Birthday and the Daegu Stamp Trail

On Saturday, we spent the afternoon celebrating our friend's birthday. Sian is a friend we met at orientation, and she's from South Africa. We met by the river that runs through all of Daegu for a South-African style barbecue called a braai. It was really great to be able to enjoy the nice weather and hang out with friends for a good long time. Along the river are these stone pathways that let you walk from one side to the other, so some of us put our feet in the river or walked in it, which was really refreshing. Afterward, we tried to go to a Samsung Lions baseball game (their season just started recently!), but, unfortunately, the tickets were sold out, so Gianni and I just went home. We both passed out on the bus because we were so tired.


As you all probably know from previous posts, I've been working on completing the Daegu Stamp Trail. It's a good way to see different parts of the city, and the Daegu Tourism Organization does it as a way to generate tourism and suggest the better places to see. The Korean version has 30 locations, and the English version has only 10. I figure I'll finish the English version and then see what I can do in the Korean one. I'm already well on my way to finishing the English version because I only have three more places left to see.

This blog post talks about the Palgongsan area locations that we went to a month or so ago now, incase you missed it: http://waygookswandering.blogspot.kr/2014/04/black-day-and-weekend-adventures.html. Palgongsan is a very popular mountain to visit North of Daegu. There's a lot of nice hiking trails as well as a few temples.

Last weekend, Gianni and I decided to finish the downtown section of the book. We had already visited E-World, our local amusement park, with Lily, so that part was finished. The two other locations were the Herb Medicine Museum and Market and the Missionary Museums on Cheonggna Hill. We didn't really know what to expect from either, so it was a bit of an exploration for us. Turns out, they were both really easy to get to and close to the main section of downtown. Also, there were a few other interesting sites in the area, including one of the stops in the downtown section of the Korean book, so we saw a lot of things in one afternoon.

We started off at the Herb Medicine Museum. I think mom would have been really interested in all of it since it talks all about alternative medicines as well as acupuncture. Some of you might not know, but my mom has had really good results from acupuncture she's received, and, as a nurse, she's always really interested in other forms of medicine and ways to help people. Although some of the herbal medicines seemed a little hokey, some do have a basis in science. The displays in the museum talked about what herbs were good for what ailments, but they also mentioned that even meats can be considered medicinal. I think that's more like saying, "healthy eating is good for your body," but if they want to call it herb medicine they can. We were a little disappointed by the fact that the museum had very little English. There were some videos with English options as well as some interactive displays, but the main information sections were all in Korean. There may have been an English audio tour available, but the man at the front desk didn't offer us the option, so I'm not totally sure. Also, the museum has some really cool experience programs for less than $5 each. You can make herb soap, herb/incense pouches, take an herb foot bath, etc. If we go back, I'm definitely trying one, but we didn't get a chance this time. Outside
the museum, there was various herbs growing all over the place, and there was a fountain with giant, stone tea pots spouting water. The water bubbled up, and the floor was made of stones, so you could put your feet in and walk around for a foot massage. The water was a little cold, but refreshing, especially since the weather is Daegu is getting more and more unbearable! The actual herb market is the street right outside the museum. Although it looks more modern now--with your typical store fronts selling all kinds of herbs--the market has been in the same location for hundreds of years and is really important to the history of Korea.

Right outside the museum is the Jeil Church. Founded in 1898, it was the first Protestant church in the province. It's a really beautiful, gothic-style building all covered in ivy. As I said, we had never been to this area, so it was strange for us to see a Western-style church right in the heart of Daegu. There are churches, and Christianity is one of the major religions, but it is still something we haven't experienced much of. Turns out, that area is kind of central to the foundation of Christianity in Daegu. There are two other large, cathedrals in the area, both of which we explored a bit as well. The last one we looked at is located right next to the missionary museums, which was our last stop of the day. In one day, we were able to learn about the traditional history of Korea in terms of medicines and then also about the history of Daegu's interaction with Western people and religion. It was really eye-opening. The Christian people in Daegu are not shy at all. They don't hesitate to talk openly about their religion, so it was really interesting to get to see a bit of where that fervor came from or how it all started.

residence of Poet Lee Sang-Hwa

Lee Sang-Hwa and Seo Sang-Don

Anyway, I got a little off-topic there, and I'll come back to it later. Our second stop, after the museum, was the homes of Lee Sang-Hwa and Seo Sang-Don. This was a stop in the Korean Stamp Book. Both were traditional Korean-style homes. Lee Sang-Hwa was one of Korea's greatest modern poets, writing many poems about the Japanese Occupation. He lived in this home from 1939 to 1943. Seo Sang-Don was a national hero, in a way. He led the National Debt Repayment program, which began in 1907. The goal of the program was to repay the country's debt to Japan and reclaim independence. They were both great and important men in the history of Korea. It is still strange to me that the modern city is just built around these

Residence of Patriot, Seo Sang-Don

important historical locations. There is no space dedicated to them and the area around them and hardly any signage or import. You can walk around Daegu and simply stumble on these places of huge significance to the city. It's the same way in Seoul where the skyscrapers are just built around the old palaces. Just another reminder of Korea's rapid modernization I suppose, but interesting to see none-the-less. I like to think that it's different in the US. That these monuments are given space and made to look impressive in the modern landscape, or at least are set apart from the regular city a bit. I think this is true in some cases, but I think about Boston and all the important landmarks there. They are just part of the city, just like these homes were.

Gyesan Church

steps up Cheoggna Hill

Our next stop was close by. On the way, we walked past Gyesan Church, the first Catholic Church in Daegu, built in 1902. We walked up a 90-step, stone staircase dedicated to the independence movement in Korea during the time of the Japanese Occupation. It had pictures all along it of recreated protests and rebellions against the Japanese. This, I believe, is Cheonggna

missionary house

Hill. At the top of the hill was the last church we visited in the area. First Presbyterian Church was built in 1933 by the missionaries to Daegu. Before 1933, it was a single story church, but then it was rebuilt in brick in 1933. Next to the church was the missionary museums and houses. There were three houses built on the hill, and each museum housed a different museum. I

First Presbyterian Church

believe there was one on medical work and another on missionary history in the area, but the museums were actually closed (probably because it was a Sunday). Still, the old houses of the missionaries were really cool to look at. They were all Western-style homes that looked like they could have come from any town or city back home. Again, it was really interesting to see, especially after just having seen the traditional Korean homes. It must have been so strange for the Koreans to see these Western homes compared to the homes they were used to back about a hundred years ago. I know it was strange for us to see today given what we know about the traditional lifestyle of Koreans. It's like we found a place in Korea that we can go and almost feel like we're at home...in a way.

We started off the day learning about traditional Korean culture--herbal medicine and the traditional Korea home--and we ended it learning about Western influences and religion coming to Daegu. It was very enlightening and taught us about a part of Daegu we hadn't experienced before.


I wrote about the Daegu Stamp Trail--among other things--for the Touch Daegu blog. As most of you know, I am now a blogger for them. I often repost the articles I write on my facebook, so make sure to read those and like them. They are written in a more informative and formal way, obviously, but I do hope you like both of the writing styles you're now getting from me.