Gyeongpo

I took the weekend off and came to the sea -- Korea's East Coast.

This is the first weekend I took off since the semester started. As part of my work contract I have to facilitate a cell group every Saturday morning. However, I can take leave once a month. On the spur of the moment I decided to do so Thursday evening -- knowing that the coming two weekends will be too busy to go anywhere -- and Friday afternoon I took the bus from Seoul to Gangneung City, a two and a half hour trip. From Gangneum I took a taxi (about 10 minutes) to the Gyeongpo.

I arrived around 8 pm and booked into a motel with a bathtub. The latter was a serious consideration to which motel I'd choose to stay in. Since my own apartment only has a shower, I've been longing to soak in a tub for some time now; that's exactly what I did last night. This morning I slept in. Aparantly Gyeongpo is famous for its beautiful sunrises, but that's something I will have to take on faith. I might see it tomorrow morning, but that is also unlikely as I am not a morning person.

It is my custom to go to church on Saturday. I seldom miss it. Unfortunately my impulsive decision to come hear on such short notice did not allow me enough time to search for a Sabbath-keeping church before hand. Nonetheless, going to church is not the only way to keep Sabbath. These holy ours are not only a reminder of God's salvation, but also a reminder of God's creative power. So today I spent most of my day outside enjoying the beautiful blue and green retina hues of the East Sea; the pink and white blossoms like pixies perched on the trees in swarms; the merriment of fellow (albeit, native) tourists spending this day with their families and friends.

A local attraction is the Gyeongpodae (Gyeongpo Pavilion), a temple-like structure build specifically to provide an excellent vantage point from which to look over the beautiful Gyeonpo lake. I sat for a long time at the Gyeongpodae, taking in the view, breathing the fresh air, enjoying the wind on my face. In the picture above the roof of the Gyeongpodae is visible, with the scenic lake in clear view and the cherryblossoms in full bloom.

I also saw a little shrine dedicated to Mong Ju Chung, the scholar-poet, pennamed Poeun. One of the patterns in ITF Taekwon-Do is named Poeun, after Mong Ju Chung. Many Koreans are familiar with one of his poems:

Even if, I may die, die a hundred times,
Even if my skeleton may become dust and dirt,
And whether my spirit may be there or not,
My single-hearted loyalty to the lord will not change.