Open Letter to the Mayor of Suncheon- A Layman's Complaint

Dear Sir,

I came across your website on Suncheon Bay while doing some research for my blog. In some ways it helped me a great deal. However, may I be so bold as to make one suggestion?

First, let me quote an example from your website:
"Passage birds are the measures of productivity of swamp. For example, numerius madagascariensis loses half the weight during flying 4000~ 5000km non-stop from Austrailia."

It sounds like you employed a zoologist to write instead of getting the naturalists to pass on the facts to professional advertising people who could make the text more appealing and easier to understand. How many people know what "numerius madagascariensis" means? Why send me back to Google to figure out that it refers to...., errr, excuse me while I do this...ah, it asks me if I mean "numeNius madagascariensis" and then I learn that you're talking about the eastern curlew. Don't know if there's a western counterpart but at least I've heard of curlews.

It couldn't possible hurt your cause if you included the plain English names or better still, place the Latin names in parenthesis next to the common labels. Surely "mudskipper" sounds more friendly and interesting than "boleophthalmus pectinirostris"?

Wouldn't more visitors be drawn to Suncheon Bay if you said a number of hooded cranes and black-faced spoonbills stop over there instead of Grus Monacha and Platalea leucorodia?

Thanks for the Latin lesson but no thanks. I'd rather learn Korean. Sorry to sound like an ingrate but I'm tired and grumpy from having to spend so much time figuring out what's what.

Sincerely,
ajumma


Source:
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/bird/237

This Bay Deserves A Day – Suncheon, Part 8

Suncheon Bay, a.k.a. the Reed Kingdom of Korea is our last stop on the Suncheon City Tour Bus. It’s a great way to end the day tour as we’ve visited so far man-made sites, from prehistoric dolmens to temples to folk villages. But now we’ve moved from the slopes of Jogyesan Provincial Park right down south to the coast to explore the wetlands and reed fields of Suncheon Bay which faces the South Sea.

It’s great to be out in the vast expanse with a hint of salt in the breeze but I’m a little paranoid in 2005. The papers have been full of reports of avian or bird flu and I’m stupidly nervous about any innocent encounter with migratory birds. ( Visitors to Korea in 2009 concerned about H1N1 –take heart!)

So it’s mildly reassuring to see that visitors have to step into a shallow trough of disinfectant after we finish our tour of the boardwalk built over the tidal flats.

Some people opt to visit the Eco-museum but I’m not in the mood and don’t expect the exhibits to have English explanatory boards. So I just stroll outdoors and linger on the bridge to look down on a cruise boat heading out to sea.

But on looking back, I dare say that Suncheon Bay deserves a full day. If you like the great outdoors, I recommend that you take the public bus from Suncheon to spend a leisurely day here with a picnic basket, a good wind-cheater and a pair of binoculars.

Start very early as “the thick early morning fog in late fall also creates a memorable view of the bay”. Linger till dusk as this place has been rated by Korean photographers as one of the top ten spots for great sunset photography.

In terms of flora and fauna, this place has more than just reeds, mudskippers and fiddler crabs. This place enjoys mild temperatures in winter, relatively unpolluted waters and extensive sandbars which emerged after the last Ice Age from silt deposits of the rivers which empty out into the sea. So it’s home to 116 species of plants, 158 bird species and an assortment of fish and invertebrates.

 Count yourself lucky if you can spot a heron, spoonbill or egret as the tall reeds provide pretty good hiding places for the birds.

Consider a sighting of local mammals like the otter, weasel or raccoon, manna from heaven. Much easier to spot two-legged mammals sporting sunglasses and digicams, particularly during the annual Reeds Festival, celebrated in early November ( provided the authorities don't cancel because of the H1N1 scare.)
But then again, if there are fewer humans around, you're more likely to spot the famed hooded cranes.

