대둔산

오늘은 날씨가 좋고 제 건강이 나쁘 그래서 대둔산에 갑니다.
Today the weather is good and my heath is bad, so I am going to Daedoon mountain.

First I needed to get the bus to Jeonju, whereupon the taxi driver (and my travel guide) stated that a bus to the mountain leaves every 40 minutes. At Gunsan bus terminal I took a photo of the ticket machine (don't ask me why):



Right in the middle of the machine is a button for a ticket direct to the moutain. What you don't know is that this bus no longer goes there directly. (So why don't they at least cover the button up?).

When I arrived at Jeonju bus terminal, at 11.30 the woman behind the desk informed me that the next bus is at 2.20pm, leaving me with nearly 3 hours of bordem and the frustration that when I finally get there (journey is 70 minutes) I will not have time to climb it, as originally intended. However, luckily there is a cable car to the top, so I will ride it and walk back down. The mountain is famous for its spectacular views, and its long cable bridge connecting two ridges. Even though I am a vertigo sufferer, I will brave the bridge and take some photographs to prove it. So yes, I have brought my camera with me, and I cannot wait to use it!

I am off to find a cafe to sit in so I can occupy myself for the next hour and a half.

.....

I found a coffee shop just above the bus station. While I drank coffee I studied Korean, after all I had nothing better to do. A little old lady enquired how she can use her mobile to phone a particular number (why did she own one in the first place if she doesn't know how to use it?). After making the phone call, she proceeded with the spanish inquisition that is routine for Koreans when meeting someone knew. In the end I got fed up with her questions, and played my 'Get out of jail-free card': Sorry, I don't understand, I don't speak Korean very well. Instant silence. Except for the complaints about how cold it is (personally, I was quite hot, but she is old after all).

The bus journey took 70 minutes from the bus terminal. I arrived at the foot of the mountain at 3.30pm, and realising that I had no time to climb the mountain on foot, I had no choice but to take the cable car both ways.



This is the view of the cable car cable running up the mountain.

The following are taken from inside the cable car:









What I love about the mountains in Korea (other than the height and the dramatic inclines) is that even at a great height they are covered in lush-green trees. I was a little disappointed that the view was spoiled by the fact that it was cloudy, but in a sense it added sublime mystery to the landscape that stretched out below me.

Upon disembarking the cable car there was a small fore-court with a cafe. Here I took some more photos of the spectacular view:











I turned out of the fore court and walked up some steep steps. At the top there was a Buddhist monk stood next to a portable shrine housing a wooden Buddha, hitting a drum (?), asking for money. He kindly let me take a photo of him, though unfortunately it's a little blurred:



He was wearing the lastest fashion in trainers...no monk is a real monk without them! (At least they were grey!).

To my right I noticed some short trees which looked like the Japanese Bonsai trees...or maybe they were short due to lack of nutrients. Who knows, I really do not know what I am talking about.



Here I climbed more steps and came upon a sign post: left for the bridge and on to the top, and right for the shortest way to the top. To prove it to myself that I could do it, I choose to do the bridge.

This is the bridge from the side I started at:



These photos I took from the middle of the bridge (whist it was swinging from side to side-nice):







And this the photo I took from the other side, the proof that I walked the full length of the bridge:



At the end of the bridge was a small viewing point between some rocks. Here I took a photo of the staircase that leads to the summit of the mountain (click on it to enlarge it and get a better idea of EXACTLY how long and steep the staircase is):



Did I climb it? No. Why? Have you SEEN how steep those steps are? NO THANKYOU. Yes, that red thing that is practically parallel to the rock face IS the staircase. It was disappointing that I did not have the guts to climb to the top. Going up them would have been ok...its going down when I would have had panic attacks. Then again, the amount of arm-flapping I would have done, I could have flown down.

And finally....



Me, at the cafe having made my way back to the cable car.