Railbikes-A little exercise and loads of fun!

Railbikes..A great way to spend an afternoon

Fresh air.. spectacular scenery..a little exercise...loads of fun. A railbike excursion is a great way to spend an afternoon outside of the busy city life. Railbikes are pedal powered railway vehicles built to run on railroad tracks that are no longer in commercial use.
We decided to check out the railbikes that we had heard so much about. We booked a 1:00 trip and drove early in the morning. We departed at 8:30 a.m. but there was a lot of traffic, so we just made it in time for the trip.
The trip departs from the Gujeolli Station which is located in the picturesque Jeongseon area of the Gangwon-do province. The drive to the station was very enjoyable as we wound out way through the small towns down country roads. It is beautiful scenery and we made the trip as a day trip, but there is a delightful option, you can stay in the Railcar Pension which is a series converted railcars located right at the station. There are Western and Korean style rooms available. (For infornation on this check out the website at the end of this post)

This excursion is very popular, especially with families. There were many excited faces as the children awaited their turn to ride the rails. Reservations are a must, especially in the Fall as the trips fill up. As we departed for the 90 minute, 7.2 kilometre trip,the smiles on our faces were just as broad as the younger participants. It is just plain fun-skipping along the railroad tracks surrounded by spectacular scenery and feeling the cool breezes in your face as you travel along.
The trip is all downhill so is not the least bit strenuous and you are transported back to the station in a train. On the route you travel along the Crystal clear Soncheon river as it winds its way through a beautiful mountain backdrop. Adding to the beauty of the trip are the waterfalls that you encounter along the way.
Along the way you encounter tunnels which were a big hit with
railbikers young and old. I should point out that the railbikes don't have horns, so if you are given to the pursuit of blowing
your horn loudly in tunnels, you will be disappointed.
A wonderful part of the day was dining in a converted railcar which was fashioned to resemble giant grasshoppers. The food was good and there were Western cuisine options as well as Korean.
Jeonseon was once a large coal-producing region, producing 6.5 million tons a year but due to the decline of the coal industry, mines started closing in 1989 impacting Jeongseon. The train that once transported coal and people between Gujeolli and Auraji stopped operating as a result of this decline. So to preserve this rail road legacy lacals and the Korea Rail Corporationdevised the railcar excursions.
We are so glad they did!
For more information on the railbike excursions contact the following:

the Website of Jeongseon County at http://www.jeongseon.go.kr or call 033-560-2361. You can also contact the KTX Tour and Leisure Corporation at http://www.railbike.co.kr or 033-563-8787.
or go to Korea.net and type in "railbikes" and click on the link. Actually this website has a lot of good information about Korea.
You may need help with booking so I would suggest contacting 1330 or enlisting the help of a Korean friend.
Happy Rails!

Gosu Cave A Natural Wonder

Gosu Cave is host to spectacular limestone formations. It was very striking to us that we were able to go to the cave's inner places. So often you view them from a distance. We were fascinated by nature's handiwork. It is definitely not a place for the claustrophobic. There are many tight places on the tour as you wind your way through, climbing on steel staircases.

Designated as a natural monument No. 256, Gosu Cave is a limestone cave formed over 450 million years ago, is located in Danyang-gun. This extensive cave system is 1,300 meters/4265 feet deep, and is well known for its beauty.

The name Gosu comes from the fact that in the past, the area was filled with thickets of tall grass. Crude stone impliments were excavated at the cave entrance, revealing that this area was home to prehistoric humans.

Inside Gosu Cave, the temperature remains around 15℃/59F throughout the year. A 1.7km/5577ft length of twisting, turning limestone caverns have been outfitted with metal walkways and subdued lighting. The vertical height of the walkways is 50m/164ft.

There are reportedly about 25 different kinds of animal life inhabiting the cave. Some of the rocks resemble animals or human figures, like Lion Rock, Octopus Rock, Eagle Rock, and even the Virgin Mary Rock. About 120 various shapes of stalactites and stalagmites are found within the cave are valuable resources for researchers and scholars.

http://wikimapia.org/321808/Gosu-Cave-%EA%B3%A0%EC%88%98%EB%8F%99%EA%B5%B4

A trip to Danyang

One of the things we really loved to do in Korea was venture out into the countryside.
When we had only been in Seoul for a month we took a trip to Danyang which is about two hours outside of Seoul. We wanted to to take the 32 mile waterway between Chungju and Danyang. It was a very beautiful trip.
I should point out that it would be a great idea to take this trip with a Korean friend since
we only encountered only a few people that spoke English. But with the help of our limited Korean, and very helpful Koreans we got along fine. At the time we didn't know about calling 02-1330 for assistance. It would have been helpful. We used that help line many times during our time in Korea.

