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.
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.
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.
Squid are caught by boats using big lights. At night the horizon can be lit up with all the squid boats.
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.
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!!!!
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.
In the temples rank determines where you stand for ceremonies. These stones show rank.