Practical info:
At the Dong Seoul Bus Terminal, take a bus for Suncheon (21,700 won / 08:10~17:40) Get off at Suncheon Intercity Bus Terminal ; Take bus No. 66 or 67 to the venue (It takes about 30 minutes. / Bus every 15 to 20 minutes)
 Sources
http://www.suncheonbay.go.kr/english/html/visit/reeds.jsp
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/10322093
http://kr.blog.yahoo.com/innisfree77/8630.html?p=5&t=2
http://www.korseby.net/outer/flora/rosopsida/asteraceae/index.html
http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com/view.php?did=2460&lang=kr&tid=5
http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com/view.php?did=8151&tid=1

Ten Things to Do at Songgwangsa, Suncheon Part 7

1. Stroll around the temple grounds at Songgwangsa

2.Stroll across  or pause on pavilion bridges

3. Marvel at how they did without blenders and microwave ovens

4. Admire the carpentry skills of craftsmen of the past

5. Meditate on the meaning of Zen murals

6. Listen out for the drumming ceremonies at dawn or dusk

7. Partake of some green tea in the tea shop

8. Make a pit stop at the temple restroom

9. Delight in the beauty of the maples on the temple grounds in autumn

10. Wait for the first snowflakes to fall on Songgwangsa

Sources:

http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=76273

http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=31293
http://songgwangsa.org/english/left01_01.htm
http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Travel/scholla/songgwang2.htm
http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/koreasouth/ruraljeonnam/songgwangsa_gallery.php?p=songgwangsa01.jpg

Play “I Spy” At Songgwangsa - Suncheon, Part 6

To be honest,don’t remember much of Songgwangsa, one of the oldest Zen temples in South Korea. Not that it wasn’t a memorable and impressive place but I was distracted in part by the company of a very cute Korean toddler and his friendly mom who became my companions for the day when I joined the Suncheon City Tour. Dong Ok’s mother and I were playing “human swing” with the three-year-old boy for a fair bit of the time and we dawdled over a delicious lunch of sanchae bibimbap and acorn jelly. So my recollection of the visit to Songgwangsa is rather hazy.  So, if I ever get the chance to revisit this Head temple of the Jogye Sect ( the largest Buddhist sect in Korea) in Jogyesan Provincial Park, here’s my checklist of things to look out for in this temple.

1. Iljimun
This handsome gate is made of one pillar on the left and right and so it is called Iljoo Gate. This is the symbolic entrance to the temple which represents an Buddhist tenet: ‘Every truth appears from the single mind and returns to the single mind.' What makes this iljimun distinctive from iljimuns in other temples is that here the Hanja characters are written top down, instead of from right to left on the wooden plague mounted on top. The name ‘Daeseungseonjong' appears in the center, ‘Mt. Jogye' on the right, and ‘Songgwang-sa' is written on the left.

2. Samcheongyo (Rainbow Bridge) and Uhwagak ( Woohwagak) Pavilion
As you pass through the Iljumun, you’ll come to the Samcheongyo or Neunheogyo. For some reason it’s called the Rainbow Bridge but it’s not that multi-coloured ( to my relief!) What makes this bridge unique is that a pavilion is built on top of a stone arched bridge and the entire structure also acts as another gateway leading the visitor closer to the main shrine. According to the official website of the temple, as one crosses the bridge, one must let go one’s physical and mental burdens to enter the ideal world of the Buddha. Built in the early part of the 18th century, it’s now designated South Jeolla Province Tangible Cultural Asset No. 59. It’s a beautiful spot to sit and contemplate the reflections on the stream below.

3. Houses for Spirits
Look out for these tiny buildings that look as if they’re designed for dwarfish monks. Actually they’re not intended for humans but apparently spirits of the departed may need to visit temples as well to perform a rite called Cheondojae. Here, the spirits of the dead can stay the night, to purify themselves before entering the inner sanctum. Of course they have to abide by temple rules and segregation by gender has to be observed. Female spirits have to enter the Saewolgak while their male counterparts stay at the Cheokjoodang.

4. A Rice Container To Feed 4000
The Bisari Gusi was carved from bush-clover and is about 270 years old. The enormous rice container was reputedly large enough to store enough grain for 4000 monks at one time. Songgwangsa’s importance as a training ground for monks is evident by the many buildings including hermitages, dorms and lecture rooms on the grounds.

5. Ancient Chinese Juniper Trees

These twin trees, named Ssanghyngsu, on the temple grounds are at least 700 years old and have been designated as national monuments.

6. Daeungbojeon
This is the main temple which looks as if it has two roofs.



Sources:
http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=762732
http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=312930
http://songgwangsa.org/english/left01_01.html
http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Travel/scholla/songgwang2.htm
http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/koreasouth/ruraljeonnam/songgwangsa_gallery.php?p=songgwangsa01.jpg

Dolmens Leave Me Stone Cold - Suncheon, Part 5

Wish I had paid more attention to my history teacher as our Suncheon City Tour bus rolls into the Dolmen Park. So I have to rely on some notes from the Korean Cultural Insights booklet produced by the KNTO. Brace yourself for History 101:

“Dolmens are primitive megalithic remnants built as burial chambers and funerary monuments…..Korea preserves about 30,000 dolmens nationwide, in varying sizes and shapes. Dolmens….serve as clues to the social system and beliefs of early dwellers. With such historic value, the dolmen sites in Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa were registered on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list on December 2000.”

