#93 Autumn Travels Part 2: Bicycles and Race Cars

[스티븐스 대사]

Greetings, netizens.  We’ve all had a busy couple of weeks as the G-20 has come and gone, but while the gingko trees lining the street to my residence and the Embassy are still bright gold, I wanted to continue telling you a bit more about my autumn travels.  I began writing earlier about a trip last month to Korea’s southwestern province of Jeollanamdo where we learned to make salt, kimchi and bean curd.

Our Team Embassy biking group then went to Naju, a historically important city in the province of Jeollanamdo 전라남도 ('Na' in Naju comes from the second character in Jeon-ra(na)-nam-do.  Likewise, 'jeon' in Jeonju comes from the first character in Jeon-ra-nam-do).  Naju is known for its pears, and for its regard for traditional ways.  In fact, I was told that in the late Choseon Dynasty the men of Naju refused Seoul’s orders to cut their hair in the “modern” way. 

I don’t know all the facts about Naju’s history, but we did experience a lot of the best of traditional Korea there.  We enjoyed not only the delicious pears, but also the artistry of the city’s musicians, calligraphers and chefs.  We even overnighted at the traditional Korean “han-ok” which had been the governor’s residence - the Naju Moksanea Geumhakheon.  While there are now throughout Korea a number of “han-ok” where visitors can stay, I understand the Naju residence is the only former governor’s residence open to the public for overnight stays.  And I’m told the “poong-su” (or feng-shui, as we sometimes call it in English), is especially good there.

Naju Mayor Im Seong-hoon hosted us for dinner and later joined us for tea at Naju Moksanea Geumhakheon.  In the photo from right: TV drama producer Kim Jae-hyung, Naju Mayor Im Seong-hoon, Ms. Myung Sook-po (Mayor Im's wife) and Lim Seon-soon (Mr. Kim's wife).

Having tea at the former governor's residence in Naju.  The individual rooms have heated ondol floors in the traditional style.  I highly recommend this place for those who want to experience the comfort and beauty of staying in a traditional "han-ok." 

Another place that was new to me on this trip was Unjusa Temple in Hwasun.  I have been to many Buddhist temples in Korea, and they all have their own character.  But I had not visited anyplace like Unjusa, which in Chinese characters means “cloud-staying-temple.”  Sometimes it is called the “mysterious temple.”  This is because of the large number of stone Buddha statues and stone pagodas.  These include two lying - and unfinished - stone Buddhas, known as “Wabul” (와불).  According to one legend, Korea was thought to be unbalanced and in danger of collapse due to fewer mountains around Unjusa.  To rectify this,  one night Monk Dosun (도선국사) called on the stone masons from heaven to build one thousand stone Buddhas and pagodas at the temple.  However, they were unable to finish before dawn and were called back to heaven, leaving the two lying stone Buddhas unfinished.  In fact, no one seems to know exactly why or how it was decided to build a thousand stone Buddhas and pagodas, which were constructed between the 11th and 13th centuries.  We enjoyed talking with our scholarly guide, Professor Seo Sun-bok, as we scrambled up and down the hills looking at the Buddhas and pagodas that remain.  These remaining stone sculptures are treasures.

Unjusa Temple’s Head Monk Jeong-haeng served tea and told us about the temple’s history. 

Professor Seo Sun-bok showed us one of the lying stone Buddhas; we were intrigued by the mystery and beauty of the stone carvings

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast of Naju’s famous gom-tang, we were joined by five young women training for the Asia Games with the Naju Women’s Cycling Team.  We rode together along country roads, empty of traffic on an early Sunday morning, talking about their training program and their hopes and dreams.  Our ride from Naju to Yeongam was a lazy Sunday pedal for these world-class athletes, until we put them in front to set the pace.  For about twenty kilometers we rode tightly as a team, with me and the rest of Team Embassy “drafting” behind the pacesetting athletes.  What fun!  I enjoyed talking to these young women, who are training for the upcoming Asian Games in China.  I thought about how many more opportunities are open now for young women in Korea than when I first came to Korea as a young woman myself.  And at the same time, life has only gotten more difficult for Korean women in the North.  I was thinking especially of the fact that women in North Korea are prohibited from riding bicycles!  I really don’t understand that.  But it is just another reminder of what different paths the two parts of this divided country have taken over the past sixty-plus years.

Team Embassy and the Naju Women’s Cycling Team

The Naju Women's Cycling Team set a faster pace for us, but also was happy to stop and talk!  The Team won gold medals at the Korean National Sports Festival in October 2010.

I like this picture, taken while biking in the rural reaches of Yeongam.  It says, “Congratulations on Early Admittance to Seoul National University, Department of Korean Language Education“, and shows the pride of the community in the achievement of a local student.

The ride with the Naju Women’s Cycling Team ended in Yeongam.  Riding in some of the most remote countryside in Korea, we reflected on how rural and modern Korea coexist.  Once we were in Yeongam, we were off to an extraordinary new facility, built to host international Formula One (F1) racing events.  We watched a bit of Korea’s first-ever F1 race (my first time to see this too!).  Indeed, there are always new things to experience in Korea.

Entering the F1 race track.  Fans filled the stands, despite the rain.