The Field Trip

So we left Seoul Sunday morning for parts south.  Our first stop was the royal tomb of King Sejong.  This guy was apparently a genius - he invented an new alphabet, music, and all kinds of things.  The day was hot and humid, no breeze, and very sunny.  We tried to find shade wherever we went, but still I was drenched all day.We did a lot of driving, and although some was in the mountains, in all the valleys there is subsistence agriculture.  Just like I remember from my last visit - every piece of land larger than a postage stamp is cultivated.  Peppers, squash, lettuces and greens, onions, garlic, and of course large, flooded fields of rice.
After lunch we drove to the Jikji Print Museum.  The Jikji is the oldest piece of text printed with movable metal type.  We saw how the type was created, and then made paper and bound a book.
After dinner several of us went out to explore the nightlife of Cheongju.  We wandered the streets for awhile, then talked with and followed a Korean couple to a nice little pub.  It wasn't as exciting as Seoul, but we had a good time.

 Day 2
The whole day consisted of temples, tombs, and shrines.  We started with the birth of the first Silla king - a flying horse laid an egg by a well, and the boy king was born.  We visited a tomb complex, and entered through the gate that separates the material from the spiritual world.
After more food, we drove to the Seokguram Grotto.  We walked along a beautiful, cool, shaded path to the man-made cave, which was built in 700s by the Silla kings.  The Buddha within the grotto is 3.5 m high, and sits on a pedestal of lotus flower that is 1.3 m tall.  The grotto is part of the Bulguk-sa Temple, which overlooks the East Sea.
Our last stop of the day was another burial mound, guarded by statuary that include to requisite 2 soldiers and 2 civilians.
After dinner we checked into the nicest hotel so far - I have a balcony that looks out on the lake.  

Day 3
We started out this morning with a visit to a steel mill.  Korea's president in the 1960s really wanted to develop industry, so Pohang was picked as a site to build steel mills.  Korea doesn't have the iron ore or coal to fuel the mills, so they are imported from Australia, China, and other places.  The POSCO plant was built, and opened in the early 70s.  Due to the current plague of industrial espionage we couldn't take pictures in the plant, but we got to walk through a rolling mill - the heat from the hot steel was incredible.  I think this was the most fascinating thing I've seen here - watching a slab of almost molten steel go from 25 cm thick to 1.25 mm in just a couple minutes.  This steel will be used in home appliances, etc.
For lunch we stopped somewhere and had an "International Buffet."  Chinese, Japanese sushi, Korean, pizza - plus a bottle of Argentinian tempranillo.
More museuming after lunch -the Kyungju National Museum, where we saw many pieces from the Silla period of Korea.  This city was the capital of the Silla kingdom, which lasted 1000 years.
We then visited 2 Silla sites nearby - the Flying Horse tomb, and the Bun Hwang Sa temple.  You'll have to look at the links to find out about these sites.
After sitting on the floor for dinner, we had a 2 hour lesson-planning session, so that's all for now.
안녕히 계십시오!