Korea is 1,200 kilometres long peninsula located in the easternmost part of the Asian continent. The country is split into South and North Korea, currently you can only visit South Korea, but in the minds of most of its citizens, it remains a single nation that cannot be divided. As South Korea is a peninsula, the country offers miles and miles of beautiful coast and stunning beaches. Korea also has a lot of beautiful islands, the most popular and largest one being Jeju Island. We have not heard much about South Korea so we were very excited to see what was in store for us.
We travelled from Sydney to Seoul with Qantas, we decided to stay in Seoul for a week, as it looked like there was lots to do and see there. We stayed in an Airbnb in the Myeong-dong area near the Myeong-dong Cathedral. The Myeong-dong Cathedral is very nice Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is its patron Saint. It was the very first place the Catholic community was formed. There is a Crypt, a Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes and a beautiful statue of Our Lady. It was a great place to stay as it was close to lots of restaurants, shops and public transport.
One thing to keep in mind when staying in Seoul is that the apartments are very small, although our apartment was very nice it was the size of one of our bedrooms in Sydney and that included, living room, Kitchen, dinning room, bathroom and bedroom. Not complaining as it was all part of the experience. The street food in the Myeong-dong shopping area is next level. I do not normally eat street food as I have a very sensitive stomach, but the food prep and cleanliness of the stalls where top notch. Deep fried crumbed prawns and squid, deserts to die for and huge roasted marshmallows. There is also the famous Olive Young store which stands as the foremost health and beauty retailer in South Korea. This shop was always packed with people. They sell creams in this shop for almost anything you can think of.
We went to Deoksugung Palace one of the top 5 palaces in Seoul. Deoksugung is a walled compound of palaces in Seoul that was inhabited by members of Korea’s royal family during the Joseon monarchy until the annexation of Korea by Japan in 1910. There are some great buildings in the Palace and the gardens are beautiful.
We did a tour to Lake Majang Suspension Bridge and the DMZ. The suspension bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the country, 220 meters long and ten meters high. The area is very beautiful, there are lovely picnic areas and trail walks.
On our way to the DMZ we stopped at the Freedom Bridge, It was named Freedom Bridge because 12,733 Korean War prisoners returned home for freedom through this bridge in 1953. It also has symbolic significance of return to freedom. It is a representative heritage of the Korean War.
Martin was very keen to visit the DMZ. It is a very interesting place. A bit if history. On July 27, 1953, the Korean War ended with a cease-fire. The Northern and Southern Limit Lines were created as each side moved their troops back 2km from the Military Demarcation Line. The lines reach 248 km in length . At the present time, an area within 2 km in both the north and south side is designated as the DMZ . Excluding the DMZ, the overall area is considered to be the most heavily militarized region in the world. There is a lookout area called the Dora Observatory that shows you the DMZ and across to North Korea, they provide binoculars so you can see Tongil-chon Freedom Village/Unification Village it is the only place inhabited by South Korean civilians inside the heavily armed Demilitarized Zone that separates the South from North Korea. For decades, a village of 188 people has enjoyed perks that few others in South Korea have, with its men exempted from mandatory military service and its 46 households getting special tax cuts. These are the rewards for carving out a life in what has been called the scariest place on Earth.
Paju DMZ is at a crossroad where the clear water of Imjingang River connects between South and North Korea. It is remembered as a site of the painful and tragic national division of the Korean Peninsula.
Next up was a tour of the Third Invasion Tunnel. Between the 1960s-1980s, North Korea dug tunnels under the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in an attempt to conduct a surprise invasion of South Korea from underground. October 17, 1978 the 3rd tunnel was discovered, The tunnel was located 2 kilometres from the United Nations Forces Forward Base, which supported the Military Armistice Commission it was the closest tunnel to Seoul out of all the North Korean tunnels in history. The tunnel spans over 1635m in length, 2m in width, and 2m in height. It is estimated that approximately 30,000 soldiers could move through the tunnel per hour. Now it is a tourist attraction for South Korea, I think they enjoy the fact that they now make money from it. It is definitely worth a trip down through the tunnel. Amazing excavation as no machinery would have been used for fear of making noise and the tunnel being discovered. You are not allowed to take photos in the Tunnel. Overall a very interesting day.
Some of the other things we did while in Seoul was to visit one of the traditional villages. Bukchon Hanok Village you can simply walk around the village and look at the beautiful homes, people still do live there, while other places became stores, cafes and galleries. The art work is very impressive, we did buy some small pencil drawings from a very talented artist. You can also rent Hanboks, the Korean traditional clothes, and take some pictures which can be fun. , This traditional village offers a glimpse into the city’s rich cultural heritage.
Another very interesting place to visit is the Namsangol Traditional Garden
At the Namsangol Traditional Garden, native plants and grasses were planted, and terrain built to enable the natural flow of water to establish the picturesque landscape of ancient times at Namsan. It was a famous summer vacation spot during Joseon Dynasty. It is known for its five hanoks (traditional Korean houses) from Joseon Dynasty that were located in various parts of the city until the City of Seoul moved and restored them here. Besides the five heritage hanoks, there are café, souvenir shop, beautiful gardens, pavilions, pond, performance arts stage (Gukakdang) and a time capsule plaza. While there a class was in session were children where having a lesson in manners and etiquette.
To get a feel for the size of Seoul we took a trip to the YTN Seoul Tower and commonly known as Namsan Tower or Seoul Tower, is a communication and observation tower located on Namsan Mountain in central Seoul, South Korea. The views are just amazing here from here. Interesting fact, SK is 1.6 times the size of Ireland but SK has a population of just under 52 million Ireland has a population of just over 5 million. Even though there is a lot of people it never felt over crowded or noisy.
