Day 5

Today we visited Posco, one of the world's largest steel manufacturers. Their motto is: resources limited, creativity unlimited. Posco's site went through a major transformation. Initially, most of the site water with islands scattered around the premises. The water had to be filled with land to make the site buildable. We visited the Hot Strip Mall. There, the metal is smoothed into sheets and then rolled for future use. I was shocked that I was still able to feel the heat from the steel considering how far away we were. After Posco, we went on the Gyeongju tour and visited the Seokguram Grotto and the Bulguksa Temple. We were high up into the mountains and were able to see the birds eye views you see when flying on the airplane. The older people were hiking the mountain better than I was! As we were making our way to the various sites, we passed by elementary school children who were excited about seeing people that looked like us. They waved, told us hello in English, asked us how we were doing, touched us, and wanted to take pictures. When we replied in Korean, they were quite impressed. We had the basics! We got a chance to see Buddha, but were not able to take pictures. I felt as though I was on some pilgrimmage seeking enlightenment. I was able to visit a cultural and religious icon that I've only read about. The experience was extremely fulfilling. You have to know where you've come from to know where you're going, right?