>April in South Korea

South Korea--four different lectures to eight different audiences, and one interview in four days in four different cities--Pohang, Daegu, Busan, and Seoul. Bus, taxi, and bullet trains.

Kim chee--vegetables, usually cabbage that is pickled and fermented with hot pepper

Hotel rooms conform to my my image of Japan--Rooms with clean lines and wood, step up into rooms with heated floors. Electronic toilets with more buttons than I care to explore.

Much bowing. Bowing to each other and train ticket takers bowing to the passengers each time they pass from one train car to the next.

Construction workers doing exercises together before the start of work in Seoul

Gift giving, photo taking and larger banners announcing my lectures that amuse my daughter

Kim chee

Terraced fields with temporary green houses, growing rice seedling. Fruit trees.

Mountains and more mountains with forests all planted since the Korean War when the country was deforested--looking like the set for MASH

Japanese restaurants with much raw fish and kim chee

Asian Bible Belt--Presbyterian rather than Baptist with a church on every corner and in every village

Local markets where seaweed and dried fish dominates.

Acorn cakes, popped corn, and kim chee

Evidence of Chinese cultural influences--special foods for celebrations related to Chinese New Year and New Moon Festival also associated with honoring ancestors

Daegu surrounded by mountain

The major port city of Busan

Traditional pottery making and Yangdong Village, one of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites

Discussions everywhere on the "Four rivers project" which the government (parliament buildings in Seoul below) is pushing--making Korea's four rivers into one commonly connected channel--environmental disaster