Have you ever had a day that...

---

...turned out to be unpredictably cool?

There's an island on the West Sea called Ganghwado - it's right up there in the northwest and about 1/2 hour bus ride from Gimpo. It's rural and historic.

CDI Gimpo has lots of unexpected little catches. A bad one is that we don't get our plane tickets reimbursed until after we've done one full term (3 months - at the other schools it's a week at most). A good one is that we get Wednesdays off.

In the southwest of Ganghwado is a mountain/park called Manisan. At the top is this huge stone altar - "Chamseongdan" or altar of the sky, something like that - that supposedly was built in 2333 B.C. by Dangun, the supposed "first Korean".

Manisan is 2 short bus rides away, and today (Wednesday) was a beautiful day, so I went for it. Most of the other teachers at Gimpo are city-folk, so while they slept in and then took the bus to Seoul, I got up early and took the same bus in the other direction, to Gangwha.

The hike was gorgeous, and the view was incredible. The only thing that pretends to give it justice is the video. But I'm getting ahead of myself.


Many beautiful places to stop and rest on the way up, which was fantastic because even though the hike wasn't bad, South Korea in the summer is MUGGY.


Seeing me take the previous picture, an older Korean guy asked me if I wanted my picture taken. Even if my Korean is still abysmal, my Mime has improved tenfold since I've been here.



I read in an online blog that there were 900 stone steps leading up to Chamseongdan. I wasn't sure if it was an exaggeration...


...until I got there. It's not.











Picture interlude for fun story: It is on these steps that I, pretending that I'm pausing to take a picture instead of catch my breath, get overtaken by a family with two children. (Yeah, I know. Don't say it.) One of them is learning English in a hogwan (not CDI, but the same idea) so her parents, in typical Korean fashion, goad her into having a conversation with me in English. But it doesn't stop there, because they invite me (through her translation) to make the rest of the hike with them so that she can practice her English with me. This includes spend the rest of they day with them. They, in return, buy me lunch and drive me back to my apartment. We have exchanged emails.






See what I mean by "unpredictably cool"?


Me, the girl and her hyperactive little brother. The English words he knows are "chocolate", "ice cream", "boo-tiful" and on occasion, "thank you."


At the top.


Facing the other way. That's the altar behind us. It's roped off year-round except for some National ceremony.


Manisan from the bottom.


Mud flats on the beach! I'd heard of these, but never thought I'd get the chance to see one.



Or walk across one. As disgusting it is to squelch when you walk, it felt warm, velvety, and oddly nice.


Can you see my feet?





Digging for crabs.


Mudscreen: nature's own SPF 54,389,034,524. This was not my idea, but it worked very well. Apparently back in the day, this is what mud-flat workers (Best job ever or worst job ever? Discuss) actually did.



Gwangseongbo: a castle/fortress on the island. Because apparently Ganghwa was involved in a lot of the wars that went on. The dad and the little boy were more interested in this than the girl, the mom, or me - especially the exhibit with the cannons. It's funny to see how American and Korean families can be EXACTLY THE SAME.


After I got back, I got some dinner from this small cafe next to my appartment. The ladies saw my camera and asked me to take a picture of them. My Mime is not yet good enough for me to understand why. Perhaps it never will be.

---