We felt very adventurous as we secured passage on the ferry in Chungju and contracted with a driver to take our car to Danyang! We were very to happy to see the driver and our car waiting for us as we got off the boat. The tour is not in English but the boat captain spoke English and
explained what we were seeing.
He described the various limestone formations. They
were very interesting. The ride was relaxing. It was a beautiful
day.
There is a lot of historical
significance to the sights in this area so I am including some of the background.

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/danyang/3998010029.html

The following are the background on the Scenic Wonders that are located around Danyang.
It is provided by the above website.

1. Dodam Sambong -- This island in the NamHan River has three peaks, called Changgunbong, Cheopbong, and Cheobong. They are said to represent three people involved in a love triangle: the husband, the concubine, and the wife, respectively. The story is that a man couldn't have a son with his wife, so he took on a concubine. The wife was so upset that she refused to speak to him and turned away. Locals say that the orientation of the rocks symbolizes this relationship.

2. Seokmun -- Going up river from the three peaks about 200m (656 ft.), you will find a stone gate shaped like the arc of a rainbow. Locals say that heavenly spirits must have sang a song when they passed by.

3. Sainam Rock -- This large rock cliff, surrounded by old pine trees, hangs over a clear stream. On it is inscribed a poem by Confucian scholar Utak (pen name, Yeoktong). The poem reads: "Something far superior to other things/indeed matchless, cannot be cast aside./There is nothing to be afraid of, even standing all alone./There is nothing to worry about, in this secluded life."

4. Haseonam -- Along the range of Doraksan are three peaks that people liken to brothers. Haseonam is the first. A large boulder on it is said to look like a reclining Buddha (so it's called "Bulam," Buddha Rock). During the Joseon Dynasty, it was given the name "Sonam," which means "a rock where the mountain wizards strolled." And local legend has it that the gods once descended from heaven and had a banquet there.

5. Jungseonam -- About 5km (3 miles) from Haseonam is the middle brother peak. On its slopes is the Ssang-yong Falls, where it is said that twin dragons ascended to heaven through a crevice. During the Joseon Dynasty, many yangban (those from the gentlemen class) would come here to make music, write poetry, and commune with nature.

6. Sangseonam -- Sangseonam was named by Gwon Sang-ha, who was said to have built a thatched pavilion and lived here writing poetry. There are three hermitages in the nine valleys surrounded by the rocky peaks.

7. Gudambong -- This peak gets its name, which means turtle, from the shape of its reflection in the lake below, which is said to look like a turtle swimming just below the surface of the water. Gudambong and nearby Oksunbong are both popular in the fall season when their trees change color.

8. Oksunbong -- This peak was originally a part of Cheongpung-gun, but the story is that the female entertainer Duhyang coaxed Yi Hwang into including it in Danyang-gun. The magistrate of Cheongpung didn't agree but Yi Hwang carved the characters "Dangu Dongmun" on the rock wall, stating that it was "the gateway to Danyang." The unusually shaped boulders are surrounded by various trees.

Next: The spectacular rock formations in Gosu Cave another interesting attraction in Danyang

I would like to recommend a great book; Korea Unmasked. It provides wonderful insight into
Korean culture. It is written in comic book format but it is thought provoking and fun to read.
Cindy




http://www.hanbooks.com/koruninsearo.html





by Won-bok Rhie; Louis Choi, Jung Un (translation)
size: 257*188mm; 236 pages. publisher: Kimyoungsa, 2002.


About this book

This is an English edition of the bestseller comic book Far Countries, Neighboring Countries 9 - Korea (Sae Mon Nara Iun Nara 9 - Uri Nara). The book is to introduce real aspects of Korea that are sometimes misunderstood and unknown to foreigners. Through skillfully chosen subjects - e.g., spicy food, education fever, conglomerates, the tension between North and South Korea - Won-bok Rhie explores the unique manifestations of Korean attitudes that are often misunderstood by foreigners. It is a fascinating exploration of the Korean mindset that weaves together history, sociology and cultural anthropology. The insightful discussions on Korea's place between China and Japan, its more well-known neighbors, also clear the fog away as to who the Korean people are.


