Next Stop: Buddhist School in the Mountains

After a pretty windy drive through the hillside, we were brought to this Buddhist retreat.

And, when I say, windy, I mean it: this sign says it all!!!

There are very few of these left now; so we were lucky to see  this one.  The place was chosen to build here because (for one reason) of it's proximity to the mountainside that it faced.

These are the living quarters for the students.

 

And this is the (locked) gates beyond which lies a temple in which scholars and students prayed.

 

The Hanji Paper Factory and Hahoe Village

Here we were able to visit the oldest paper-making factory in Korea.  Below are pictures of the piles of mulberry bark used to make this beautiful Korean traditional paper:

Once the bark is ready, it is put in to a bath of water. The worker uses a large 'filter' to collect the pieces of the bark and create large sheets of paper.

Once the paper comes out of the water, he lays it down on the pile he is creating and slowly takes off the filter cover.

These are sheets that are drying:

When in the store, there were lovely displays of items made of paper that you would never believe could actually BE made of paper. Take, for example, these traditional Korean dresses - yes, all made of paper!!!

These pictures were taken from the top of a small hill that we hiked.  Unbelievable how scenic this village and the countryside of Korea are!!

Just some of the incredible rice paddies we saw - this one was on the way to the Hahoe Village.

Once inside this traditional village, we had the chance to watch a traditional Korean Dance.  This is a dance that is done ONLY by men and it mocks the people in power at the time: the local officials, monks and even kings.  While I couldn't understand a word these dancers said (they made jokes in between their dancing), everyone in the audience was rolling on the floor!  They were even accompanied by a live traditional drumming band.

This tree is over 500 years old and is supposed to bring fertility to any woman who visits this tree.

Surrounding the tree is a ring of paper ribbons upon which people wrote wishes and then tied them to the other ribbons.


Whether is was the beauty of the village or its flowers inside, this Hahoe Village was just lovely!  What we were told to observe was the different styles of architecture, all found within the same village.  Note the different styles of roofs, too!

 

The first two are pictures of the home belonging to the mayor of this village; the third is a picture of his famous brother's home.  Even today people live in this village. They are paid by the government to live there and receive certain benefits.

Couldn't resist my chance to pose in this ancient gateway (next to the famous brother's home!)

And, this is what we saw when we walked along the outskirts of the village.  (Sorry for the sweat on my shirt; but, just a reminder of how insanely hot and humid it was!!)  I just couldn't help but look for "Hansel and Gretl" here!

DAVID!!! When did you get to Korea?????

After a week of incredible meetings and cultural experiences in Seoul, we 'hit the road' to see more of beautiful Korea.  But, a funny thing happened to us on the way to Andong and Gyeongju... We found David driving his "fine Korean sedan" on the highway!  I knew it was him because our mini-bus, which had very little 'power,' was easily able to over take him!!!

Look! Here he comes!!!!

He's catching up.....

Oh, too bad we passed him to slow down and stop at this rest stop!  These rest areas were more like American amusement parks than service areas!!!

See you in the States, David!!!

:)

A Few More Sites in the DMZ

This bridge is where prisoners were exchanged between the North and the South. This was one of the most impactful sites I saw while there:

And this is the site of the famous "axe murder" (of a US soldier by a North Korean soldier when the US soldier was protecting the right of the South Korean soldier to prune a tree here.)

The Joint Security Area (JSA)

This was the most solemn place of all - filled with many rules and regulations: no pictures; don't stand up; take a picture for the next minute, then STOP. We actually saw North Korean soldiers while on the tour bus.

The blue building to the left (actually it is located i the center of 3 similar buildings) was where the agreement was signed between North and South Korea in 1953. Even today, though, the small room in this building is filled with tension. The South Korean soldier allowed us to take a picture with him, but no talking and no delaying.  We were instructed not to look at any North Korean soldiers - none of whom were present in this important building when we were there.  If you look beyond these blue buildings, you see North Korea, starting at the concrete plaza. The multi-storied building in the background belongs to North Korea. If you look closely, you can see a North Korean soldier surveying us through his binoculars (on the left side of the picture in one of the building's doorways.)

Inside the DMZ - Dorosan Train Station and the Center

Once inside the DMZ, our first stop was this railroad station. When reunification happens, this station will service the corridor between the south and the north and beyond, to China, Russia and more.

Here is the map of the intended routes:

And here is the current scheduled train stops:

And our group finally arrives at the DMZ "Visitor Center."

While waiting for the movie to be shown to us about the Korean War, we saw this amazing sculpture:

...that inspired us to join in the hope for reunification:

The next visit was to the Third Tunnel. This is one of four "discovered" tunnels dug by the North Koreans during the war. A North Korean defector and engineer remembered that this tunnel was located under a poplar tree. It took some time to locate the "right" tree, but once it was found, they bore holes in to the Earth and watched the water level to identify where the tunnel was. We went 300 meters below the earth - not for you, Mom! - andsaw the narrow, sort tunnels for ourselves. I was one of the only adults who could stand up for the duration of the tunnel tour.  We were not allowed to take any pictures.

But, on we went to the "Joint Security Area."

The DMZ: Just on the Outskirts- June 15, 2012

Here is one of my colleagues on our (first) bus that took us to the DMZ on June 15.  Check out the bus decor:

This is just before entering the DMZ. This is one of the bridges used to exchange North and South Koreans during the war:

Still at the entry to the DMZ, this is one of several walls of ribbons hung to symbolize hope.

This is the last train to run between North and South Korea. Yes, those are bulletholes you see. They said it was the South Koreans who shot the train

Kyounghee University - the New and the Old

Kyounghee University was the most "modern" university that we visited.  Still located in Seoul, it's founder had a vision of creating a place of beauty in which students would study. Both he and his wife were from North Korea - she was "from money" and he was not.  It is said that he used some of his wife's money to start the university, but mostly he convinced he colleagues and friends to fund his project. What follows is his vision come to life.

The entrance to Peace Hall.

The majestic Peace Hall - not to be confused with Notre Dame!

Inside the hall was the biggest surprise of all - a performance center that featured the most modern ammenities and the best accoustics.

An enormous "chandelier" that started in the ceiling, ...

 but...

 

Within minutes, made it's way to 20 feet above the heads of the audience in the orchestra!

The accoustics were so superior that even from this height (the very back row), we could hear that man on the stage droppng his coin!!

And of course every good theatre must have its dressing rooms!!!

Next stop at Kyounghee: Cyber University which offers its own degrees and has its own recording studio!  Here is one of our delegation debuting as an anchorwoman.