Changwon Sience Center and a Korean War Monument

            The rainy season has now passed and it is officially summer time in Changwon. The weather gets up to around 85°F but with the humidity and lack of clouds it feels like the upper 90’s. Courtney has been in town for the past few days and will leave Korea this weekend. Being able to share this experience with someone else has been a desire since my first weekend in town and I am so lucky to have a girlfriend who is willing and able to come visit me.

            The first full day with Courtney in town was spent at the Changwon Science Center and walking through the various public parks. The Science Center was about a mile from the hotel and although geared towards elementary students it was still interesting. The guides were college students who were fun to talk and enjoyed talking to younger Americans about science, Changwon, and America.

            After the short science center visit we kept walking away from the hotel over a big hill where there was a large waterfall surrounded with bonsai trees and a lily-pad lake. While roaming the park it was hard to miss a large tower nearby that looked like it could be in the next Men in Black. The tower was actually a Korean War Monument representing over 1,100 soldier deaths in the Changwon Province of Gyeongsangnam-do. The monument is 150 ft. tall and represents the Korean commander’s helmet. Walking around the monument was very cool except the large pond in the middle was not in operation yet which is where most of the symbolism was carried out. By this time of day our legs were tired of walking and our shirts couldn’t hold any more sweat, it was time to head home to the hotel.

The monument looks more like a spaceship than a war helmet

Getting closer

The upper inside

The lower inside

The Bonsai waterfall

Dolphin fountains 

Lily-pads galore