Paleolithic or Stone Age exhibits here including tombs and dolmens were moved from their original site so that they wouldn’t be submerged with the construction of the Juam Dam. The inventory includes: 140 dolmens in nine clusters, 6 prehistoric dwelling pits, an outdoor exhibition area with replicas of dolmens and a small museum with smaller relics such as the jar coffin in the photo above.

Next to fossilied dinosaur footprints which you can see elsewhere in Korea,  this place bears witness to the loooooong history of Korea but you’d have to be really passionate about arrowheads and menhirs etc.Sorry if I sound like a philistine and don’t have enough imagination to to appreciate the exhibits here but I’m more interested in gawking at a small patch of eulalia ( see below) and the bright red of the few maple trees on the grounds.

Sources:
http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=815462
http://www.dolmenpark.com/main/english/dolmen_park/dolmen_park.htm

On Service, Street Vendors and Samul-nori, Suncheon, Part 4

Chance upon a sikdang just outside the walls of Naganeup-seong that serves a generous number of delicious side dishes with my main order, kimchi tchigae. But the service is wanting. Perhaps because I’m clearly a single female, not from one of the OECD countries, the waitress doesn’t bother to transfer the side dishes onto the table but plonks the tray down. A group of halbeojis who come in after me are treated with more courtesy. Never mind. Perhaps they’re locals and know her employer or parents personally.

What gets me a little more irritated is the presumptuousness of one of the gentlemen. Without so much as an “Excuse me, do you mind?” ( Yes, indeed, I do mind!), he switches off the TV in the corner which happens to be showing a Sunday TV programme with people consulting experts on the value of their family ‘heirlooms’ and antiques. Never mind, I mutter to myself for the second time. Concentrate on the meal and relish the side dish of my favourite beo-sot ( mushrooms) and the other vegetables. Learning to assume that such joints provide complimentary coffee if you know how to ask for it ( Service pronounced Sur-bee-seu).

After the satisfying lunch, there’s time to gawk at what the street vendors are selling: roasted chestnuts, different kinds of grains, persimmons, apples, pears, music cassettes, long johns for the winter ahead. Hear the sounds of a traditional military band made up of ajummas decked out in bright uniforms. Are they part of the local populace roped in to add more colour to the atmosphere for the benefit of tourists or are they filming some scene for a period drama?

After all, Naganeup-seong has been used as an outdoor location for for the popular and highly-rated drama series, “Jewel in the Palace” or “Dae-jang-geum”. For instance, the episode in which the hero enters a village stricken with an infectious disease to help the heroine was filmed here. It turns out that musical performances are regular weekend events here. I follow my ears and find my way to the village field where a group of samul-nori performers have been attracting a small crowd with their lively percussion music and their twirling tassels.

Source:
http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/CU/CU_EN_8_5_1_6.jsp

Rustic Charms of A Fortress Village, Suncheon, Part 3

Feel strange walking into Nagan-eupseong simply dressed in jeans, a pullover and sneakers. Should be wearing a plain hanbok or even some traditional peasant clothes stained the colour of persimmons with straw sandals instead. Such is the charm of this village that once I pass through its main gate, I am transported into another world and another time.

Nagan-eupseong Folk Village, 22 km west of Suncheon, was the site of the Paji Castle during the Baekje Dynasty and continued as a village in the Joseon dynasty. It’s more like a combination of Hahoe Village in Andong and the Korean Folk Village in Suwon because people still live and work here, alongside the open-air museum that it is. Unlike Hahoe which prides itself on being home to aristocratic families, Nagan-eupseong showcases the life of the ordinary folk.

Another striking difference is that Nagan-eupseong is a fortress village surrounded by a pretty thick wall with impressive gates at both ends of the village. The 1.41 km long and 4 m high walls, first built from sand and eventually stone, were intended to keep out Japanese invaders. These days, tourists such as yours truly are free to climb onto the ramparts. The double vision one gets standing there is quite strange: within the walls, I’m back in the time looking over rustic straw huts or tiled roofs of cottages and outside the walls, I’m immediately whisked back to modern times with the Korean 20th century style houses.

