2005-06-07 - 1:19 a.m.

Memorial Day in Corea is June 6. Today was muggy and partly cloudy, as it is getting closer to the monsoon season.

At 12:30, all the church and temple bells in Gwangmyeong began to peal. I asked Gina, and she said that it was in gratitude to all the brave Corean soldiers who fought and died over the centuries. It was a beautiful sound, the deep Buddhist temple bells and slightly higher-pitched Christian church bells.

I went out and hiked until I'd worked up a good sweat, and then went back into the apartment to cool down. Did that 3 times, all told.

On one of my excursions, I came upon a household supplies store that was open (not many were, today). They had those "summer pillows" on sale for $3, and a "door curtain" for $2.50. These are particularly Corean items, and very pleasant to use.

The door curtain looks like a fine lace curtain, similar to what my mother had in the living room circa 1950. It serves as a screen door, to keep the insects out. Mine is pale yellow and has a landscape with cranes woven into it.

A summer pillow is filled with something that looks like plastic soda straws, chopped into short sections, and this filling is enclosed by the sort of cloth you sometimes see young fellows wearing, as a tank top. It's an open-mesh net. I took it home and tried it out after supper. Yes, it's delightfully cool. Doesn't make your neck sweat like a foam-filled pillow.

Happy Trails to you!

~ Sil in Corea

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