Gyeongju/Busan

My latest adventure was a two-part trip to Gyeongju (the historical capital of South Korea) as well as a really nice seaside side city called Busan.  I've really got too many stories from this trip to write about and am really behind on this thing, so I'm just going to choose my favorite story and then show some pictures from the rest of the trip.  Gyeongju consisted of a lot of tombs, temples, waterways, and ancient structures.  Busan had a really fun night life with beaches, towers, and tons of seafood (mostly inedible).

On my third day, I got up early after watching an exciting Netherlands vs. Brazil game with two Brits. and a French guy I met in my hostel, and set off to do my last few sites in Gyeongju.  Then I got on the bus to Busan and saw little of the city.  It was getting a bit late and I was feeing pretty worn out, but there was one more  attraction on my list of things to do.  Unfortunately, the site was a very obscure little temple located way up in the mountains of Busan.  It is a temple off the tourist map since there are no bus stops nearby and there is a bit of a hike up the mountains to get to it.  I decided that I would probably kick myself if I didn't go for it, so I grabbed my bag and began my journey to Seokbulsa (Stone Buddha Temple).  They weren't kidding when they meant it was hard to get to...I continually got lost all the way up.  When I thought I might be getting close, an oldish man called to me from nearby.  I walked over to him while trying to understand what he was saying.  Eventually I figured out that he was asking where I was going (I guess I didn't really fit in around there).  In my best Korean (probably about as foreign sounding as if I had just spoken English to him), I told him that I was looking for Seokbulsa and asked if I was going the right way.  He nodded, but said that I could continue on the roundabout little roadway I was on, or I could go straight up.  He pointed to the woods in front of him.  Seemed like it could be interesting, so I nodded and took a step towards the woods.  He stood up and told me he would lead me there.  So, I set off with my new hiking buddy.  He was rather chatty, but most of the conversation was lost due to the to language barrier.  Most of the time, I just sort of grunted or said "ahh" and he would laugh.  I was able to comprehend that his son either works for Mitsubishi in Australia, or some boat building company on an island off South Korea...can't really distinguish which.  He also mentioned a few times that he really likes Makgeolli, a flavorful rice wine unique to Korea.  It was swelteringly hot and extremely humid, which actually worked out to my benefit since I knew how to comment on the weather.  Well, ok, I actually only knew how to say one thing..."It's hot out (deo-wo-yo)".  Eventually we came to the most beautiful little network of temples I've seen in all my travels though Korea.  They were all built into some spectacular cliffs near the peak of the mountain.  The Buddhas were all raised reliefs carved into cliffs, caves, and outcroppings.   Nobody was around except for one overseer plus the two of us, so it was beautifully peaceful as I explored the place.

My hiking buddy told me that he would show me a secret way back to the train station that would reduce my walking time in half.  So, I set off again with him back down the opposite side of the mountain.  When we reached the city, we passed by a dingy little market area.  He invited me to sit down with him and share a bottle of Makgeolli and some dried squid (basically squid jerky) with him.  While sipping our Makgeolli from little bowls, I could see that he was thinking really had about something.  After a minute or so, he turned to me and said "My English name is Peter".  I was like "No way!  I'm Peter!".  We laughed and finished up the bottle.

Pics

Some of the royal tombs from the park in Gyeongju.  I felt like I was walking around Teletubby land.

(Too lazy to write this up...thanks Wikipedia)

Cheomseongdae is an astronomical observatory in Gyeongju, South Korea. Cheomseongdae means star-gazing tower in Korean. Cheomseongdae is the oldest surviving observatory in East Asia, and one of the oldest scientific installations on Earth.

Some cool frogs I saw on a hike up to Seokguram Seokgul.

An ancient ice house

Statues at Beomeosa temple in Busan

Haeundae Beach (Busan) in the evening.

Indoor section of Jagalchi Fish Market in Busan.  This place was crazy.  The ocean is just outside and all the fish come strait off the boats and right into all these tanks.  Then you just pick what you want and they pull it out of the tank and slaughter it/pack it up right there in front of you.  You can buy stuff here that I didn't even know existed.

(You may want to skip this one.)  If you ever want some really fresh eel, here is the place to go.  You can see the eels in the tank on the left of the picture.  The woman on the right takes an eel from the tank and drives a prong (blue thing on the back of the cutting board) through its head to pin in to the cutting board.  From there, she slices a fold of skin from around the eel's neck and while still wrestling with it, she digs her fingers under the skin and strips it right off the whole eels.  She then tosses the skinless eel in that bowl where the already skinned bloody eels are still wriggling around and fighting to get out.  Yum Yum.  Dinna time!

View of Busan harbor from Busan Tower.

-OAO