Today we moved to Gurye, a county with a population of about 32000 people, which is surrounded by magnificent valleys and rocky mountains. Famous for its wild flowers, this county is the only cultivator and supplier of some 300 kinds of specialty wild flowers within Korea and abroad. These wild flowers are known for their beauty, with some having medicinal applications. Here at Gurye, our home for 23rd and 24th of May, thus far we have experienced many places such as the national park, a famous Buddha temple etc.
Our day initially started in Gwangyang County with a nice breakfast at the local rotary office, from where we proceeded for Gurye County. After about an hour of travel we arrived at the Agricultural center to meet with Gurye county Vice-Governor. Here we gave a presentation on our rotary district 6920 and exchanged facts and information about both of our city’s growth, agriculture, economy and cultures. Because of its growing market in wild flowers business, the local government here takes special interest in promoting agriculture and encourages more and more locals to participate. There we were given a tour of a greenhouse showcasing a wide variety of wild flowers as well as harvesting tools and techniques from past and present. Since most wild plants have rapid rate of growth and are therefore presently grown in the open, the county also had a research center which focused on the possible ways to reduce the growth - for controlled growth of these plants, with a possible extension to a low volume indoor cultivation. Adjacent to it was a museum called “Jami”, dedicated to dragonflies. The musium's name is derived from the Korean word for dragonfly. Here we learned interesting facts about local dragonfly farms and other general information about the insect. Thereafter, we all proceeded to see another outdoor research and development farm that studies the growth factors of indigenous vegetables and wild flowers with medicinal applications. It was definitely an informative and enriching tour. Because of the uniqueness of this place, it is also a fast growing tourist attraction.
During the tour, we also visited one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen. It was covered with a bed of countless lotuses with colorful fishes swimming underneath. As we walked across the pond on the bridge we took a few pictures.
Then we visited an art gallery showcasing art that uses the “press flower” technique. This special technique involves hand-picking the flowers, leaves and fruits first and then dehydrating them by subjecting them to a series of controlled processes. These two steps alone can take anywhere from a fornight up to a year, depending on the variety of flowers wanted to be used in the art piece. The final step involves arranging them together to create art. This was the first time I had seen such intricate and magnificent work of art. Each and every piece was three dimensional and so vivid that one could easily get lost in the details. There we were given a special tour of the room where artists turn flowers into a timeless art pieces. It was truly amazing!
Our host rotary club then took us to show the local market and then to a shopping plaza with shops of traditional goods such as green tea, handloom, and cloths dyed in yellow-sand. There we took a quick break and tried dandelion tea, which is supposed to improve the blood circulation. It wasn’t much different in taste and we all really enjoyed it.
Then it was time to hit the road to climb up the mountains to visit Korean National Park. Located at the altitude of 1500 meters above the sea level, this park is a major tourist attraction of this region. Once we were at the top, the view was truly breathtaking. We tried to capture the view with our camera so check out the pictures to get an idea of what I mean.
By this time we were ready for the famous “hot spring” bath – a variation of a typical Korean communal shower. It was very relaxing after days of hectic schedule. Rejuvenated, we then had a nice dinner. Lastly, as today is the eve of Buddha birthday, we visited a huge Buddha temple while it was getting ready for tomorrows celebrations. Don’t forget to click on the picture link(s) above to see what we saw there. More on the second day in Gurye County is coming up. So stay tuned...
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