Seoul is a fantastic place with lots to see and do. Such a wonderful place to visit.
Our next stop in South Korea was Jeju island. Jeju Island is South Korea’s largest island, covering an area of 1,833.2 km², which is 1.83% of the total area of the country. It has a mild subtropical climate and a massive national park that preserves the island’s most important (and revered) geological formation. Jeju island reminded us of the country side in Ireland with low lying stone walls to segregate and protect crops from the strong winds, The walls in Jeju are called Doldam which represents the cultural heritage of the Jeju people, who pioneered the harsh volcanic island with wisdom and insights. Jeju has beautiful beaches with torquise water, is located in a place where warm ocean currents from the tropical south meet cool currents from the north, resulting in a unique and prolific underwater ecosystem, it was low season when we visited so it was not very busy.
Do not leave Jeju until you visit the Yeomiji Botanical gardens, they are the major player of five official South Korean botanical gardens and arboreta. Not only do they claim to be the best botanical garden in all of Asia but they are the largest in the world. they are just beautiful. They exchange seeds with 180 botanical gardens in 130 countries. They are just beautiful, you could easily spend all day here or 2 days.
The main building is the centre hall, it has an observation tower and five adjoining greenhouses that accommodate 6 indoor gardens: the fruit garden, the flower garden, the aquatic garden, the cactus garden, the jungle garden, the tropical garden. Outside there are a number of gardens The Perennial Garden , The Japanese gardens, The Korean Garden, The Italian Garden, The French Garden and The Hydrangea Walk. It was fantastic, if I lived on Jeju I would visit often.
We took a trip across Saeyeongyo Bridge, This bridge connects Seogwipo Port and Saeseom Island. It was designed to look like a Teu, a traditional flat wooden boat of Jeju Island. It was a beautiful day so the views from the bridge are wonderful. We also stopped at the Cheonjiyeon water falls.
Another very interesting place we visited while on Jeju was Love Land it is described as “a place where love oriented art and eroticism meet” It plays sex education films and has 140 sculptures of humans in various sex positions. As the park is themed around sex, do not visit with children or parents if you get embarrassed by this type of exhibition. These are some of the more tame sculptures. I think the South Koreans are a lot more liberal than most when it comes to sex. Good on them.
We did the Eoseungsaengak Trail is one of the Hallasan hiking trails and can be accessed from the Erimok Visitor Center. The trail is very well maintained and mostly consists of stairs. It is home to a variety of animals and wildflowers. There are a lot of stairs, and it does get your heart rate going but The views from the top are fantastic and make it worth while.
Jeju is famous for its local black-pork, barbecued horse meat, and fresh seafood. We tried the local black-pork and it was delicious. The hot pot and Barbecues are very good in South Korea and very reasonable priced. But no I like horses to much to eat them. So we did not have that cuisine.
We where so happy we had added Jeju to our itinerary as it was so worth the trip. From here we flew to Busan
Busan has the largest seaport in South Korea, the city has abundant seafood and traditional street markets where you can enjoy fresh and delectable dishes. Busan was my least favorite place in South Korea, It is full of tourist and reminded me of the Gold Coast in Australia lots of high-rise buildings it also looked a bit run down.
We stayed very close to Haeundae Beach as it was a few days before the 4th of May and Star wars is very popular in South Korea they where getting ready for the celebrations (May the 4th be with you) On Haeundae Beach they where doing sand sculptures and I thought this one was particularly good.
One of the places we did visit that was impressive was Haedong Yonggungsa Buddhist Temple it is situated on the coast of the north-eastern portion of Busan. This was a rare find along the shore line as most temples in Korea are located in the mountains. It has something for everyone.
A row of zodiac animals greet visitors at the temple entrance
A towering 7-story pagoda, at the base of which sits a car wheel shrine, where people can pray to avoid car accidents.
Stone stairs (of which there are 108, an auspicious number in Buddhism) descend into a small bamboo forest and are lined with stone lanterns and other carvings, including a fat Podae-hwasang (an incarnation of Mireuk-bul, the Future Buddha), whose belly you can rub.
One of the five Buddhas for Academic Achievement
Golden Jijang Bosal statue on the sunrise platform
The main temple area is dominated by the Daeungjeon Main Hall
An oversized golden statue of Podae-hwasang, the Future Buddha
Gwanseeum-bosal, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, to whom the temple is dedicated
Designated spot for taking selfies with the Future Buddha
Although it is impressive it had so many visitors it did not feel as respectful as I thought it should. But it is definitely worth a visit.
Our Final stop in South Korea was Sokcho-si. We hired a car and drove here, we stayed in a very nice Guest house in Goseong it was right beside a beautiful beach. Our main reason for stopping here was to visit Seoraksan National Park it was 30min from our accommodation. We were lucky to get the last of the cherry blossoms.
Seoraksan National Park. Is a UNESCO Biosphere Protection site since 1982. it covers an area of 163.6 square meters. It has breathtaking landscapes, including rocky mountains, lush forests, and crystal-clear streams. It ‘has Korea’s third largest mountain and has a variety of hiking trails, most of which take only a few hours to complete. They are very well sign posted and although some of them are challenging the panoramic views at the top make it so wort the trip.
If trudging up hills on foot isn’t quite your cup of tea, you can head up the mountain and take in some breathtaking views on the Seoraksan cable car. The car goes all the way up to Gwongeumseong Fortess , a ruined stone fort perched at the top of Seoraksan Mountain.
We love getting out and about in nature, doing trail walking, and hiking, and there is no better place to do it than Seoraksan National Park.
We just loved our time in South Korea what an amazing place, so much to do and see and such wonderful people.