Gwangju and Hwasun Dolmen Site

Bob and I awoke to a beautiful fall morning in Gwangju, on Saturday, October 10, 2015.  We had arrived at the satisfactorily comfortable Firenze Hotel the previous evening, hungering for a good meal after a day of hiking on empty stomachs.  Bob was never happier to see an Outback Steakhouse just around the corner in his life!  There's just something so satisfying about a good 'ole meaty American restaurant when you need a hearty meal.

 

This was our home for two nights while we explored Jeollanam-do.  It was on the second evening that Bob and I  walked the streets of Gwangju, looking for something to eat, and discovered what a "Neon" city this was!  This was Korea, the way I remember it upon arriving in Geoge-do to stay with Stephanie, Ben, and Emma in November 2011.  (See here.)  We must have found a the most colorful street in Korea!  The video will reveal just a small sampling of what we saw.

 

After our amusing stroll through Gwangju, we stopped and enjoyed some yummy Dwaeji Galbi (Korean-Style Pork Ribs).  It was another satisfying meal, topped off with an ice cream bar purchased from the local CU (7-11's competitor here in Korea)!

But let me back up to that morning.  We drove about 45-minutes south to the UNESCO world heritage Hwasun Dolmen Site.  What is a dolmen you ask?  They are burial tombs which are actually found throughout the world.  But the largest concentration of them (35,000) are found in Korea, and only recently have they been located and excavated here.  Dolmen are of varying types, but typically consist of two or more megaliths (large stones) supporting a large flat capstone.  In the northern regions of Korea these structures are built above ground and look somewhat like a table.  In the south, however, they are generally more like a stone pit built into the ground and topped with a stone slab.  At Hwasun, about 596 of these ancient tombs were built 2,000-3,000 years ago. Numerous relics such as spindle whorls (flat disks with a hole in the center used in textile making), stone axes and arrowheads, iron knives, pottery and jade, have been found in these tombs.  A small "experience center" introduced us to the primitive lifestyle of the Baekje people.

We drove and walked through a beautifully landscaped valley full of stone quarries and dolmen.  At first glance, it appeared as if we were merely seeing stones that had tumbled from the hillside and haphazardly came to rest upon other rocks.  But upon closer inspection, we could see the engineering involved in creating these funeral monuments .

The Hwasun site features Pingmaebawi, a "Go-board" type dolmen which is the largest in the world,  It weighs over 200 tons, and has been engraved with a family name.  The surrounding area was quite beautiful and provided a lovely burial ground.

Scattered throughout the valley were nice little gardens and small Korean mound-style family burial plots.  This spurred me onto a photo-taking quest to capture more of these as we drove through rural Korea that afternoon.  My findings will be documented in the next post.

But let me warn you now, that when the day was done, my tolerant husband, Bob, was convinced that my obsession with burial plots was driving him to his grave! 

Dramatic Daring Daedunsan

A Korean holiday took place on Friday, October 9, to celebrate the creation of their Hangul alphabet.   And Sunday, October 11th there were no church meetings held so that families could watch or listen to the 185th semi-annual LDS General Conference.  Bob and I decided this was the perfect weekend to get out and explore Korea - particularly  Jeollanam-do, the southwest province.  We took the risk of running into horrible traffic by leaving Seoul of Friday morning, with the consolation that we would get to listen to conference in the car.  And yes, it was a very frustrating 6-hour drive to our first destination, the magnificent Daedun mountain.  It is located between Daejeon and Jeonju, a distance that should have taken 2 1/2 hours, and which drove Bob to solemnly vow NEVER to travel on a Korean holiday again!  But I think he will agree that the reward was worth it at the end of the day.  Because of our 2:30 p.m. arrival, we opted to take the cable-car half-way up the mountain.  It was a popular day for hiking, and the trails were crowded as we began our trek.  However, many decided the suspension bridge and steep staircase which lay ahead were more than they could conquer.  For us, those challenges provided compelling motivation along the thrilling ascent to summit Macheondae.

The six-minute cable ride was a thrill in itself.  We were grateful to have by-passed the steep and arduous climb up - especially after having descended the challenging trail at the end of the day!  The craggy peaks that greeted us were beginning to boast an array of autumn color.

A short steep climb took us to the shaky Geumgang suspension bridge with a view of the intimidating Samseon stairway in the distance.  The relatively short bridge spans a deep chasm across the mountain which provides nice views if you can steady it's sway to snap a photo or two.

 

The mountainous terrain of Korea is breathtakingly beautiful.  While the solid granite peaks are reminiscent of the Rocky Mountains of Utah, the lush green vegetation is purely Korean.  In the distance we caught a glimpse of our next obstacle - the steep, 70-degree inclined red metal staircase. The climb up it seemed longer than it appears, and the most daunting part for me was turning around on the stairway to snap photos documenting our success.  The narrow stairs provided little turning radius and for one with some fear of heights, I had to focus my gaze on the solid encasing of the staircase.  But, wow, what spectacular views!

Atop the highest peak, we could vaguely discern the tower which marked our goal.  In true Korean fashion, the remainder of the climb was rugged and steep.  Our success was cheered by hikers who preceded us to the summit.

The brisk cool air turned cold upon my clothes which were damp with sweat as we began our sharp descent down Daedunsan.  Crowds waiting to ride the cable-car spurred our desire to traverse the remaining trails to the bottom.  The wobbly-legged task was difficult but satisfying and our timing perfect. Daylight began to fade as we drove 1 1/2 hours south to Guwangu.

If this post hasn't inspired you yet, then this photo, taken from a wall in the cable-car lobby, might be just the inspiration you need to make the trek to the dramatically daring Daedunsan!

Equally refreshing and beautiful were the talks given by living prophets and apostles during the conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  You can watch or listen to some of them yourself by clicking here.  Our dear President Thomas S. Monson leads our church with an amazingly joyful optimism.  Please listen to one of his messages and feel his wonderful spirit by clicking here. And then, if you have ever wondered why church is important in addition to just being a good person, please listen to the address,  "Why the Church", given by Elder D. Todd Christofferson.  I love those who lead our church, because they love the Savior completely and sincerely, as do I!