After work, Dave and I rode our bikes to Hwaseong fortress. We biked through dark back streets, past school kids walking home, and eventually reached the wall of the fortress.
At the first tower, we came upon a little boy with a golden sword. He danced around in the floodlights, slashing and hacking his enemies. When he saw our cameras, he began to pose heroically.
Dave and I began to wonder if he was real. Perhaps he was the spirit of an ancient warrior who once guarded the tower. He started posing with his sword again, when he suddenly disappeared.
We rushed to the spot and discovered a little boy picking himself up from the ground where he had fallen. In Korean, I asked if he was okay. He said yes several times and then slowly limped off into the darkness mumbling to himself and clutching his now broken sword in his hands.
Later, we caught the flash of a golden sword and a woman we guessed to be his mother.
It took us about 3 hours to travel the wall by bicycle. We saw many great sights. In fact, I think the wall is better at night.
At one point, we stumbled upon a giant statue of a king. But we didn't approach because a man and woman were dancing together at its base. Quietly, we cycled away leaving them in peace.
Around 1 am, we stopped at a little fried chicken place that was still open. We bought two boxes of chicken and a large cola. The perfect end to a perfect night.
However, we plan to return... this was simply a scouting mission. More pictures shall follow eventually.
This one's for B.
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