Jinju, Yellow cabs and Nongae

Day four of my five-day Chinese New Year break, transported me and the other half of Team Kentville to Jinju, a small town of 342,000, west of Busan. We headed out about 11 am after an unhealthy breakfast at McDonalds. The bus ride was hot and disgusting but we managed to survive the 1.5 hour drive.

Our first stop and highlight of our day trip was Jinju-Seong. Within walking distance of the bus terminal was a fortress that was partially destroyed during the Japanese invasion of 1593. I only know this because I am determined to remember some Korean history. In most cases, after reading something at one of these historical sites, it goes in one ear and out the other. But this time, my determination encouraged me to absorb what was on those metal signs explaining the origins of each relic.

So I’ll skip through all the boring history and get to the good stuff. In 1593, a professional female entertainer (hmmm), by the name of Nongae put Jinju on the map. As veracious as they come, this woman committed suicide by drowning herself and a Japanese commander during a battle at the castle. This woman is apparently very very very revered in Jinju because everywhere you look is a symbol or a picture of Nongae. There’s even a rock named for her called Uiam, a rock of patriotism, where she supposedly threw herself in the Namgang River.

The inscription on the rock read something like:

“The lone rock soars and with it the lady. Could the lady find the place to meet her death were it not for the rock? Could the rock win its righteous name, were it not for the lady? May their scented names be remembered for eons, the lady and the high rock of Namgang river.”

Throughout the castle and its grounds you can see other references to Nongae. The castle is on a hillock (small hill) overlooking the Namgang river. After walking through the castle and its grounds, we crossed the river and walked alongside the river parallel to the castle. The reflection of this castle and the fortress walls on the water was amazing. Then looking past and away from the castle you can see the low rise buildings of Jinju.

Jinju is a small town and this was not lost on us as we walked around. Yet it did have everything that a big city has: Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut, KFC…. We did see a few foreigners though but they looked like they were travelling around too. Judging from the stares of the Koreans, there weren’t that many foreigners in Jinju. I don’t think I would like living there because it seemed too small. I would get bored very quickly.

There weren’t too many people around due to the holiday. The market area was pretty quiet, so quiet that we could stroll along easily without being pushed or shoved. We walked around in circles looking for a bimbimbap restaurant because I had read that bimbimbap was supposed to be really good there. Alas our tiredness and Andrea’s craving for pizza convinced us to give up our search and eat at Mr. Pizza.

Overall it was a good, quick trip. The ride home took longer than expected and the driver was nuts. I am glad to have made it back to Busan in one piece.

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