Apsan

Saturday was by far the best day I have had in Korea so far. We had made plans to spend Saturday doing errands, and to go sightseeing on Sunday, but when I woke up and saw the beautiful day outside, I knew we had to get out there and do something! Although it is always warm here during the summer months, it is rare to see the blue sky- most days are bright, but the sky is often white, not blue. Saturday was an exception- it was warm, but not hot, a cool breeze was blowing, and the sun beamed down from a perfect blue sky. We have the great fortune to be surrounded by mountains in Daegu, so the choice of how to spend such a gorgeous day was easy (just like summer Saturdays in Alberta)- head for the mountains.

We headed for one of the best known mountains in Daegu, which also happens to be reasonably close to where we live. The mountain is called Apsan (Ap means "front" and san means "mountain" because the mountain is in front of Daegu), and it is a low tree-covered mountain with several hiking trails, Buddhist temples, and valleys to visit (along with a small amusement park, which I'd rather not discuss). The taxi dropped us off at the base of the mountain and we leisurely made our way up a walking path that runs parallel to a small stream. After exploring a couple of side trails we headed for the cable car and took a ride to the top of the mountain. We had lunch at a small traditional restaurant on top, while enjoying the bird's eye view over Daegu. It's interesting how the city is laid out (and I assume other large Asian cities are similar)- everything is very compact and there are entire square miles devoted to nothing but high rise apartment buildings. Anyway, it gave me a better feel for the city and where things are actually located. After a delicious lunch of bibimbap we wandered a couple hundred meters up the trail and just sat and talked and enjoyed the sunshine. People were very friendly to us, and most people said hello, or tried to practice their English on us. I was amused by the variety of people I saw on the mountain. The majority appeared to be serious hiking groups, decked out in hundreds of dollars worth of expensive hiking boots, packs, and clothes, and there were a fair number of average hikers as well- people in running shoes, dads with kids, that sort of thing. Then there was a small minority of women in high heels, as though they had been downtown shopping earlier in the day, but had succumbed to a sudden irresistible urge to go to the top of Apsan. It was amazing to me that they could even make it up the mountain in those shoes! Finally, on the way down we saw a bunch of men in suits and ties, wearing dress shoes. I know people here take their work seriously, but seriously...

The part of the hike from the top of the cable car to the higher point on the mountain follows part of an old fortress wall that was built during the Silla Kingdom period, probably in the 600s CE (common era). It was an amazing experience to go hiking somewhere that was built long before any European had even dreamed of setting foot on North American soil. After taking the cable car back down the mountain, we explored a Buddhist temple that we had spotted from above. A small group of monks in slippers, grey suits, and straw hats worked silently, clearing brush around the temple, and sweeping the stones off the brick pathways leading up to the temple. We carefully approached one monk to ask if it was ok to be there and take pictures, and he talked to us briefly, asking where we were from. When we replied that we were from Canada, he told us he had been to Vancouver and Whistler. When I asked him (along with exaggerated gestures) if he had been skiing in Whistler, he smiled and replied that he had, in fact, been snowboarding. I certainly had no idea at the start of the day that I would encounter a snowboarding monk who flies off to Whistler to enjoy his sport!

The temple was beautiful and extremely serene. I stood and marveled at the detail of the craftsmanship along the underside of the roof. Each board was brightly painted and decorated with flowers and patterns. Everything was very symmetrical, and the central walkway led up to a large building with a main central glass sliding door and a couple of smaller side doors. Through the central door I could see candles burning and a large, gold statue of Buddha resting quietly in the background. The peacefulness of the place made it slightly surreal, and very difficult to leave. Finally, in the fading hours of daylight we slipped away and calmly sauntered down the path, and back towards home.