me).
So, what to do? Well, first, I needed to eat. I went out for some naengmyun, which is cold, thin noodles in a broth of ice water and spices. It is sooooo good, especially on a hot day. After that, I decided that some mountain climbing was in order. Right in the middle of Pusan is a place called Kumgang Park. Its a massive mountainous park that used to be a fortress. It's completely surrounded by the city. Now, when I say mountains, I don't mean some hills that people have attached the word mountain to. These are true mountains, the tallest rising over 800m from sea level (and remember that Pusan is a port city, so is at sea level). The first part of the climb up was done by cable car. Its a great way to climb a mountain, for sure. It takes you the first 540m up, basically to the top of the first peak. According to the pamphlet I received, the cable car was built in 1967 and "is still receiving much love from residents of the city."
At the top of the cable car ride was a rather nice forest park area, which I think the pamphlet describes better than I can:
"The thick forest of pine trees at the top of the Mt. Kumjeong is the best rest place to make residents of the city feel naturally clean and at the same time becomes a field of natural learning to children."Not being a resident of the city, I was exempt from this natural cleanliness and proceeded to explore the area, shamed by my foreign filth.
To say the park and the views from it were spectacular does not begin to do it justice. The old fortress that was built up there is an amazing thing in that they built a stone wall 17km around the tops of these mountains and some rather beautiful gates. I took many pictures which I hope to post eventually. My hike up the other mountains was long and exhausting and I ended up with a pretty nice sunburn, but it was worth it. The weathered granite rock formations jutting out of the mountain sides and surrounded by trees were simply awesome. The breeze at the peaks was extremely invigorating and the views completely astonished me. I love this place. I was hiking for a good 4 hours before I decided to make my way back down for some food. I never made it the top of the highest peak. As a matter of fact, I only made it about halfway through the park.
I was extremely sore and tired and dirty when I got to the bottom of the mountains and back into town. I forget what I ate, but I know I ate something then made my way back to the train station for the trek back to Miryang.
I love Pusan. There is still so much there that I want to explore, plus there is the potential for a much more active social life and the watching of live music. I'll be going back as often as I can.
Steave
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