About the author

Won-bok Rhie is one of Korea's most famous cartoonists. After obtaining a bachelor's degree in architecture at Seoul National University, he studied graphic design at Müster University in Germany, where he obtained the degree of Dipl. Designer. He is the author of numerous comic books that focus on introducing historical, cultural and economic issues to the layman. He also has run many comic strip series in Korea's most prestigious daily newspapers and magazines. Korea Unmasked is part of a 9-volume series of comic books on several European countries and Japan and Korea, all of which became bestsellers in Korea. Rhie is also a professor of graphic design at Duksung Women's University in Seoul, Korea. In 1993, he was awarded the prestigious Noonsol Award in recognition of his contributions to the development of the Korean cartoon industry. From 1998 to 2000, he also served as the president of the Korean Society of Cartoon and Animation Studies.


Table of contents
Foreword
Introduction

1 Neighbors but Strangers : Korea, China and Japan

2 The Korean People

3 The Successes and Tribulations of the Koreans

4 The Long and Treacherous Road to Reunification

Translators' Notes : Jung Un, Louis Choi

Nami Island An Emerald Jewel

One of my favorite places in Korea is Nami Island or Namisum. I would like to share some
excerpts from an article I wrote in the Arirang a
publication of the Amercan Women's Club.

Not far from the bustle of city life is an emerald jewel in the North Han River: Nami Island. Its pristine beauty and proximity to Seoul make it a perfect day trip. This wonderful retreat is only a 90 minute bus ride away. It is famous for its beauty and for being a romantic setting. It draws thousands of tourists each year, many of whom are drawn by its fame for being the setting of the popular Korean television series "Winter Sonata" Its natural beauty also makes it a welcome home for artists and writers and has become known by the nicknames Song Island and Fairy Tale World.

The history of the island is interesting. Its name comes from the fact that it is home to the tomb of General Nami (1441-1469) who was appointed minister of the Military Board at age 25 after suppressing Lee Shi-ae's Revolt during the reign of King Sejo of the Joseon Dynasty. but was later branded a traitor and executed at the age of 26.
Nami only became an island when it became separated from the mainland in July 1943 with the completion of the Cheongpyeong Dam. The island is situated on the border between two of South Korea's northern provinces, Byeonggi-do and Gangwon-do. Its open grassy areas are a wonderful place for picnics and get-togethers.
An avenue of pine trees greeted us as we stepped off the 10 minute ferry ride. As we began our trek we fell in love with the island like so many before us. Like those artists, we loved the unique combination of the environmental focus, artistic expression and culture.
Since motorized vehicles are not permitted, traffic jams and car horns are conspicuously absent.
Bicycles of various varieties were available for rent but we chose to walk at a leisurely pace and experience the fresh air.
Many of the paths lead to the central square's restaurants and shops. A number of scenic spots are concentrated in the town square.
Nami has been the setting for both movies and television shows. It is most famous for the movie Choi In-ho's Winterreise and as I mentioned previously, the Korean television drama"Winter Sonata" which was re-broadcast throughout Asia. Many Japanese tourists visit the island because of the popularity of this show. There are signs around the island indicating the locations of many of the scenes that were depicted in the drama.
We of course had to re-enact the poses from the show. And while we were laughing and striking poses, a film crew from the Seoul television station MBC asked us if they could videotape us and we would be featured in a television special on Nami Island. It was the highlight of our day, being rocketed to instant stardom by being featured on Korean TV. It is a great memory of our time in Korea

An interesting term that you may hear in reference to Nami is "Hallyu"
According to www.seoul style.com
Hallyu means the love for Korean pop culture, or the appreciation of all things Korean. Hallyu began when the rest of Asia discovered Korean soap operas. Korean marketing people started to see a Korea-centric trend flowing throughout Asia, Hawaii,and even in parts of Russia. They dubbed this flow"The Korean Wave" or Hallyu.
This interesting aside provides some background that helps to understand some of the popularity of Nami.
Nami was a delight for the senses. I felt a kind of kinship with the many that have been smitten with this "Song Island"
If you listen...you can hear their gentle whispers.


For more information, visit the web site www.namsum.com

Teacher for a Day

One of my most memorable experiences in South Korea was participating in the "Hello Friends"
program. We were volunteer English Teachers for a day. We went out to schools in the outlying
areas and taught English to children who didn't see native English speakers on a regular basis.
We were always greeted with cheers and excitement. We felt like rock stars as we were escorted into the school. Typically a group of us went to the school and we would address the group as an assembly, singing songs with them.


Following the assembly, we would divide them in smaller groups so we could interact with them individually. I don't know who learned more the teachers or the kids!
The students had a range of abilities for English so we had to find ways to involve all of the students, so we planned activities and games so they could practice their English.


