A place of rest and harmony, nestled amid nightmare fuel

So let me begin by saying that this week wasn't as nightmarish as it COULD have been.  But it certainly got the job done.  Friday was the day of the kindergarten field trip.  Fun, yes, but resulting in a twelve-hour workday for me.  We went to the botanical gardens.

Yay! 

We saw flowers and ladybugs.

Yay! 

We all had Kimbap for lunch.

YAY! 

There were hordes of bees and exotic-looking giant green spiders roaming wild through the garden with the children. 

 ...wait. 

We watched a movie about prehistoric times with underground blind toothy twin-tongued worms.

...hold on...

In 3D

HOLD ON!  Did they KNOW who was watching this?  There was definitely some traumatizing happening here!  And the children might've been traumatized too!

*shudders*  anyway, after the horrors of the botanical gardens, it was an early bedtime night, because nine a.m. the next day would find me at the train station, waiting for another trip with last post's guide.

Destination: Ganghwa Island

Ganghwa Island is relatively close to the shore of Incheon, and has been used for centuries by the Korean people as an outpost against invasions.  Because seriously EVERYone has tried to invade Korea.

 As we approached the beach ("beach" here, is a relative term.) it became clear that we were nearing waters on the northern end of the country.  The northern tip of the island is actually 1500 meters from North Korean soil.  With no DMZ and minefield seperating it.  Did you notice the fences and razor wire?  They REALLY don't want anyone just hopping into a boat in this channel.  As we drove through some of the poorer areas of the city, it was interesting to note the prevalence of traditional architecture.  Even homes that could afford no more than a corrugated tin roof were determined to have it in a traditonal style.  Priorities here are sometimes a mystery to me.

The Island

The first thing we saw upon entering the island was a 1600s fortress.  It was built largely to protect against Japanese invaders who found the western side of Korea provided better access than the closer eastern side.  Put in those terms, you kinda have to give the Japanese credit for being really really good at the whole invasion thing.  Of course, Europeans would eventually give them a run for their money...

The fort itself consisted of little more than a circular wall with cannon ports built in.  The fortress was constructed on a point overlooking the channel between the mainland and the island.

 The Big Guns

 And the Place-You-Shouldn't-Be-Sitting-When-The-Big-Guns-Are-Used

 This is the entrance to the fort.  I am standing in tthe archway, which must've been monstrously huge by ancient korean standards.  Many of the fort's doorways were approximately 5'10" tall.  Did I duck because I HAD to?  Not technically....

 Oh, one more thing I forgot to mention.  Look out at the water where the enemies of Korea sailed.  Now back to my writing.  The enemies have become Americans.  That's right. 

A History Lesson

In the 1870s, when America was going all Manifest Destiny on the world with awesome shiny guns, we eventually made our way to the East (and I'm sure someone dubbed the Chinese they met "Indians").  American Sailors who landed on the shores of Japan were promptly murdered because of Japan's No Foreigners policy.  Well, needless to say, the US government stepped in and Japanese men were wearing business suits and engineering our technology better than we could within a century.  Anyway, when the US found out that a similar Closed policy was in place in Korea, battle ensued, as battle is wont to do in history lessons.  Three US ships attacked...you guessed it...THIS FORT.  The Korean defenders were quickly overwhelmed.   My guide was understandably embarassed to translate some of the plaques and inscriptions at this site.  But he called in (in a stunning display of understanding the nuances of English) a "happy historical accident" because of the success brought to Korea by its new open-door policy.

This site is the memorial and graves for the fifty-three soldiers killed by the American invasion.  Just goes to show you-- even a good relationship between countries is probably complicated.

Who remembers that England burned D.C. to the ground?  NOT DURING THE REVOLUTION?

Complicated.

Beautiful eaves on the fortress.  But you know what lives under eaves?  Wasps.  Know what lives under Giant Asian Eaves?   Giant Asian Hornets.  For those of you who aren't squeamish about bees, look Here

They're very real.  And very dangerous.  And I had very nightmares about them the very next night.

 Anyway, the fort was beautiful, but the same time slot on the tour was shared by Fortress and Lunch.  And as my guide told me, "There is not time enough to see beauty and eat."  I, however, am American.  If there is not time to eat, I will create time while wearing a cowboy hat.  And I ended up with time not only to eat, but to watch the Korean Series (baseball).  Go Wyverns!

The Temple

For a change of pace, we then journeyed to a buddhist temple on the edge of a mountain.  From the snapping flags, blazing sun, and rushing wind of the seaside fortresses, it was a definite change of pace to the murmuring waters, rustling trees, and quieter landscapes.

Have you ever met a country so polite that the trees bowed to you?  For most of this segment, by the way, I'm going to let the pictures speak for themselves and recap at the end.

The Gates

Terraced levels and Tea rooms

Mountain stream water flowing directly out of a rock has refreshed these monks for centuries

This bell was forged in China 1000 years ago.  Think about that.  Centuries are insufficient to measure its age

The Medicine buddha enshrined at the highest temple. 

If you look just inside the 400-year old wooden doors, you'll see the hidden temple guardian, ready to fight off any who enter with the wrong motives.  Korea metaphor number two?

View.

The experience was a really amazing one.  It was a "this is my life" moment.  One where I had to realize that I was living this, not watching a movie with hidden Island temples.  Because in that movie there would DEFINITELY be more martial arts.  But that will be next weekend.

A Few Final Curiosities

 What you see in the background are apples.  What you see in the foreground is not.  This is pe, a Korean pear.  Bigger, juicier, and sweeter than American pears.  I once heard a commedian say that a pear is a failed apple.  I would like to add a corollary to that:  an apple is a failed pe.

This is Insam (Ginseng, as the Chinese- and by extension the world- would have it).  The Chinese characters supposedly mean "man plant".  I can see it.  But I have a hard time not thinking about Pan's Labyrinth when I see the sickly, pale, moist limbs of this thing.  On the positive side, though, according to Koreans, Insam cures many diseases, from the common cold to cancer.  as does kimchi.  as does massage...

And just for kicks, an open air market selling pumpkins.  Almost like home this time of year.  But in Iowa the pumpkins aren't next to the salted seaweed.

The CORN is next to the salted seaweed.

I'll keep you updated as often as I can. 

Always Exploring,

Jeff-Teacher