I had the opportunity one Sunday morning to go on a hike with my study away program up Mt. Inwangsan (인왕산). It is one of the mountains that is near Gyeongbokgung, the main palace in Seoul. It was a small group of us--6 of us including our guide--so it was a nice intimate hike. We started at the base as our guide told us about some of the history of the mountain and logistics.
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Dice! I think these were a little too heavy to move. |
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Crisp fall day. |
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She's on the 50,000 won bill! |
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This is her son, who is on the 5,000 won bill. |
Our first stop on our way up the mountain was the Tangun shrine. Tangun is thought by many to be the father of all Korean people.
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Tangun. |
And up we went....
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Old rooftops. |
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Up the mountain we go! |
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This tells you how long it takes for various substances to decompose. |
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You can see a building with a blue roof in the background. That is the Blue House, where the president lives! Just like our White House. |
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Random badminton racket stuck in a tree. |
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The mountain. This part of it is thought to look like a person. |
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Old Seoul wall. This wall used to go around the entire city of Seoul. |
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Apartments. Signs of modernity in a historic part of the city. |
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Old Seoul wall. |
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The rock to the right of the one that looks like a human is thought to be a lion. |
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I thought this was cool because it says "Portland." |
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Gorgeous. |
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So many apartments. |
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Offerings to Buddha. |
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Old soju bottles inside the rock. |
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These people were praying. |
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Above the city. |
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On top of the world. |
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View from the top. |
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A school. |
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Amazing. |
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Old Seodaemun Prison. It's now a museum. My trip to the prison will be in an upcoming post! |
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Namsan Tower. |
And on the way back down...
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2 rocks that look like kneeling people. People have come to these rocks to pray for hundreds of years. |
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More offerings. I found it interesting that people give alcohol as gifts. |
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Bell. |
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Cool doors. |
And that's all! My next adventure is coming soon........