More "Best of..." Today I found something I wrote about a motorbike day-trip I took near the place where I was living during my first year. I started in Gimcheon and made a circle to the northeast toward a small town called Sangju and made several stops along the way. This trip was a kind of trial run for a much longer trip I took a couple of weeks later. This would have been sometime in May of 2003.

Sunday morning I set out on my motorcycle to the town of Seonsan, about 20 km north of Gimcheon. Seonsan is not mentioned in my guidebook, but on my map of Korea I noticed several temples and other cultural properties in the vicinity, so I wanted to have a look around.

My first stop was bup-ryun sa, which is a small Buddhist temple in the mountains outside of Seonsan. There is a five story stone pagoda, which is somewhat famous in the region, and two or three halls of worship. To be honest, I didn’t approach any of the halls too closely as I was wearing shorts and decided it would be best to keep a respectful distance. Well, I stayed a few minutes and snapped some pictures and was just about to leave when a Buddhist nun approached me and asked, using hand motions signifying eating, if I’d stay for lunch. Of course I was happy to oblige. So I had bibimbap (rice, vegetables and red pepper sauce) with some Korean Buddhists in what I can only describe as a kind of rectory. On the way to the meal I told the nun, “I’m from America. I live in Gimcheon. I’m an English teacher.” Thereby using three of my four most well rehearsed Korean phrases. If only it had been raining, I could have brought out the fourth one. But given the circumstances it was just as well we had sunny weather.

They were very generous and kept motioning for me to have a little more, long after the point where I was full. After dinner an adjuma (middle-aged Korea woman) brought out a watermelon, squatted down on the floor and proceeded to slice it into small wedges. That, along with various kinds of rice cakes, was dessert. Eventually I excused myself so I could continue my journey. I used another of my phrases and wished them, “Anyongi-gye-sae-yo” (stay in good health), they all in turn wished me, “Anyongi-ga-sae-yo” (Go in good health). With that I was on my way again.

I barely got 300 meters down the road when I saw a sign pointing to the tomb of Ha Wi-ji, so I took a side trip to look at it. About 100 meters up the side road there was a small grave stone and a kind of park, so I assumed that was what I was supposed to be looking at. After a few minutes I was about to leave when a farmer in the distance motioned to me I should go a little further. Despite my motions not to trouble himself (how does one do that anyway?) He came over to me and suggested I follow him, which of course, I did. He took me up the hillside to the real grave of Ha Wi-ji. The marker was written all in Chinese Characters, so to be completely honest, I still have no idea who Ha Wi-ji was or why he is important enough to merit a roadside marker for his tomb. A quick Google search tells me he was a great scholar, but still…

Once again, I was all ready to head down the road, when the farmer invited me to stay for a coffee. I refused at first, which is the polite thing to do, but he insisted so I eventually agreed. It soon became apparent he had an ulterior motive, that being he wanted his 13 year-old daughter to practice her English with me. Well, if that is the price of a tour guide and an iced coffee on a hot day so be it. The daughter was named Eun-ji, which I remember because I have a student in Gimcheon with the same name. She spouted some canned English phrases at me and I replied in like manner. She suddenly, and with no context whatsoever said, “Grand Canyon” to me, so I was able to tell her I grew up near there, or to be more precise, I told her, “Grand Canyon, my hometown-near.” That made her day, if not her entire semester. We made a connection and she was proud of it. Eun-ji then retreated to her house and brought out a map so I could show her exactly what I was talking about. Not a bad moment.

Soon I was on my way again, but all the way to Sang-ju I could barely travel 100 meters without seeing something cool worth stopping for a picture, and for every cool thing I saw, I’m sure there were 10 cool things I missed. That’s how rich in scenery and history this stretch of highway was.

I stopped at one more temple, at the top of a hill and at the end of a very bad road, which was so small it had only one hall. Quite a difference from others I’ve visited in Korea and Japan, which had palatial like complexes of worship halls and cultural artifacts. Before arriving in Sang-ju I also stopped at an old house of some kind that dates back to the 16^th century. Again, I’m not exactly sure of the cultural significance of it—something about the progenitors of the Cho family clan (as in Margaret Cho) —, but I figure a 550 year-old house deserves a drive-by at the very least.

Sang-ju was like Main Street USA, except of course in this case it is Main Street Korea, if there is such a thing. There were big wide avenues coming into town, rice fields on the outskirts, and the agricultural cooperative sitting at the main intersection in the city. I’m not kidding, if you took Seymour, Indiana and made a Korean version of it, you’d have Sang-ju. All that was lacking was a Dairy Queen and the John Mellencamp soundtrack.

Sang-ju back to Gimcheon was an easy 33km. There are a few interesting things along the way, but it was hot, and I was tired by then so I just made the trip in one shot. Along the way it became obvious my trip that day took me on a circle-tour around a mountain. I wish I knew the name, but I don’t. Anyway, it was one of my better days in Korea. There are some incredible things to see in this country, but they are (quite literally) off the beaten path.

* * *