Too much has been going on – it feels like it’s been too long since I’ve posted anything – where to even start? This is why I often wonder about the usefulness, or desirability, of maintaining a blog at all. When I feel too far behind it seems like there is some unspoken pressure, an obligation, to get on it. Kellyshepherd.com is still here, obviously, so I haven’t done away with it yet – but sometimes I wonder. UPDATES. No photos this time, there have been simply too many taken recently.
1. I recently finished traveling throughout southern South Korea, tracing a big triangle on the map of the country: Seoul to Busan to Gwangju and back to Seoul. Excellent to visit old friends, eat good food, see some familiar sights and explore some new places too. Korea! So much ancient and sometimes painful history; so much profound and fragile beauty; so much to see and do. Bus travel: see the countryside, the mountains, the rice fields. The rural areas, even the rare wilderness areas. It’s truly a shame, I think, that so many people never see or appreciate the beauty of Korea’s landscape! It’s a place of endless mysteries, I think, a place of things hidden, things waiting to be discovered. But you need to go out and look! You have to get on a train or a boat, or hike up a hillside, or something. So many people, buying in to the illusion that they’ve somehow “made it” if they live in Seoul, will simply never leave the city. Never mind: many people are far more concerned with what’s happening to their favorite TV characters than with what’s actually going on outside their apartment windows! But maybe it’s for the best. It’s just like birdwatching here – people often say “What are you talking about? There are no birds in Korea!” and meanwhile there is a small mountain only ten minute’s walk away, teeming with woodpeckers, orioles, parrotbills, turtle doves, bulbuls, pheasants, and so on. Maybe it’s good that so many people are ignorant (or in denial) of these facts. Maybe it means that there will be that many less people on the trails (or on the buses, or in the obscure cities, or in the cheap motels), making noise and ruining the view.
2. Books. I’ve got nothing to read! No, let me rephrase that. I’ve got so many books to read but which one do I choose? I just finished the huge Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Hancock. Not sure what to say about this one. It’s huge? An epic quest for explanations to many of the mysteries of the ancient world., for example the pyramids and other monolithic structures in Egypt, South America, and Mexico. Probably considered pseudoscience by some readers, and gospel truth by others. Interesting nonetheless. Freakonomics was a big disappointment, though, another one of those so-called “subversive” books that promises so much, tells you it will blow your mind or shift your paradigm, etc. but then simply… doesn’t. Korean Temple Motifs, on the other hand, was an excellent read. Very informative and interesting. Nice photography. I wish I would’ve found this one years ago! An in-depth look at the symbolism behind the art and architecture of Korean Buddhist temples.
3. I almost forgot – speaking of birds -Bulam the Pigeon (the Bathtub Buzzard) was released into a big pigeon-friendly park quite a few weeks ago. He left his cardboard box, blinked, and immediately started pecking at ants on the ground. I have been back a few times since then to see if I could catch a glimpse of him, but haven’t seen him. Here’s hoping that he found food, shelter, and friends - and that as I type this he’s perching happily under the subway tracks or on a highrise window-ledge.
