Ibike Korea People-to-People Program
Photo essay: Haein-sa to
Hoeyang
Haein-sa to Hoeyang (36mi, 60km) Scenic miles down
a river and along a lake shore.
Points of Interest: Chicken farms, Confucian Academy, tourist recreation areas,
Hapcheon reservoir
It is a bit of a shock to come upon the
toll booth at the entrance to the expressway, but it passed quick.
And, I am always happy to see vehicles heading off in a different direction and leave
the country roads to the bicyclists.
I am already struck by the esthetics of
everything in Korea; the farms, mountains, villages, temples, bridges, etc, and
then you come across rice bundled and drying in the field, waiting to be
threshed. Even this seems to be done with esthetic purpose, intent and
flair.
This hard working couple is
using their iron donkey to help them thresh their rice (left). We shared
the experience with a camera crew from Korean MBC television (right), who is
doing a feature story on the all aspects of bicycling in Korea.
Every
time I take another farmland picture I ask myself, "Why do I need another
farmland picture?" Answer: Because it is so beautiful it deserves to be
acknowledged and honored with another picture. These picture don't do
justice to the beauty of the land.
Besides
being a beautiful and relatively traffic-free ride, Hapcheon Lake has periodic
points of interest: Outside of Bongsan is a new park [2011] that would lend
itself well to picnicking. Further down the lake is what appears to be a
floating solar voltaic installation. While not unique it is of very limited
application [2011]. The theory is by floating the panels it is easier to
keep them point directly at the sun and the water serves to keep them cool
enough to operate efficiently.
While these picture could
seem a little high school locker-roomish, they reflect on how accommodating the
country is at so many different levels. This facilities were along the
road, probably 20 km (12 miles) from a town in any direction -- perhaps it is
the center of some kind of recreational activity that is unseen to us.
Okgye Seowon (a shine or a lecture hall) was
originally built in 1725, by local Confusians to conserve the books "Gyengmongyogyeol"
and "Haedongyeonwonrok" written by Yolgok Yi I. The shine holds ritual
ceremonies for a number of Masters.
Graves tend to be isolated or in
small family groups. Typically they sit on a cleared bench part way up a
hillside. The mound is the grave, which is usually accompanied by an
engraved stele. Wealthier people will also have a variety of statuary.
Nice road, no traffic, plenty of time to look and
another interesting scene to capture. Hapcheon dam is in the distance.
A
room with a view: Our modest hotel at the south end of Hapcheon
reservoir had rooms with views to retire for -- it was sad when the
sunset, but delightful to see again the next morning.
To
be honest we weren't always sure exactly what we would get when we ordered
at restaurants, but my Korean friends tell me they face the same
situation. So meals are often a bit of an adventure, but we were
never disappoint and to the contrary, we were often thrill with what we
received. The dish shown here is a stew with meat, vegetables and
mushrooms in a tasty sauce. Most meals are also accompanied by rice
and 3-12 side dishes.
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