South Korea

South Korea

2005

We enjoyed a fantastic 3 weeks in South Korea moving from Seoul and the DMZ to Sokcho on the coast just after a massive hurricane. We stayed in a palace in Sokcho and a love hotel in Daegu where we were awoken from our kip by a persistent banging on the door. When I answered I was met by a hooker in a nurses outfit apologising for her mistake. Gyeung-ju is a living museum with burial grounds and temples everywhere. Busan boasts a massive fish market which was a real sight for sore eyes. I ate an eel dish here that was still wriggling as it was put on the B-B-Q. Finally we went to Jeju, an island to the south of the mainland where we managed some sunshine and downtime. I also hired a car here which proved to be some of the most challenging driving I have ever done. 

Changing of the guard in Seoul was a colourful affair and plenty of Fu Manchu moustaches. Seoul is a typical capital city, although we bagged a great hotel for about £40 which had a massive TV, free water and was centrally located. 

South Korea 1

The lump of concrete is the border between North and South Korea and I am standing in North Korea as I take the photo. A trip to the DMZ is a must for all tourists and well worth the day out. The North Korean propaganda village is a sight to see with its massive flag. Disappointingly the loudspeakers have been switched off recently.

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You are never really alone in Korea and every single tourist-worthy attraction seems to have 20 coach loads of school kids visiting it, all of whom want to try out their English on you. 

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Squid are caught by boats using big lights. At night the horizon can be lit up with all the squid boats. 

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The temple at Haeinsa contains the full words of Buddha carved into wooden blocks. There are at least 80,000 of these blocks contained in 4 temples. Today, you can buy them on 1 CD. 

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Jonna is displaying her culinary skills with a mid-table bar-B-Q. You cook your own food and get an asbestos glove to retrieve it from the grill. Health & Safety!!!!

South Korea 6

The whole reason we ended up in Korea in the first place was a National Geographic calendar in a friends' loo which talked about the world's largest bell. Well!, here it is in Gyeung-ju. 

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In the temples rank determines where you stand for ceremonies. These stones show rank.

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© Paul Hyland 2012