Korea (August 2004)

On the road again - journey to Andong (Day 7, 9th August 2004)

The first week I spend in Seoul, the second I wanted to visit some other places in Korea. It was really difficult to decide which places and how many. I did not want travel to much because I also want have some recreation. Finally I decided to visit North East around Seorak Mountains and then of course Gyeongju the famous city of the Korean Kings. I visit Sokcho with Sunny before so I decide for this week to travel to the South East. I wanted stop in Andong, Gyeongju and Hallyeo.

The train starts very early in the morning. The day before Min helped me to buy tickets in the main train station in Seoul. I chosen a local train not the high speed train and this was good. It was not so full. On the way out of Seoul I saw the big satellite cities around Seoul where millions of people live. The train was comfortable. After I saw how to turn around the seats in front of me, I could travel very comfortable, more then later in the saemaeul, the Korean high speed train. It was crowded.

Andong

Andong is a small nice city on the way to Geyongju and is famous for his folk village. But at first I need to look for an accommodation there. This I usually don't like in an alien city. There are dozens of Yeogwans (Korean Hotels or Pensions). But I could not see a price and I don't like to visit a place and then tell the owner that I don't like. So I chose one in my Lonely Planet Travel Guide. It was hotel California, without Internet. More comfortable and nice then the guesthouses in Seoul but also more expensive :-) 40.000 Won (28 €).

At the train station I went to the local tourist information and asked there for a map and some sights. In Korea you get in every city good material for free, a map, and some tips what to see in town. They can also organize a room for the night, very helpful.

Then I need to decide which folk village I want see. Near the city is the Andong Folk Village (a 40 minutes walk). 24km away is the Hahoe Folk Village with a lot of old houses and people who live in this houses. This should be bigger. I decide to walk after the 4 hour train tour that's why I went to the Andong folk village after I took a shower in the hotel.

After a long walk along a big street I saw this big wooden bridge. After crossing the bridge, I arrived at the folk village. There are a lot of traditional houses and a small palace.

Later I went on the top of the hill and there are many traditional restaurants and I was hungry. The restaurants looking good but the menu was only in Korean and I left my travel guide in the hotel, there are many Korean dishes explained and labelled in both languages. And at the hill, there are no plastics of the dishes to see. Hm, what to do? I'm usually not a good eater especially with meat. I prefer Chicken or Vegetables :-) So I decided to buy only a water and took a rest there. I saw a lot of chillies there, so I think that the food there is also very spicy :-)

And after a long, long walking day I rest in my hotel room. The evening was a little bit lonely. Because in this hotel was no lounge for meeting other travellers like in the guesthouses. So I decided to go to an internet cafe for burning my pictures to cd.

I need to say that I ate dinner in a Pizza Hut :-) Because there I know what I get but it was very expensive. If I compare this with the traditional restaurants. In a Korean style restaurant you can eat very good for 5000 Won (3,50 €). I paid 12.000 for a pizza salami (8,40 €) and I think that the traditional Korean food is more healthy then pizza :-)

Travelling to Gyeongju (Day 8, 10th August 2004)

Next morning I started very early to Gyeongju. This city was a very long time the capital of the Korean Silla Kings. It is famous the old hill tombs, temples and around the city are many more places.

In Korea has a old tradition masks dances (T'alch'um) and you find often traditional masks at museums or public places.
The train station was nice and every thing was well explained so it was easy for me to travel. I only need to ask some one which number on my ticket is the wagon and which is the seat. Then I went to the right place. Japan is more complicated, because at the same place are different wagons from different trains and the name of the train is in Japanese alphabet.

I arrived at lunchtime in Gyeongju and this time I knew a place for sleeping from my travel guide. After I left my luggage there I started my city tour.

I walked through the city and visited the big Tumuli Park. Later then I was looking for lunch. This time I had my travel guide with me but the restaurants at the east side of the park looked more for Koreans then for foreigners. I could not see which kind of food they offer. There was no English at the doors. But then I saw Vegetarian Food and I thought that this is good and I went there. The women at the door didn't speak English but escorted me to a room.

In European restaurants all the guests sitting usually in one big room. But in Korea every group of guest has their own small room. After a short time a men came to me and he spoke English very well. I ordered and later he explained me how to eat the meal. I think its name was Bibimbap. One fish was the only meat. I can recommend this also for people who think, that Korean food is to spicy. Bibimbap is rice with many side dishes and you mix everything together like you want also the hot, spicy sauce. Later I found the restaurant in the Lonely Planet Guide, his name was Sukyong Sikdang.

