Monday 19 May 2008

2nd week: Following the wall to city's end

Mr.Jeong and I at trails start in Gaegeum area.

The second weekend on the trail started in Gaegeum-dong where Mike and I ended up the week before. I expected to spend a lot of time finding the trail entrance in this large urban area but luckily I was joined by my good friend and Baekdu-daegan expedition translator Mr.Jeong Gyu-hwan, a Busan local who quickly navigated what turned out to be the final section of urban river, finding the trail sandwiched between an elementary school and an apartment tower.

Looking down to Gaegeum from Samgak-san.

The ridge continues north from Gaegeum, with the main residential suburbs of Busan to the east and the Nakdong river to the west. Over the weekend I crossed the peaks of Samgak-san, Aejin-bong, Baekyang-san, Uisang-bong and Oknya-bong following Busan's restored fortress walls for much of the way to Buk-mun (north gate).

Samgak-san (triangle mountain) and its triangle rocks.


Northern view to World cup stadium.


Fellow Nakdong-jeongmaek trekker eyeing the ridge ahead from Baekyang-san.


Cairn on Baekyang-san, behind which a keen entrepeneur is selling ice-creams out of a reinforced chilly bin.


The ridge splitting Buk-gu (left) and Dongrae-gu (right) areas of Busan.


Beginning of Geumjeong-san fortress.

Following attacks from Japan in 1596 and the Chinese 44 years later there was a growing awareness of the need for defence from an attack from the sea. Work began on the Geumjeong mountain fortress in 1703 under the direction of King Sukjong. The wall was largely destroyed during the Japanese occupation (1910-1945) and restoration began in 1972. The walls stretch for about 17km along the ridge.

Nam-Mun. The South Gate.



Cable car up the ridge to the South Gate.


Hyujeong-am temple, near South gate.


Wood carving in Sanshin-gak.

Usually the images depicted in the carving above, Dok-seong (the lonely saint,left) Chil-seong (Seven stars of the Big Dipper, centre) and San-shin (The Mountain-spirit, right) appear on seperate paintings within the shrine.

Watchtower between south and east gates.


East side of the ridge.



Dong-mun, East Gate.


Fortress wall stretching north between Uisang-bong and Ognya-bong peaks.


Climbers below the wall.


A recently renovated section of the Geumjeong fortress.


North Gate and end of ridge walk for the weekend.


The trail to Geumjeong-san, my path next time and the end of the fortress walls.


Geumgang-am temple below the ridge.


Bell at Geumgang-am.


Spring at Geumgang-am.



Sacred water at Geumgang-am temple.




Wide painting of the San-shin at Geumjeong-am.



The roof of the major temple Beomeo-sa, my start point below the ridge next time, which may be this coming weekend May 24th/25th or the following May 3ist.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey mate, that loks like an interesting part of the ridge you did. That Mr Jeong fella's a complete legend!
bawisansaram