Lantern Festival and Mountain Hikes

Last night I went with my coworkers to the annual Lantern Festival, but forgot to bring my camera!! So, here's a link to one of the online travel sites until I get some copies of photos from other teachers. http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=1424536 We didn't get back from Jinju until 1:30ish and I crashed around 3 am, so a little out of it today. Ah--this one's actually a lot better! http://yudeung.com/10E_index.php Seriously, this is a festival not to be missed!! Also, my American friends and I went hiking into some nearby mountains twice this week during the Chuseok break. On Monday, October 1st, we went to a nearby rock on top of a relatively small mountain. Here's a fun shot of my friend Erin on top of it!

Now, we all climbed out onto it and basked in the view of the river and farmlands, but Erin made a grrreat model for that moment in time! On Wednesday, October 3rd, we drove out a bit further, parked at the base of this hiking spot (the name of which I don't recall, so I'll just upload a photo of the sign).

We encountered a variety of points of interest, including slugs the size of Abe Lincoln's fingers, a snake or 2 curled up in the path, an ice-cream vendor who hauls his product all the way to the top (YES, we had ice-cream from him!) and PAINTERS at work where we needed to go onto a footbridge between two mountain peaks! We couldn't believe the timing--painting during one of the busiest holidays around here, on dangerous pathways and bridges--at best, tricky to navigate. But here's a view from atop that bridge.

The views were spectacular!! Thanks to the knowledge and hospitality of Kenny and Sherry Anderson for making such a hike possible!! I'll miss them when they head back to Texas soon, and Erin's headed back to Baltimore, Maryland...