Déjà Vu

I left Busan on December 20, gaining 17 hours and arriving in Seattle on the same day.  Two trips downtown to the Korean Consulate got me my visa to return to Korean for 90 day stays.  Seattle traffic is so tame compared to Busan and it was a pleasure to take the 325xi out for a spin.

This morning I'm leaving for Chicago to visit family over Christmas (in fact I'm at the airport now and my flight has been delayed). Then, on the 28th I fly to DC for a full week at home in Piney Point! It feels great to be back in America.  Oddly I look forward to my first night home soaking in my Jacuzzi tub more than anything thing else, but I will enjoy the rest of the trip on this working holiday (the email never stops).

It's back to Busan the 2nd week in January via Chicago, Seattle and Tokyo. Thankfully, with so many air miles, I can make the entire trip 1st Class, which takes a lot of the stress out of air travel.  It's hard to say where I go after that, but home for a few months would be great.

December 3, 2006

A Day of Monet & Mount Jangsan

A cool but sunny view from my room at the Westin Chosun - December 3, 2006. A similar view from ground level last July can be seen here.

The day began somewhat uneventful until I got a call from my buddy Richard asking me to join him and Angela to see an Impressionist's Exhibit at the Busan Art Museum.  I was well rested and it was really too cool to do much outside, so I gladly tagged along.  The exhibit was of French and American Impressionists on loan from the Brooklyn Museum.  I was impressed, although the French artists were quite more familiar to me than the American.  It was much better than the last Monet-in-London Exhibit that I saw in Tampa Bay.

Although it was quite chilly and breezy, afterward we decided to visit the UN War Memorial - a site we both passed numerous times, but never stopped to see.  Again, well worth the visit.  The grounds are meticulously maintained. Viewing the photographs in the small memorial hall was quite somber and the short video gave me some new insight as to the cause and outcome of the war that most have forgotten.

I've never seen a better kept cemetery than the UN Memorial at Busan - indicative of the respect Koreans have for those that gave their lives for a free Korea.

~~~

On the way back to our hotels, there was some talk of a hike, but I declined, as I had some mild cramps and it was so cool out.  But than Richard mentioned the path up to Mount Jangsan, an adventure I, thankfully, passed up on last August.  Granted it is cool, but a hike up a rugged mountain path is near perfect for this weather.  We agreed to meet up in a half hour.

Richard drove up a very narrow road to the parking lot to the temple.  Frankly, I'm not sure what one does if one encounters a vehicle going the opposite direction, as fortunately that did not happen.  We did narrowly miss many hikers that made the trek all the way from the city.

Once at the parking lot, one path leads to the temple, the other to the summit.  A hundred meters up the path to the top, I turned to see this view of a gold Buddha - one of many awe inspiring views to come.

Before we turn off the main path, there's one last view of the city below, with both Oryuk Islet and the Gwangan Bridge visible from a perspective only a mountain walk can render.

Before the path gets steeper and much more rocky, we take a much needed break at this site.  I need to find out what these rock formations symbolize, as I have seen them before at other temples.  On the way down, I photographed them under a setting sun.

When we reach this famous rock formation, I am near exhaustion, my legs giving out before my lungs.  We rest and I explore what I can around what I recall Richard as calling the "General's Stone" - a phase that I need to reconfirm.  I could spend a day alone photographing this area, but our time is limited as we must reach the summit and return before dark.

As I crawl behind the massive rocks I see Richard has effortlessly scaled the back of the smaller of the two - a feat I'd attempt a decade or so ago, but no more!

~~~

We seemed to encounter dozens of folks making the trip down, many with small children, most, if not all of the kids making the trek on their own foot-power!

~~~

As we finally approach the summit we encounter a young group of hikers that we assume to be American (foolish us).  It turns out that they are Russian and the beautiful blond is from Lithuania.  I tell her that my fathers parents are as well, wishing I was half my age again, so as to pursue the discussion further.  I get a smiling photograph, and we forever go our own paths.

I instantly fell in love with this Lithuanian blond - too bad she's half my age!

~~~

Weak and out of breath, we approach the summit.  We've seen little of the view up until this point, as the growth was very thick.  We arrive on top as if it occurred too soon - we finally made it, after all this suffering, and the event just happens.

The view, of course, is incredible, as this city of ten thousand towers stretches out three distinct directions.

Although a clear day by Busan standards, the haze and late sun make capturing the event on camera quite difficult.  I try anyway.

With a dozen or so watching this odd combination of a local (Angela) and foreigners (Richard and I), we climb to the top of a small abandoned shed to take in the view.  This was not an easy task, and Angela handled it far better than I.  She had no qualms about climbing to the roof of this shed (and I kept thinking it's going to be a real pain to get down).

Angela and Richard smiling (no doubt because we reached the summit).

We break open an improvised lunch and a cold beer from the top of the shed and enjoy our feast and the view before the cold sets in.  Even in the sun, we were much warmer during the hike up (I even worked up a sweat).

Upon finishing our meal, it became clear how really cold it was - with our hands becoming a bit numb first.  A few more photos and we begin the trek down, with plenty of time to beat the sun.

Haeundae from 2000 feet!

Even in the haze this is quite the view of a little corner of Busan!

The trek down goes much faster and is easier on the lungs and legs (but harder on the knees).  Angela takes the lead and Richard jokes that she is part goat, as we (at least I) have trouble keeping up.  I insist on a break at the three rock pillars and get in a few last shots. We are told the number 3 is a very good number in Korea, and indeed it proved to be so today.

We made plans for dinner later, at Kebapistan's Turkish Restaurant, after a time back in our rooms, to relax and recover from the day's events.  Yet once back, we all, understandably, passed on dinner out - all opting for the ease of room service!

The intensity of our work increases dramatically tomorrow, and we may have no more weekends off for a time.  Richard and Angela will remain in Busan, but I leave on December 20th - not knowing if I will ever return.  This may well indeed be my last true adventure here, and what an adventure it was!

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