Thursday 6th Sept was a very wet day in Seoul - it poured it down nearly all day although remained hot and humid. This further scuppered my plans of sightseeing but did give me an excuse to get a bit more familiar with the local cuisine!
I was lucky enough to meet up with a couple of friends who introduced me to some interesting dishes:
- Extremely spicy chicken with dry noodles - we visited a small restaurant which only served this dish. It was delicious but not for the faint of heart. Better be ready with a large jug of water to extinguish the flames!
- Green tea latte - interesting fusion and not unpleasant (also available in iced form).
- Tok (rick cakes) - kind of squashy/rubbery substance with no taste so ate dipped in sugar.
- Belgium waffles (definitely not Korean!) - somehow managed to eat between lunch and dinner!
- Buchimgae (picture above) - made with various chopped vegetables fused together in a soft pancake. I’d really like to learn how to cook this one, apparently its popular for a rainy day.
The latter of the evening was spent in Insa-dong, an area of art shops and restaurants, which I had visited on my previous visit. By late evening it had stopped raining so on a rather heavy stomach I made my way back to the guest house in Myeong-dong and prepared for my rather epic day to follow…
Check out mykoreankitchen.com for some great authentic recipies 
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On a torrentially wet Wednesday morning I headed for Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju. “It is home to seven National treasures of South Korea, including Dabotap and Seokgatap stone pagodas, Cheongun-gyo (Blue Cloud Bridge), and two gilt-bronze statutes of Buddha. The temple is classified as Historic and Scenic Site No. 1 by the South Korean government. In 1995, Bulguksa was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List together with the Seokguram Grotto [that I visited in the afternoon], which lies four kilometres to the east. The temple is considered as a masterpiece of the golden age of Buddhist art in the Silla kingdom.”
One thing which immediately catches the eye swastika-looking insignia all over the buildings. These of course have nothing to do with the Nazi’s who stole and adapted the symbol from Hindu/Buddhist traditions. Swastika’s can be seen on Dharmic based religious buildings across Korea - the symbol does not hold the same taboo that it does in the west.
The stone pagodas are of particular historical importance (part of one of them resides in the British Museum!!) and reflect a story in the Lotus sutra. The left hand one (in the photo) is depicted on the obverse of the 10 won coin.
I’ve always thought that there is something very beautiful about these sorts of temples in the rain. More photos here.
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After arriving at the guest house and having a fairly substantial lunch, consisting of about every different type of preserved vegetable you can imagine (very spicy), I headed out into the drizzling rain to see what Gyeongju had to offer. Turns out quite a lot…!
Anapji Pond - built in the 14th year of King Munmu’s reign (AD 661~681) in the Silla period (57 BC ~ AD 935), a large pond was dug with three small islands contained within and a number of pavillions. Curiously, despite many investigations, the source of the water which fills the pond has never been found (so I’ve been told).
Cheomseongdae Astronomical Observatory - “one of the oldest surviving observatories in East Asia, and one of the oldest scientific installations on Earth. It dates to the 7th century to the time of kingdom of Silla, which had its capital in Gyeongju.” Not a great deal to see but nevertheless interesting.
Royal Tombs - dotted around Gyeongju are many burial mounds of different sizes (some are huge). They were built to house various rulers and excavations have uncovered hordes of lavish treasures. Constructed of wood, sealed with clay, and covered with mounds of stone and earth, the tombs have preserved their contents well.
All of the above were within walking distance of each other so make for a nice afternoon wander (minus the rain anyway). Something you will find at most of the historic monuments in Korea (and some in China) is a plaque describing how it was destroyed by the Japanese invasion in xxxx year and then restored in xxxx year so in fact most of the buildings are not the originals (but still pretty old).
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After a busy couple of days in Seoul I took a train south to the historic city of Gyeongju on Tuesday. Arriving early afternoon the skies looked particularly ominous and sure enough it began to rain just as I arrived at the guest house which would be my home the night. Whilst the weather wasn’t up to much the guest house was pleasantly surprising - consisting of a cluster of traditional style buildings around a central courtyard Sa Rang Chae is extremely cheap (£10-15 per night) and has a very laid-back atmosphere.
The rooms are also of a traditional style with thin walls, paper backed doors, and blankets to sleep on (not for those with bad backs!). There are also self-catering facilities so that evening I managed to find a supermarket and cooked up a half-decent stir fry which was eaten under the parasol with the heavens pouring forth all around
If you’re on a tight budget and would like to experience something a little different then I would definitely recommend it. Be sure to pick up a map of Gyeongju when you arrive as it’s easy to get lost when venturing off the main roads - there’s a tourist information centre at the train station which has them in English.
Next time… what to see in Gyeongju.
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One of the many interesting places to take a stroll in Seoul is Cheonggyecheon Stream situated right at the heart of the city centre. Until its controversial restoration in 2005 the stream was entombed in concrete with an elevated highway running over the top and had almost dried up. After being uncovered a series of unique bridges, stepping stone crossings, and waterfalls have been created which look spectacular at night.
I headed down there on Monday evening with my Gorillapod to take a few pics and enjoy the warm evening atmosphere. The area was teeming with rather sickly couples (some even wearing matching his & hers outfits) but other than that it was very pleasant.
There are many places of interest to see along the stream including, Deoksugung Palace, Seoul Plaza, the Sejong Center, Insa-dong street, the Changdeokgung Palace, and Changgyeonggung Palace.
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