Saturday, November 19, 2011

Sea Village

Odori 오도리, the name of a typical coastal village in northern Pohang 포항, a harbor city on the eastern shore of the Korean peninsula. Like the other local sea villages along the eastern coast, Odori has a small wharf and beach, some villagers usually own fishing ships for their living and the others cultivate the nearby lands for farming. It always offers a peaceful atmosphere of Korean sea village except for the summer when this village like the others is busy with holidaymakers.

Sunday, November 06, 2011

River & City

About one year has passed since being lastly posted in 2010. Same work, same story. Meanwhile, nothing has been changed.  Anyway, people say autumn has come. The weather is clearly divided by four distinct seasons in Korea. Many Koreans love the typical autumn weather so that they go out and feel it actively on the mountains as well as fields.

A couple of weeks ago, the first time this autumn, I hiked up Mt. Ap 앞산, a mountain along the southern Daegu 대구 and rode a bicycle to a newly built weir on the Nakdong river 나동강, named Gangjeong-Goryeong Bo 강정고령보 in the western Daegu, linking Dasan 다산 village in Goryeong 고령 county with Gangjeong 강정 village in Daegu city. 

The above photo describes the western side of Daegu, a view from the ridge of Mt. Ap. On the upper side of the photo, Nakdong river looks blurry and the weir can be seen on the right side and the below photo shows it, too. The highest peak above the clouds, Mt. Gaya  가야산 is also seen. Haeinsa Temple 해인사, one of three Buddhist temples with three treasures nestles at the foot of the mountain.
  
A friend of mine was born in Dasan village next to the weir. He looked so impressed with the weir. In his teen years, he used to cross the river in a ferry boat when he went to Daegu. Sometimes he had to call the ferryman in a loud voice because the boat always waited for the passengers or villagers on the either side of the ferry point. 
Four rivers restoration project by the government made it possible to construct this weir, which has resulted in controversy among the opposition parties and environmental activists. The road on the weir is car-free zone.