Over the weekend, we went to Eunpa Park, which is really just a trail around a big old lake in the southern part of the city. We had been there twice before, but the first time we went, the heat index was well over 100 F and we were sweaty balls of nastiness by the time we got there and really weren't up for a stroll. The second time we went, we tried to take what looked like a shorter route to walk there, of course got it wrong, and were too tired and hot to walk around by the time we got there.
However, this time, we chose a breezy, partly-cloudy day and took our time walking there (on the real shortest route) and found ourselves with enough energy to mosey around a good chunk of it. I'm really glad we did because there's some pretty decent scenery there considering we're in Gunsan. Plus I miss being near water. Even though Gunsan is a coastal city, it has zero beaches. Every inch of the waterfront is dominated by nasty old docks or nasty big industrial complexes. I REALLY would have liked to dive in the water but I already attract too much unwanted attention when I'm behaving normally. Koreans don't swim (read: don't know how to) so I think doing that would make people freak out.
Anyway, we had a lovely walk. There's a long bridge that spans part of the lake, with pavilions along the way.
In one of the pavilions was something called the "sphere of love" with a little explanation that said if you and your loved one put your hands on the sphere, you will have a long, happy life together. So of course we had to test it out :)
At one end of the bridge, there's a little touristy area which is mostly snack stands and Korean versions of diners, selling cheap noodle dishes. There's also a cool zone at the other end, where you can walk through cool mist being sprayed along a little path. Of course that area was packed, so we didn't go in.
I thought that it was weird that at the entrance to the park that we came in, there was a seemingly random little cemetery. I wonder who is buried there...
Did I mention that you can rent peddle boats shaped like swans at the lake?
There were also various monuments at the main entrance to the park, which is where we exited. I couldn't tell you what they were monuments of, though, because my Korean is limited to ordering food, communicating with taxi drivers, and talking to pharmacists. It looks important, though, so I took a picture.
All in all it was really a fun day. We ended up walking for over 3 1/2 hours nonstop, but we popped into a convenience store for ice cream and water, which certainly helped! When we got back we curled up with a sleepy Tama.
Not a bad way to spend a Saturday.
