Elder and Sister George: May 2017

I didn't know that Korea had...

EASTER EGG HUNTS

The four office Elders were ready for the traditional Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. They went crazy bumping into each other and looking everywhere to find the elusive egg.

Elder Yoon had the disadvantage of being a little bit shorter than the others, but when they all started clawing each other in the storage room with the metal shelving, Elder Paul sliced himself seriously enough to draw blood.

Notice the blood on his Sunday shirt. Too much fun!

I didn't know that Korea had...

THE SIXTH LARGEST CONTAINER SHIPPING PORT IN THE WORLD

It's true - the largest ports in the world are: Shanghai, China; Singapore; Shenzhen, China; Ningbo-Zhoushan, China; Hong Kong; and BUSAN!

Sunny invited us to a Busan Harbor Cruise. We had seen the harbor many times from way up high, but this cruise gave us a different perspective.

The Busan Port Bridge is beautiful to see at night, lit up over the ocean.

It was a different perspective to be traveling beneath the bridge.

Yeongdo Island is a place for ship-building. Men come from all over Asia to find jobs - Sri Lanka, the Philippines, even China - and they work hard for years sometimes away from their families. The missionaries who live and work on Yeongdo Island are constantly calling with requests for pamphlets and Books of Mormon in Erdu, Laotian, Malay, and Bengali, to name just a few.

Knowing that each container is the size of a semi-truck, you can imagine the overall size of this container shipping vessel. Loading and unloading the containers takes a lot of machinery, men, and time.

When you compare the small boat drifting by, the large ship is immense!

The huge orange metal structures are cranes to remove the containers.

More loading cranes

At exactly 2:00 pm - 2:15 pm each day, the Yeongdo Bridge lifts. Cars and buses are stopped dead in their tracks and have to sit there for fifteen minutes, but the good news is that the ships and boats in the harbor get the chance to go through the bridge.

Sunny has lived in Busan all her life and has never seen the Yeongdo Bridge lift, so she was pretty excited!

After viewing the Oryukdo Islands and lighthouse, we return to the harbor.

I didn't know that Korea had...

A GAME CALLED BADUK

Baduk is a game played (by men only...I have never seen a woman anywhere around it) in South Korea. The men gather at parks, on benches, small tables, or on the sidewalk and spend hours playing, or watching others play. On our walk home from work, there is a store-owner who plays on a little table out in front of his store every single evening, usually with the same friend. They even play when it is raining.

The game board consists of a grid 19 lines by 19 lines, and each player has an unlimited number of black and white "stones". Baduk has been compared to four games of chess going at once. The games go on for hours. We saw these men near a Buddhist shrine, but they are playing Baduk anywhere and everywhere!

I didn't know that Korea had...

A HIDDEN WONDERLAND CALLED

"THE CHILDREN'S GRAND PARK"

We had heard of this park - I pictured more of a botanical garden, but it turned out to be a serene, peaceful walk in the mountains. There were plenty of play areas and amenities for "children", but we stayed on the mountain path and encountered natural beauty everywhere.

The large dam created a smooth pool of jade green water, mirroring the colors of the leaves above.

Around each bend we found a new surprise. The water was almost turquoise.

These straight, tall giants reminded us of the Sequoia trees that we love in California.

At the end of the path we found a little shrine.

Inside the little house is a large stone as a memorial.

I took photographs at the angriest faces I could find, just for fun.

Scary!

Look at those eyeballs!

Azaleas are popping out in bright pink, orange, and red.

Roof detail - I love it!

I didn't know that Korea had...

A GIANT RUBIK'S CUBE

Do you see Winnie the Pooh, Hello Kitty, Mickey Mouse, and Donald Duck?

This giant cube greets you as you enter the Children's Grand Park. Inside the park there is a zoo. A group of missionaries had gone to the zoo on P-day and reported back about the giraffe, elephants, etc. We have one Sister missionary from Fiji who had never been to a zoo!

View of the cube around the Rubik's cube - farewell Children's Park.

I didn't know that Korea had...

Missionary Zone Conference hikes!

We have six zones in the mission. There were six separate hikes. We stopped along the way to hear inspirational stories, be instructed by President Barrow, and symbolically ascend as we gained more knowledge and experience.

Bryan half way up the mountain

Elder Orndorff, Sister Kim Minsu and I stop in the shade and listen to the speaker.

Top of Geumjeong mountain

Another day - L to R: Elder Tu Kotahi Iddi Rangi Paul from New Zealand, Sister Jeong Hyoju, and me!

Squeezing in a narrow space

I didn't know that Korea had...

PICASSO

This building, named F1963 was a wire factory, once filled with noise and iron dust. It is now an art gallery and creative cultural space. F signifies factory, fine art, forest, and family and 1963 is its year of construction. The wire rope factory existed until 2008, until a renowned Korean architect remodeled it into an art space. The space will serve as an exhibition and performance hall for Busan's major arts events. F1963 is considered a harmony between old and new. The exterior was remodeled (the white metal mesh looks like wire), while the inside was changed. The signs of the factory remain intact. The old concrete floors are rough, and the rusty steel ceiling frames are still exposed. It is filled with vintage machine parts and artwork.

Outside, there is a bamboo forest and a play area for kids.

Big, heavy blocks of old concrete floor can be used for chairs or tables.

Old wooden spools for wire have a new use.

Concrete blocks are used as a bench, a wooden spool becomes a table, and old warehouse buildings are used for art galleries.

Just inside, we can have our picture taken with Pablo himself, and his sculpture of a woman.

The exhibit was great, consisting of a timeline of Picasso's life, a biographical movie, and about five exhibition rooms. (no pictures allowed).

We went outside, and discovered that beyond the bamboo jungle there was a garden, consisting of

Climbing roses, lavender, and

??? Don't know the name, but this flower is gorgeous!

Exquisite!

This flowering bush is found in Korea (only in Korea?). The blossoms are similar to a peony, only much larger, looser petals. The flowers last about one week.