The Honeymoon (minus the best parts, of course!)

Sandi arranged a Hummer limo from Evergeen to Denver, where we were both reminded of why we prefer to be out in the country...  The night after the wedding, as our friends were enjoying another dinner in Evergreen, we stayed at a B&B in Denver that had a sign "No Peddlers" on the door - thankfully they didn't know that my nickname once was "Peddler" (see the page "About Us" for more info). Sunday, we flew to Korea (yet again), which was somehow far less painful together :) .  Of course life continues even during honeymoons, so only after the auto shop installed the alternator we'd brought with us could we begin the adventures I can tell you about  - driving across the top of the Korean penninsula from Seoul to Seoraksan.  (For your planning purposes, the checked bag with the alternator always seems to get the bonus inspection, for some reason.) Below was our welcome to Seoraksan National Park on the northeast coast of South Korea.  A little rugged terrain, anyone? (Hover your mouse cursor over the pictures for more info.)

(L) Dinner was wild boar cooked on the table in a resort town where I believe we were the only tourists.  The waitress actually solicited our business as we passed by.  We never did figure out what was in the bottles behind us... (R) Not something you'd ever see putzing up the road in the US!

(Below left)  Ulsan Bawi (rock) from the Gyonggeumgseong Fortress at the top of the cable car - unfortunately the rock-hewn stairs that ascended underneath the cable car were closed, as were many of the other trails, which kept our hiking to a more normal human level, for which I (Donna) for one was secretly thankful! (Below) Us on the top of the G... Fortress.  This is the biggest piece of flat ground around.  We succumbed to the temptation of scrambling up the pinnacle out of the pic to the left.

(CW from top left)  - Sandi imitating the sign... - and Donna sort of imitating the Budda. - A river along the trail up through the valley... - and the kids along the trail - it was solid kids for about 2 miles of trail! - Looking down the stairs we climbed to get to Geumgang Cave high up on the side on a rock face. - Half way up to the cave in the rolling hills of Seoraksan Nat'l park - we're on the rock in the center of the picture below.

(Above) Sinheungsa Temple at the base of the hiking trails in Seoraksan. (Below) Dinner - it was alive the first time they presented it to us.  This time it was not only dead, but also cooked!

(Above) A visual breakfast in bed - the view from our 5th floor "minbak" rook on the NE coast of Korea

(Above) Hiking to the Big Rock (Ulsan Bawi) (Near Rt) 0.4KM to go - and all orange metal stairs, steep scrambles, tunnels under rock piles, ropes, and incredible views (Far Rt) A rock tunnel (Below) View from the bottom (Below Rt) Proof that we made it to the top

(Above) Now this is camping...and this is where is all began 7 months ago :)  (Rt) Ganhyon valley and climbing area - people are visible just below the trees on the top left, and on the crack just below them.  (Below Rt) Donna standing around  (Below Lt) Sandi standing around

Yeouido Full Gospel Church (below) - the largest church in the world with 800,000 members - owns a hillthey call "Prayer Mtn" up near the North Korean Border (below Rt).  Some people close themselves in the prayer gottos on the north-facing slope (near Rt) and just pray for hours. We prayed for a while in one (far Rt).  (For the record, that's not a zit on Donna's forehead; it's a cut from rock climbing.  Sandi has a matching one, but his hair covers it.) For sleeping arrangements, there are various sorts of hotels on the grounds, or one can sleep Korean-style on the stage of the main sanctuary (below far Rt).  And then there's the colorful welcome-arch at the entrance (below Rt).

(above) Dinner at an elusive Italian Restaurant after a day at Prayer Mtn - passed it a couple times before finally homing in on the "normal" food smell. The next evening was dinner on the 30th floor overlooking the lights of Seoul - and all dressed up.  A great ending to an amazing day and a phenomenal week.  I flew back to New Mexico the next afternoon, and Sandi drove back south to the Kunsan Penninsula.  And that was all of the 9 days we spent together of our first 2 months married...courtesy of the shifting tides of the US Air Force.

Take the subway to the train to Eungang Station and walk around the corner and up the hill.  At the end of the road is a huge man-made rock wall (just in front of an even higher natural one).  Unpack the gear and start climbing.  If only we were un-litigious enough to have these in the US!  A crowd gathered to watch from time to time while their kids played on the playground under pink-blooming cherry trees in the attached city park. (Rt) Sandi does his first lead-climb - where the rope is not hooked in at the top, and he has to clip it into each quick draw (carabiner) as he ascends.

Thanks for enjoying our pictures with us.  God really was abundantly gracious to us - giving us not only a wedding and reception that far exceeded our hopes, but a honeymoon that lept far beyond our dreams.  I (Donna) keep catching myself saying "and now back to real life", while Sandi the optimist keeps refuting, "No, this (joy of being together) is real life."  It's definitely a blessing to be married to an incurable optimist.