Solene has been working as an international intern in Gwangju International Center from this March.
She participated in GIC Trek and wrote review about the 2nd GIC Trek on March 14th.
She would like to share what she felt and learn during the Trek!!
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On Saturday, March 14th, I went on the GIC Trek, organized by the Gwangju International Center.
This trek was only the second time for the event, but a great number of people hiked with us.
Warren Parsons, our American guide, has been living in South Korea for seven years, so his Korean is close to perfect. He is highly knowledgeable about the Jeollanam-do province and the city of Gwangju. This trek led us to the lower elevations of Mudeung Mountain. Both Korean and international residents joined this trek, enjoying small talk before hiking.
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I first talked with a girl from America and another woman from the Philippines. We all like hiking, and joining the GIC Trek was a way for us to know more about the region and discover a part of Mudeung Mountain where we probably would have never been by ourselves.
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On the way to the bus stop, Warren showed us Art Street behind the GIC and explained how important it is to be curious and interested in what is happening around us. While waiting for the bus to come, we learned about a monument used during the May 18th Uprising by the media to register the demonstration and have a better overlook for the people. One of the participants told me that she uses this bus stop almost every day but had never actually looked at this monument. Now she will probably walk to the top of it to enjoy a better view over Gwangju and see the bus coming.
The first activity of the day was to go up the mountain by using an old chairlift which had been recently renovated. This lift went up slowly and gave us another way of looking at the mountain, allowing us to keep our energy to hike more once we reached the top of the mountain.
The lift departed from the Jisan Recreation Area, where Koreans used to go on dates and admire the view of the city while having fun in the bumper cars. The top of the chairlift gave us a breathtaking view over Gwangju. On one side of the mountain, you can see the entire city surrounded by mountains, and on the other side, people can admire the beauty of the mountain itself. Just by turning around the view is totally different.
After taking a few pictures, we started to hike towards the Joseon Burial Tombs. We did not go to very high elevations during the hike, as Warren explained, since the best places for majestic people to be buried as well as for animals to live is not at the peak of the mountain but on the sunny side of it, where rivers flow. Burial tombs are quite easy to miss if you do not know the way. This is why going on the GIC Trek with a guide is a better way to discover the region without missing anything.
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While hiking, we passed several holy sites that were created to respect the deceased. A two-trunk tree for example had been venerated for years, as it is a rare phenomenon to have two trees grow together and shows the beauty of nature. The trek led us from the Joseon Burial Tombs to Pyeongdume Village, where an uncommon Buddhist temple sits in a quiet and peaceful place. I would have not imagined this place to be a temple as no characteristic building is to be seen there. Monks offered to have lunch with us but we had other plans in mind so we had to sadly refuse. Hopefully next time, we will get to say yes.
After walking a few more minutes through a forest, we arrived at a farm-raised chicken restaurant, where we ate a delicious meal full of new flavors for me. It reminded me of Samgyetang but we ate adult chicken instead of a chick.
We shared each chicken among four to five people, so it was a good way to talk with other participants that I did not have time to talk to before.
After lunch, we visited the shrine Chungjangsa dedicated to the general Kim Deok Ryeong. The GIC Trek ended at that point, where we admired the temple, burial tombs and where we took some more pictures. After stretching to relax our bodies, we took the bus back to GIC.
This Trek was a great experience for me as it allowed me to meet Korean families as well as foreigners, while learning a lot about both Gwangju and Mudeungsan National Park. I fully encourage everybody to join these treks, as I know they will all be as interesting as what I experienced on Saturday, March 14th!!
Pictures by Ho-ki Kim and Jeongmin Lee
Review by Solene Heurtaux
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Next GIC trek is scheduled on April 11th.
Signing up is available from the first week of April.
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