Am glad to have the company of three year old Dong Ok and his mum, a friendly ajumma that I meet on the tour bus. She points out to me various plants in the gardens of different cottages as we peer over the low stone hedges. We discover cotton balls which can be plucked straight off the plant, the purple flower of the doraji plant, another delicate bloom from the green tea bush, calabashes ( longish dark-green gourds sun-dried to use as bathing sponges). Persimmons and quinces hang from bare branches and the ginkgo trees are splendid as always.

There’s also a water wheel still in operation, the amusing entrance of a dragon kiln at the local pottery ( painted to look like a monster’s open mouth), a drinks dispensing machine boarded up to look suitably rustic and retro, a grand pavilion with an enormous drum, a long-bearded halbeoji in yellow earth-dyed garb who welcomes us as we watch him weaving ropes the traditional way.

The claim on the Suncheon website seems justified – there is a friendly atmosphere and if I’m fortunate enough to pass this way again, I’d like to stay in one of the minbaks available here to soak it all in very slowly.

Sources:
http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=762732
http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=312888http://www.nagan.or.kr/english/main.html

A City Tour Outside the City, Suncheon- Part 2

Don't be misled by its name; the Suncheon City Tour doesn't really take you around the city. Indeed the tour bus is  quick to whisk you out to the surrounding countryside to explore:

1.  a traditional village that hasn't changed much since it evolved during the Joseon Dynasty

2. Buddhist temples with some stunning architecture

3. clusters of dolmens and a museum dedicated to these ancient relics

4. the Suncheon Bay where migratory birds drop by for R and R.

The tour is free ( not including admission charges to the sites) but you need to book in advance. You may need to get someone who speaks fluent Korean to reserve over the phone or send an email in Korean to reserve a seat.

Call 061- 749- 3107, 3328, 3380

For more info: http://www.sc.go.kr/
Or click here.

Read an earlier posting on the Suncheon City Tour here.

A Series of Unfortunate Assumptions, SUNCHEON, Part 1

Here are some lessons learnt the hard way from my visit to Suncheon.

False Assumption No.1 - There are stacks of yeogwans or minbaks near express bus terminals all over South Korea.That may be true of a number of places outside Seoul but it apparently isn’t true of Suncheon. As a solo backpacker, I don’t usually like to reach an unfamiliar place in the dark but a change in my travel plans means that I reach Suncheon after sunset. Come out of the bus terminal, expecting to see signs which read “Yeogwan” or “Minbak” and to settle down quickly for the night.

But alas, no such luck and I’m desperate enough to startle a group of schoolgirls to ask them in my broken Korean for directions. In between their giggles, curious stares and their hesitant English ( probably the first time they’ve had to use it outside their classrooms!), I figure out it’s more prudent to hop into a cab instead of lugging my bag all over Suncheon town which turns out to be bigger than expected. To my relief, there is a cluster of motels etc. near the train station.

False Assumption No. 2 The Lonely Planet gives information about where to stay for all towns listed under its content pages.
Sorry, LP! You’re usually my trusty companion but you let me down when I turn to you for help on where to stay in Suncheon. So I ask someone in the TIC counter in the train station and he recommends the Bali Motel across the road. The 30,000 won rooms there strain my budget but am impressed by the panel on the wall beside the reception counter which displays photos of the rooms decked out in an amazing range of styles. I make the mistake of opting for a cheaper place a few doors away to save 5000 won.

Turns out the East Motel has very dated and gaudy interiors with a planetary theme for wallpaper and no remote control. Up early next morning and realise in the morning light there are other decent yeogwans so I switch to a 20,000 won place with the reassuring presence of an ajumma running the spotless joint.

False Assumption No.3 Reservations by email automatically mean you have a reservation.

Find out at the TIC counter outside the train station that they’ve not received my email reservation to join the City Tour bus. Or perhaps I shouldn’t have assumed that the Webmaster understood English. Anyway, I find myself appealing to the kind-hearted staff at the TIC and lucky for me, the free tour bus isn’t too crowded.

False Assumption No.4 All PCs in Korea are properly serviced and will work.
Have become so used to the Net being so easily available in South Korea that I am genuinely startled when the computers don’t behave themselves. One PC at the Suncheon Station swallows up my 500 won coins and hangs without so much as an Annyeong right while I’m earnestly typing out an email. GRRRR!

Sources:
http://www.suncheon.go.kr/
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=762729
http://encarta.msn.com/map_701516842/Suncheon.html
http://www.asia-planet.net/korea/suncheon-si.htm