Yesterday marked the start of spring fever. The temperature was about 50 or so, and I was reminded that being outside can actually be pleasant. The two Mikes and I got some soju, beers and Maekgoli (traditional Korean rice wine that looks like milk) and headed for the top of Bibong mountain where the pagoda and temple are located. We decided to take a trail from the top that headed along the ridge line to see where we would end up.
After several hours of hiking and no sign of a path that would lead us back to the bottom of the mountain, we decided to follow a trail leading through a gravesite. Koreans are buried pretty much anywhere that is on a mountain facing the right direction, etc. etc.--apparently there is quite a science to the location that is chosen for your eternal resting spot, but the point here is that no matter where you go or how remote you think you are, there will be a dead person in a womb shaped grave next to you. So we followed the path through the graveyard and it lead us down the mountain, passed a barbed wire military complex of sorts, and into a farm. We found the road from there and hiked back into town, where we proceeded to go to the restaurant us westerners call "Meat Heaven," "Meat Palace," or any combination of words involving meat and a reference to nirvana, utopia or sublimity. To sum it all up, it was a great day.
Michigan Mike enjoying some refreshing Maekgoli and watching the sun set.
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