Flight over Pasadena

Today, the Flight Club at Caltech organized a BBQ and some free flights in Del Monte Airport, near Pasadena. I went there with some of my friends here and enjoyed a nice day. During my flight, I could see some cool places I will show later. I was a bit disappointed I did not fly to Downtown LA as some people did, but anyway, it was an interesting flight!

Here, Bernardo and Alejandro trying the club's test plane.



I flew with Bernardo and a real pilot in this plane:



That's me ready for takeoff!



We took off just over I-10. Quite a view to start with!



Then, we flew over Huntington Gardens, Pasadena area's major tourist sight:



And over Caltech:



We also saw the Rose Bowl, where Brazil won the football world cup in '94.



And up to the mountains to fly around JPL/NASA:



Going back, the racetrack at Arcadia.

Korea (VII). Gyeongju

Gjeongju used to be the capital of Korea for a long time and it is considered the most historical city in the country. There are 3 World Heritage sites in the city and its surroundings:

1. Bulguksa. A beautiful buddhist temple in the mountains






2. Seokguram Grotto. Not far from Bulguksa, a cave with possibly the best buddhist art in East Asia. The second photo was taken from the internet... not possible to take photos in there.




3. Gjeongju downtown. Full with funerary hills under which the kings of the Shilla dinasty are buried. The shape of these tombs is quite funny...




Some other places are really cool and nice for a stroll...



Do not miss this place if you go to South Korea!!

Korea (VI). The People

Korea (VI). Haeinsa

Haeinsa is a Korean Buddhist temple in the middle of the mountains. The temple itself is quite impressive. Besides, it houses the Tripitaka Koreana, one of the most important Buddhist canons in the world. It is an impressive collection of caved wooden blocks with the buddhist canons and it does not have a single mistake in it! The Tripitaka Koreana is located at the top of the temple and photos are not allowed. Check the article in wikipedia (link above) to see some images. The temple and the Tripitaka Koreana have been declared UNESCO World Heritage.

The setting of the temple is amazing: in the middle of the mountains in a rural area, around one hour and a half from Daegu. You have to hike for around 20 minutes before getting to the temple entrance. This hike in the middle of a forest with some streams is highly enjoyable. In the end, once in the temple, quite a lot of peace... the sound of bells ringing, the wind singing in your ears... peaceful is the word... you can think and relax in a place like that!

Some photos now. Enjoy!

Korea (V). Daegu

After visiting Suwon, I got in a train Southbound to Daegu, a large city quite in the South of the country. The most famous sight there is a traditional herb market. It was a Sunday and Korea is a country in which at least half the people are catholic!! Therefore, it was mostly closed... I could only see a couple of shops open...

There was a street which specialized in rice cakes and it was quite interesting. There were rice cakes with all possible shapes and colors!



Back to the main street, the most outstanding medicines in the herb market where deer antlers and ginseng roots. The first would probably be illegal in any other country. The second were quite creepy... but interesting!