Jogyesan Provincial Park & Songgwangsa Temple

I give many thanks to Marian Goodenough for introducing me to Kristy, our fearless tour guide through this park. Denis & I met up with Kristy & her friend, Amanda, for a beautiful hike near Suncheon. We were all lucky to capture many of the leaves still changing colors.

I've done nothing to alter the color in this photo. In fact, I have yet to do so on any picture. I only hope you enjoy all my pictures in their raw form.

Isn't that a darn good smile?

Kristy, Amanda, & Denis provide a friendly welcome on the paved beginning of Jogyesan Provincial Park.

A pathway to Songgwangsa over leaf covered water.

One of the many Songgwangsa shrines.

This cabbage patch will most likely be used for Kimchi.

A smaller temple hidden much higher than Songgwangsa.

Work Halloween Party

Halloween isn't celebrated as a Korean holiday, but each year our school throws a big party for the students. We prepared all week setting up for the fiesta!

The best decorated room went to Amanda & I. Although, I am partial to black lights & was the only one that voted.

Amanda, Taunya, & I take a break on the roof before the students go Halloween crazy. I suppose we're all in character here. Isn't Amanda's hair downright sexy!?!?

I'm guessing at one time, you have all played this game. It was pretty fun to watch them get so excited over the many games.

Taunya in control of telling their fortune. She was incredible!

Amanda & I get the opportunity to display our costumes.

Walking home in my "jail bird" outfit produced some looks on the streets of Busan. I guess I'm still in character next to the stairs of the subway.

Janggu- Traditional Korean Drum

Once again, this Buddhist organization is incredibly kind to teach us about traditional Korean culture.

I'm studying intensely in order to rip it up when the drum lessons are completed. I believe the bright glare in the background could be coming from my freshly shaved hair style.

After we showed the instructors what we were capable of, they performed a small show for us.

We then had the opportunity to see a traditional Korean dance. While it was a beautiful performance, she briefly mentioned that the grass was difficult to dance upon. I have yet to expericence it, but was informed it's presented more gracefully on a smooth floor. It could then be choreographed with an eloquence as the dance is meant to be.

This day happened to be the temple's annual dedication to when the it was built. Throughout the weekend, they were offering many different activities to do. At this table, we all took a good swing at the rice cake mound. We pounded the rice cake until it was the right consistency for shaping & eating.

Free food for all!


Friendly Koreans we met at Hongbeopsa. Doesn't it look as though I'm some random guy who just jumped into the pic?

One of the Hikes Next to My Apartment- Seunghaksan

This is the top of Seunghaksan, where you can view the ocean in all directions but north.

Passing by a gravesite.

Western view as night closes in.

Looking south toward the East China Sea.

Dark passageway to the other side of the trail.

Buddhist temple just above the the Saha area.

The city provides these outdoor workout stations. So I don't receive any questions, I decided to demonstrate this one for you. Please notice the strong hold, so one doesn't fall as the wheel increases speed.

Beach Visits

There are numerous beaches, but I only have photos from a couple of them. You might notice I didn't time out the sun quite right either.

Gwangalli Beach at dusk.

This photo was taken from Judo Park & peeks toward Songjeong Beach.

North of Judo Park.

Denis & friends are shown at Gwangalli Beach. Behind, the Gwangan Grand Bridge lights up at night & periodically changes colors. Oh shoot! I left my baby carriage unattended next to the ledge! Just joking mom & dad! It's not mine, nor any of ours for that matter.

I threw this picture in to show that a some couples dress the same. Not a bad idea, because think of all the 2 for 1 clothing deals you could get!

Now what's a beach without rides! There are some pretty good rides that could easily throw you out of your seat! No, I'm not joking!

Duck BBQ

Our director invited us out one weekend to enjoy a Korean style duck barbecue. The school rented a van to accommodate all of us. After a short drive, we ate an incredible BBQ!!!

Directly beyond our outdoor seating were great places to kick back.

There were an abundance of October birthdays, so we celebrated them at this outing. Once the utencils arrived, I was lucky to capture this in action photo.

Don't ask...

To see more photos, please view them at Duck BBQ Day.

Hiking Mt. Geumjeong Fortress

This hike is about an hour subway ride northeast of Saha, the area I'm living in. The first time I climbed this mountain I didn't have a camera. Now that I have a camera, I returned for photos of the fortress wall. Unfortunately, night started falling before we made it to the top. Most of us were unprepared for the colder weather & night hiking. Mt. Geumjeong Fortress is the largest fortress in Korea and covers a 17km site with walls up to five meters high. The history of this wall dates back over 2000 years. Next time I'll hike up to the main scenic area & take some better photos! This is a view of the northern most tip of Busan. The city hosts a population of about 4 million.

The East Gate of the fortress wall.

This portion of the fortress wall drops below the grass strips. You can see the white colored city to the left of the ridge. It almost looks like it's part of the rock.

The fortress wall extends over the tip of the mountain in the background, but it's difficult to see.

Here we are with the hiking group, enjoying a Korean style barbecue.