Often the students would demonstrate some particular aspect of their school and they would share it with us. In this picture the students were well know for playing Korean traditional instruments and they demonstrated their skill and attempted to teach us! It was a lot of fun!
We had opportunites to travel to various parts of Korea, including Busan, Jeju Island
and Yeosu.. Each of the Hello Friends trips included a visit to a local attraction in the
area.
These are just a few of the pictures from
Jeju and Yeosu, two beautiful parts of Korea.
I will describe them more fully in another
blog post.

Taegukki The Korean National Flag

image by Željko Heimer
In my quest to share info on Korean culture, I am going to share this information about the symbolism of the flag. I think this is interesting. I always thought it was colorful and I understood the yin and yang symbolism but it is interesting to learn about the background. I am sharing this info provided by the Flags of the World website.

http://flagspot.net/flags/kr.html#symb

Symbolism of the flag

The Korean national flag is called Taegukki. The meaning of Korean National Flag is very philosophical. The origin comes from the old oriental philosophy called the theory of Um-Yang, in Chinese pronunciation Yin-Yang. Yin means dark and cold, while Yang means bright and hot. The idea of Yin-Yang is supposed to be originated from the old Korean philosophy of Samshin meaning three gods. A very old book called Chuyok or Iching in Chinese, which was written by (a) Chinese several thousands years ago, claims all objects and events in the world are expressed by the movement of yin and yang. For example, the moon is yin while the sun is yang; the earth is yin and the heaven is yang; a woman is yin and a man is yang; the night is yin and the day is yang; the winter is yin and the summer is yang, etc. Yin and yang are relative. Therefore, A can be yin with respect to B while A can also be yang with respect to C. For instance, the spring is yin w.r.t. the summer and it is at the same time yang w.r.t. the winter. Yin and yang are opposite and struggle each other while they cooperate in harmony. The harmonious state of the movement of yin and yang is called Taeguki, or Taikukkki, Taichi in Chinese, which is also the name of the Korean national flag, i.e. Taegukki. Ki means a flag. (See the similarity between the concept of Yin-Yang-Taichi and the dialectics of thesis-antithesis-synthesis.) The upper half circle, red, of Taeguk means yang and the lower half circle, blue, means yin. They stand for the state of harmony of yin and yang.

The symbols, called Kwae, in the four corners, mean the principle of movement and harmony. Basically, each Kwae consists of three bars that can be either broken or unbroken bars. A broken bar stands for yin while an unbroken bar stands for yang. For example, the upper left Kwae, called Kun, is composed of three solid unbroken bars. And the lower left Kwae, called Yi, is composed of two unbroken bars and one broken bar in between. Since one bar can be either broken or unbroken, i.e. same concept as bit as in the binary computer world, three bars can express 2³ = 8 combinations. If you use four bars you can express 2⁴=64 combinations; 10 bars, 2¹⁰=1024, etc. Therefore the more bars you use the more different situation you can express with Kwae. Among so many states of Kwae, i.e. principle of movement of objects and events, four basic Kwae are used in the Korean National Flag. Those are Kun meaning heaven, Yi meaning fire, Kam meaning water, and Kon meaning earth. Each of them symbolizes a different state of movement.

	___		___		_ _		_ _
Kun	___	Yi	_ _	Kam	___	Kon	_ _
	___		___		_ _		_ _

The white color of background stands for the peace and the purity of the Korean people who have loved to wear white colored clothes. Therefore, the Korean people have been called the white-clad nation.

To conclude, the symbols, Yin, Yang, Kun, Yi, Kam, and Kon, express the principle of the movement of all objects in the universe and the movement of the universe itself. It also stands for peace and harmony.
Jorge Candeias, 14 October 1997

---

The white field represents the people's purity and their desire for peace, while the central emblem is the red and blue yin-yang symbol, depicting the concepts of creation and development through duality and balance. Surrounding this are four black KWAE symbols, which are taken from the I CHING and represent the four seasons, the four compass points, the four elements, and the sun, moon, earth, and heaven. They denote the process of yin and yang going through a spiral of change and growth.
Nick Artimovich, 01 November 1996

from the official site of the (South) Korean government: http://www.bluehouse.go.kr/english/introduce/aboutkorea/index.html

The Korean flag is called taegukki. Its design symbolizes the principles of the yin and yang in Oriental philosophy. The circle in the center of the flag is divided into two equal parts. The upper red section represents the positive cosmic forces of the yang. Conversely, the lower blue section represents the negative cosmic forces of the yin. The two forces together embody the concepts of continual movement and the balance and harmony that characterize the sphere of infinity. The circle is surrounded by four trigrams, one in each corner. Each trigram symbolizes one of the four universal elements: heaven, earth, fire and water."

Ivan Sache, 29 December 1998

Tae Han Min Kuk !
Cindy