Walking.

I love walking. It is a good way to spend time, especially when new to a city or neighborhood. It is free and takes up a lot of time, the fresh air is good for the mind, the moving around good for the body, and it is always a little thought provoking, leading to new and interesting conversations.


Josh and I have been taking epically long walks most days, getting lost on purpose, or perhaps setting the goal of just stumbling upon a place that we know is in the general area (haha, in this city?). 
The weather is pleasantly springlike and a little breezy here and there, making it possible to leave the coats at home and head out in whatever direction we feel like that day. Here are some images from the neighborhood south of mine, taken on a lazy sunday afternoon stroll... with this guy:

The streets are lined with colorful lanterns, in preparation to celebrate Buddhas birthday, this makes every street look festive, pretty, and exotic.

The sun was shining brightly on this very colorful day:

And it wouldn't be the same if we didn't come across the usual strangeness of larger than life animal statues on the tops of random buildings and insane clusters of wires and electrical boxes:

But lucky for us we found our destination for the day, a small river stream that flows north into the Han river, called the Yangjaecheon. The trees and breeze were a created a welcome change of environment from the 12 lane streets and rows of skyscrapers! We stopped for a while on a nice wooded path overlooking the Yangjaecheon with cherry blossoms and willow trees in the foreground. 

All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.

~Friedrich Nietzsche

Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.  ~Henry David Thoreau


Pakistani fail.

It is a sad day for Pakistani women following the acquittal of five of the six men who gang raped Mukhtaran Mai, a woman who runs an all girls school in a small village in the eastern part of the country. The sixth mans sentence was reduced from the death penalty to life in prison. This is so sad. The rape was ordered by a council member in Punjab to take place, as punishment for a crime her twelve year old brother had allegedly done. 


It is more common for women to never speak of these things, and often suicide is their way out of the pain, but Mukhataran Mai was brave enough to tell her story and take on the lengthy legal battle, in turn she became a pioneer in Pakistan for women's rights, which are largely non-existent. She has become a recognized figure in her country and with the release of these men her life is in imminent danger. 


In an interview with BBC she stated that she will not flee her village, leaving her school, her students, and her family. She will stay and face whatever fate comes her way, even death.  I hope this woman's voice is heard around the world, that change can come to that region, so the women can become free. 

"I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself and there I take my stand." 

~Susan B. Anthony

The connection between women's human rights, gender equality, socioeconomic development and peace is increasingly apparent.

~Mahnaz Afkhami

Source

Weekend in Gyeongju

Last weekend we had a wonderful time in Gyeongju, a mountainous coastal city in the SE of the peninsula. This is a smaller city, more like a town, surrounded by beautiful mountains, many of which are home of UNESCO World Heritage sites. The oldest and largest Buddhist temple in Korea is on Bulguska mountain, and we decided not to miss it. Along with some friends we rented motorbikes for the afternoon and cruised around, it was a blast! Driving in the downtown was a little scary at first, cause it's madness on these streets, but we managed to get out of the city, to the open road, winding up the mountains and lined with blooming cherry blossom trees. The slightest breeze would cause the petals to fall around making it a truly remarkable scene. The sun was out, our only hope for warmth on the crisp spring day, as we climbed higher up the cool mountain.

We hiked in to the highest mountain temple. To celebrate Buddhas birthday, which is coming up in about a week, there are lanterns decorating the streets and buildings, with lots of festivals planned. The lantern display at Bulguksa was remarkable, the whole place was remarkable and exotic, the view from up there was stellar (the sea!), the fresh air, the blooming flowers, the buildings themselves, the monks singing, the breeze blowing, the newness of it all! This is why I travel... for the adventure, to collect all the new memories, and to see the ways of life that I can not see at home. 

We cruised back down the winding mountain roads, feeling much more comfortable on our bikes, and enjoying the warming air with each steep S curve we traversed. One more stop at a famous temple, marked on Koreas currency, and crowded with tourists, then back to sea level!

After returning the bikes we did what we usually do when traveling anywhere: eat exotic food! And lots of it! Jeanie, a native Korean who we were traveling with, is from this region, so she was able to help us find the best, most obscure and dirty gogi restaurant in town. It was incredible! Whole octopus and thick cut pork, grilled bananas and garlic, tons of greens and a whole lot of soju were how we celebrated the winding down a a great trip.

We stayed in town in a traditional Korean home, with a detached guesthouse in their garden. They provided sleeping mats and we all slept on the heated floor. The older couple who lived there were both artists and the large open room was lined with their art. The place was really beautiful in the early morning sunlight. 

And the grey afternoon as well! 

I am not sure how to explain this one, but I had to share it and mention that I am glad that these are the only chickens I have to be dealing with these days.... 

random statues

I hope you enjoyed these stories... more to come soon. 

In the meantime be good and try to enjoy each moment!

Love.

spring has sprung

In the spirit of all things blooming, I would like to share my joy that it is not longer bitterly cold, and actually it's warming up fast! The flowers are ALL beginning to bud and bloom, in this concrete jungle it was hard to imagine so much color popping up everywhere, but not even the strongest concrete can harness the spring, waiting all year to burst with so much life! I really love every season for some reason, but there is so much comfort in spring, things are alive again, ready to grow. I can relate to these flowers right now, as in the winter I felt some grey clouds, now I feel the energy of new things, new growth, and some good ol' vitamin D! Happy Spring everyone, I hope it is a time of growth and beauty for you.....

cherry blossoms!

Spring is here.... along with the option to leave my coat at home, there is a beautiful pink and white glow to the city, streets are lined with and mountains are covered in cherry trees, and they are all blooming right now! Please enjoy some of these sights I have been lucky to have: