I did only 9.4K today because I left my place too late (I didn't want to prep my aggressively aromatic dinner too late in the evening), but I saw more travel companions on today's walk. Taking my meds an hour before going out was a good move, as was just not hurrying. No angina. Fasting beforehand was, as usual, also a big help. Guess I'll be doing a lot of fasting during the upcoming walk, then! As before, I met quite a few travel companions along the way, and I saw sights that I had either missed for years or was beholding for the first time.
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| Found you! I want to transition away from saying "Joro spider" to 무당거미 (mudang geomi, "shaman spider"). |
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| Hey, there, little dude(tte). |
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| tiny, skinny mantis |
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| Uoonus? As in, Kick 'im in his filthy uoonus? This graffito is new to me. |
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| The towers always make an impression. |
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| more construction happening along the Tan Creek than I'd realized |
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| the long-existing bridge and the new, little off-ramp |
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| Tan Creek, walking toward the Han River. This entire area has flooded to over twice my height. |
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| What the hell is this? |
The above pic is frustrating. It looks as if the construction crews are once again building a packed-earth access ramp or road out into the creek. Why? They'd had one of those for years, then they tore it down and let the creek flow freely again. And now, they're building it again? This makes no fucking sense. Maybe they'd forgotten something from the previous build. There must be a reason for this nonsense effort.
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| over the Jersey barriers |
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| flood-height measure and truck |
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The name of this bridge is the Bongeun-gyo (Bongeun Bridge). My buddy Mike might remember there's a nearby Buddhist temple called Bongeun-sa (Bongeun Temple—봉은사/奉恩寺: receive-grace-temple). |
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| Looking downstream toward the Tan/Han confluence. Ahead, see the little bridge under the big bridge? |
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| zooming in to see the little bridge better (still under construction) |
I walked a few hundred more meters up to my usual U-turn spot (Naver still says 5K at that point, for a total of a 10K walk, but Naver also has a recent tendency to round its numbers; before, it used to provide decimal distances, but I don't know if it does that anymore), then turned and began to walk back to my place.
While crossing a small bridge, I noticed the following sign:
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| windblown sign telling you not to let your feet slip in |
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| There were lots of construction-related trucks on the bike path. |
There were also plenty of bikers, as is usually true during the day, especially when the weather is good (fair-weather pussies... although I'm one of them these days). While there are definitely nighttime bikers and walkers, even at insane hours like 2 or 3 a.m., traffic is normally a lot less dense than during the day after 9 or 10 p.m.
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| a south-facing view of the new, little off-ramp |
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On the berm that leads to the footbridge that crosses over to my neighborhood. Here's one of my area's few "gang tags," for lack of a better term. |
There's another pylon with a tag farther down, and that pylon has acquired a few more multicolored squiggles of artistic, coded language. I forgot to take a pic of it, though.
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| almost off the footbridge leading to my neighborhood |
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| I never take these stairs down. |
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| I always take this ramp down, though, because it almost points right at my building. |
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| a nice-looking red rose by the ramp |
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| ...and we finish with a nice-looking yellow rose |
A good walk, all in all. I'll do a bigger walk on Wednesday, and an even bigger walk on Friday (with taped-up feet—not taking any chances), after which I'll rest before going south. Tomorrow's agenda: (1) buy a bus ticket to Busan (departing on Sunday), (2) visit a local law office for a (probably expensive) consult regarding a will ("Whose law applies in my case?"), and (3) get a short-short haircut in preparation for three weeks on the trail, where I'll be growing hairier and hairier and not shaving until I'm either dead or back in Seoul.
Lack or near-lack of food seems to be ket to keeping the angina away. That, and walking slowly and easily. I'll take whatever hills are in the way in small chunks. Can't afford to overtax myself. Wouldn't want to have a blowout in the middle of nowhere.
Glad to hear it went well. As usual, I'm loving the photos. Looking forward to the countryside you encounter on the trail to Andong. I still don't understand the connection between eating and angina. I also can't imagine walking those long distances and fasting at the same time, but whatever it takes to keep it ticking is all that matters.
ReplyDeleteThe AI god says:
DeleteEating large or heavy meals can trigger angina attacks because the increased workload on the heart can cause chest pain when narrowed arteries cannot supply enough oxygen-rich blood. To manage this, it's recommended to eat smaller, frequent meals and follow a heart-healthy diet low in unhealthy fats, salt, and sugar.
How eating affects angina
• Increased heart workload: Large meals can temporarily increase the heart's workload, leading to angina if the heart muscle needs more oxygen than the narrowed coronary arteries can supply.
• Postprandial angina: This specific type of angina occurs after a meal and was historically thought to be due to blood flow being diverted to digestion, though it is now understood to be more related to the coronary arteries.
• Meal composition: A study found that high-carbohydrate meals can trigger angina sooner during exercise compared to a fasted state, while high-fat meals may not have the same effect.
Dietary recommendations to help prevent angina
• Eat smaller, lighter meals: Avoid large, heavy meals that can put extra stress on your heart.
• Follow a heart-healthy diet: Focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins like fish, beans, and lentils.
• Limit unhealthy foods: Reduce your intake of sugar, salt, saturated fats, and processed foods, as these can contribute to high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which are risk factors for heart disease.
• Choose healthier fats: Incorporate healthier fats to help improve cholesterol levels. Oily fish, like salmon, is a good source of heart-healthy fats.
• Reduce alcohol: If you drink alcohol, try to moderate your intake.
When to see a doctor
• If you experience chest pain, it is important to speak with a healthcare provider to get an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.
• If you have been diagnosed with angina, learn your specific triggers and have your medication with you.
• If you haven't been diagnosed and experience chest pain, call 999 (in the UK) or your local emergency number immediately, especially if the pain is accompanied by symptoms like shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness, or pain radiating to your arm, neck, or jaw.
Good info...hope I never need to use it!
DeleteThe "receive grace" bridge? Is that like a holy door in the Catholic Church?
ReplyDeleteFunny how the Sino-Korean 은혜/恩惠/eunhye is the same term in both Christianity and Buddhism. It's almost certainly not exactly the same concept, though. A lot of Korean women have "Eun" (grace) in their names: Eun-hye, Eun-gyeong, Eun-jeong, Eun-ju, etc. And that's the same "eun" in Bongeun-sa and Bongeun-gyo.
DeleteI'd assume that "grace" as "the blessings of the Buddha" is more of a Mahayana concept than a Theravada/Hinayana one because Mahayana makes the Buddha out to be more of a cosmic/deific principle, capable of bestowing blessings from the beyond. Most Theravadins would see the Buddha more as a human teacher—there and gone.
I had to remind myself what a holy door was. At a guess, "The Bridge of Receiving Grace" isn't anywhere near as holy as a holy door.