encounter 2

Once again I took a break on the mountain pass near Gyeongsan during a bicycle trip. This road was newly paved and opened to public traffic on X-mas Eve. Two middle-aged man and woman got on the minivan. See the blog dated Sep. 20, 06.

autumn reflection

Fallen leaves in a stream, and a tree reflected in it. Autumn paddy field in Gyeongsan shows that harvest is getting close .

encounter

Took a break on the pass during a bicycle journey. Two middle-aged man and woman got on the mini truck.

messenger of autumn

A Dragonfly is sitting on a wire in the vineyard in the rural outskirts of Gyeongsan. As the grapes are ripening. the sky is getting clear and blue. Autumn is just around the corner.

backyard & vineyard on a rainy day

They can get a glimpse of life in the backyard, too. Heavy rain and stormy wind are knocking grapes off the clusters.

samsung station

They have a small railway station around Samsung village, which lies about 5 km north of Gyeongsan. Japanese completed the railway linking Seoul to Busan about 100 years ago when they tried to colonize Korea. Samsung station that began passenger service 85 years ago was only one of the stations along the railway. However, the time has passed and the station was closed last year because of a decrease in commercial passengers so the typical view of the station crowded with morning commuters from the nearby villages will not be seen anymore.

Most villagers who used to take the trains have got older, and buses and private cars which became another popular form of transportation among their young families, have been substituted for the train.

Samsung village and station are not related to Samsung Electronics at all.😸 

on the road

Someone asks a blind man for directions on the road.
The blind man tells him, giving his stick to him, 

"Take this one and go."

wall

Holes for ventilation on the wall of a building along the street in Gyeongju and street number with its name are seen.

moving mind

Juheulgwan 주흘관 is one of three castle gates across Saejae 새재 valley near Mungyeong 문경 located in the southeast of Korea.

Two men were arguing about a flag waving in the wind. The first one said, "The flag is moving." Another one contended "No, it is the wind that is moving."

A Seon master that chanced to be passing by overheard the debate and told them "Not the wind, not the flag, it is your mind that is moving."

pacific saury drying

Pacific sauries are being dried on the 2nd floor of an old Japanese house in Guryongpo 구룡포 九龍浦 harbor near Pohang on the eastern coast. Guryongpo used to be just a port town but it is getting famous for dried pacific sauries. Many tourists visit this town to enjoy them during the winter. Winter is the best season to dry and taste pacific sauries.

It is also easy to find old Japanese houses in Guryongpo because many Japanese lived here during the Japanese rule in Korea. Dried pacific saury becomes Koreans' favorite winter food. It is well known that Pacific saury is so nutritious. It is called Gwamegi 과메기 in Korean.

Nostalgia

An old rural house around Gyeongsan. Two kinds of traditional sieves used to clean grain and to separate insects from the grain are seen on the left. Two pumpkins are being dried on the right. Winter is the ideal time to enjoy pumpkin. It's especially good in soups. An old retired farmer seems to have this house.

Al-Fatah Masjid

As-salaam alaikum !

There is a Mosque in the northwest of Busan, the second biggest city of Korea as well as the major port of southern coast. An Islamic missionary association of Libya helped it set up in 1980. Islam was first introduced to Koreans by Turkish soldiers who had joined the Korean War to assist South Korea.

Muslims in Korea consist of few Koreans and Muslim foreigners, and their brotherhood and solidarity are very strong. They have a halal food restaurant named Kebap house just behind this Masjid.

Monk's residence & a vent

Traditional tile-roofed monk's residence attached to a small temple around Gyeongsan.

Neither coming nor going.

Neither staying nor leaving. What is this?

mini factory

A super-mini factory where they make popped corn and rice by traditional method in Korea. Popped corn and rice are sold in front of it as seen. They have two popping machines inside.

Traditional popped corn differs from western popcorn in that the difference between high and low pressure in the closed steel cylinder is used to pop rice or corn. The ingredients under the high air pressure controlled by heat in the tightly closed cylinder are swelled several times immediately with a loud popping sound and heavy smoke just after the cylinder's cap is opened.

I used to stop my ears everytime I had rice popped when I was a child. The appearance and performance of popping machine have been improved and modernized to pop more for a short time.

Happy New Year "2006"

I am wishing you the best for the New Year and hope all your dreams and wishes come true.

PS: The eastern coast of South Korea, and East Sea, 동해(Donghae), 東海.