So I guess with that being said, I better make it a good one, huh? Fortunately we have retrieved my camera and so I can share with you our first exploration adventure thing in Korea. Friday, August 15, Dave had off work because it was a Korean holiday so we decided to try to find the mysterious looking pagoda on the hill. We debated going to Seoul, but I wanted to check out everything in our local town first. We don't have a map of Ansan, not even a Korean one, so we were purely going off instinct...surpisingly after only an hour or two of walking we got there! Walking...okay it was maybe a little more intense than that as we trudged uphill, in the humid fog, with a baby backpack (okay, enough drama...Dave was wearing the backpack who am I kidding, but we were sweating. Enough sweat that sunblock dripped into my eye... yuck, okay I'm overdoing myself, you get the picture!) I'm sure it is not the coolest thing we will ever see in Korea, but I was thrilled because it definitely had ancient Korea architecture, even though it was clearly made recently (recently meaning within the last 30 years or so). So take a little peak at the hike:
At this point in the journey we have no idea if we would find our final destination, but Lucy and Dave are looking optimistic. (Lucy also just wanted to say: "only you can prevent forest fires")
We found this long looking staircase and thought maybe our destination was at the end. Wow, some faith we had for hiking up all of these without a sure destination! (You can't even see half of the stairs we hiked in this picture)
And voila! We came upon this glorious building. Some sort of watch tower.
Here's Lucy and Dave, checking out the view from the balcony of the Watch Tower.
We kept hiking along this little path a little farther. (Further or Farther? I can never remember...I think Farther)
We came across this stack of rocks, which according to the Buddhist faith will give you good luck if you add to it. Although we aren't looking for a new religion or anything, we figured adding a rock couldn't hurt. Can you guess which one is my rock?
Yay for family pictures. They are rare and so I had to post this one a passing hiker took of us. You might see it again on your Christmas card if I don't get a better shot before then!
Hey, who are those good looking babes? And, oh my, what attractive abs you have there Lucy! (Cute shot, too bad I didn't realize I was totally showing off Lucy's little angel poke).
Another good luck at this sweet pagoda we found in the middle of nowhere!
"Mugunghwa" or Rose of Sharon along our path. I couldn't resist this shot because it is Korea's national flower. Can you just say "wow" that girl's got great photography skills (or just a really sweet camera!Thanks again Mom! I love you!) I mean you can even see the water droplet!
I stood on a wall to snap a shot of the valley below...
..and then as I looked down I realized the view was by my side all along. (It's good for the soul to write really cheezy lines of poetry about your loved ones every now and then. Thanks for bearing with me! If you are feeling brave, give it a try sometime! Nevertheless, there is no denying they are a cute pair!)
It's a long way home, but at least we know where it is...
...okay, not that long! After hiking down the mountain, we copped out and took the train home, even though it was only one stop. Yay for Lucy's first train ride! She loved it and I am sure this is only the beginning of a long and meaningful relationship as we tour around Korea this year!