Then I continued my excursions through Gyeongju. I saw some interesting places like a club with the Name don't tell mama . I was wondering what mama should not know...:-)
I think it is a place for young people to meet. Hm, only a theory. There are many of PC-rooms where the kids playing games. And Lotteria is the Korean Mc Donnalds.

I saw also a market and bought my most expensive apples there. Later in Japan I saw more expensive fruits. At the second picture are kim chi in many variations.

For the evening I wanted to see some temples with spot lights. There was at first the old Cheomseongdae observatory and then the nice temple, Anapchi Pond. I tried to make nice night pics with my new camera.

Bulguksa (Day 9, 11th August 2004)

North east of Gyeongju is the Bulguksa temple located. If you need some information about the big area Gyeongju, then ask the KNTO, they will send you a lot of material in many languages. I went with bus to this temple. It was a nice garden and inside was the old temple. It is one of the most famous temples in Korea and you will meet a lot of people there. I met some catholic people from Austria. They did sight seeing with an Korean monk who explained them the park and temple.

Washing hands and also refresh the head with cold water.

Strong temple sentinels. What mean the symbolic things in their hands?

Main temple.

Later then I planned to go to the Seokgulam Grotto on top of the mountain but it was again to hot and so I chose to go by bus.

Later then I met in the Hanjin guesthouse some other travellers and we decided to go together for lunch. I asked if someone know a good restaurant and no body knew. So I suggested my lunch restaurant from yesterday and so I ate twice there.

My walk from Gampo Harbor to the beach (Day 10, 12th August 2004)

After visiting a lot of cultural things I remembered that I'm also for recreation here and so I decided to went to the beach for swimming. If you take the main road number 4 from Gyeongju to the west then you come to the coast and there are some beaches at my map. At first I was not really sure which bus I should use, because I think there are two bus lines in opposed one way rings around the Gyeongju main attractions. But I drove to Gyeongju world and there I was looking at the bus plan. Two Korean students helped me and the told me the bus number and more important, the side of the street :-)

My first plan was very easy, just go by bus to the beach and lay down and do nothing :-) But then I thought: I'm here for sight seeing and so I decided to drive to the end station Gampo Harbor. Then I wanted walk to the beach. On the map it looks not far away. But between them was a mountain and the main road is a long detour. So I decided to go a smoll way up to the mountain. Second reason was that I forgot my had in the hotel and this day the sun was burning an my short hair head :-)

At one point I didn't know where the way continue. It seems the it was a dead end street. I don't like to go back, because there I come from there! But what to do? I rembered that I saw a few hundred meters ago some engineer's on the road with measurement equipment. I met them and asked. They didn't speak English, only a little. But I showed them my map and pointed to the beach place and they understood. They showed me a kind of very small trail. At my first look I didn't recognize this as a trail. But finally I arrived at the beach, I don't remember the name. The beach was not sandy there was a lot of pebbles. After this long and challenging trip I took refreshment in sea and later a nice beer at the beach.

Hanjin Hostel

For Gyeongju I found a nice guesthouse in my Travel Guide. Its name was Hanjin Hostel or Han-Jin-Jang Yeogwan. I expected to meet a lot of other travellers there and nice places for talking. And it was good. The room was nice, nicer then my two rooms in Seoul and cost 30.000 Won (21 €) for a single room with ac. The cheapest dorm was 20.000 Won (14 €). It is very central located and you can walk from the train station, except you wear heavy luggage like me. And also the Korean taxis are not so expensive like here in Germany.

The room was nice and has also a small private bathroom. You can use the kitchen and in the lobby was a big fridge with cold water and beer and a cash box of trust. At my floor was one Internet PC also with a cash box of trust. I think the reason was not to get some money, it was more for the reason that the Internet user don't block the pc to long so that other users can also check their mails. At the walls hang many traditional paintings and the owner sell them. I was thinking to buy one but I hesitate because I didn't know how to transport them and I travel two more weeks before I return. At my last day my friend Min donated me a very nice painting and this is hanging now at my home hall.

I met a lot of people there from USA, England, Swiss, Denmark, Japan and of course also some more Germans :-) We went out for dinner together ...

... and later we talked a lot about travelling, god and the world at the top of the guesthouse, long, long in the night. Especially talking with Kumiko wath funny, because she often used: so, so. so, so... and answered in Japanese. But more later we understand often what she said :-) We become good in guessing :-)

This was a big contrast compared with Andong. The hotel in Andong was more comfortable but I was lonely there but here I met so many friendly people that the evenings where to short. Some of them travelled also alone but there was no opportunity to make the daily excursions together. Which I had more liked then visit all the nice things alone. But may be next time :-)

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