South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, occupies the southern half of the Korean peninsula. Korea is known for its spicy cuisine,a beautiful coastline, thriving cities, ancient temples, remarkable natural scenery and most importantly, friendly people. It is a country that has been through a lot of wars and has an exciting history. All seasons in Korea are beautiful; we went in spring when the pink and white cherry blossoms bloom.
Our itinerary would take us in a circle all around Korea. We would visit Gonju, the city which was where the Baekjie kingdom thrived, Jeonju, the place where a famous dish called Bibinbap was invented, Busan, the second largest city in Korea, Gangneung, the city of pine forests and Seoul the capital of Korea.
We landed in Korea on a lovely morning in April, and when I stepped out into the open air, I felt a sudden wind chill. We had an hour to our first destination, Gonju. While sitting in the car, my mom told us about Korean history. The earliest dynasty was the Gojoseon dynasty which means “ancient Joseon”. The Gojoseon territory was then split into 3 kingdoms. One of them was Silla which grew until these kingdoms were unified into the Goryeo dynasty that has a similar name as mine. After that, there was the Joseon dynasty that has a similar name to my dad! You know, Korea would have been called Gorea and then, I would have a country with a name like mine!
Day 1: Baekjie central museum, tomb of King Mureayang, stay Gongju
Soon, we reached our house in Gonju. This house was actually a traditional Korean house called a Hanok. Most of the Hanok was made of wood, but surrounding the Hanok was a wall made of concrete and stone. The floor was warm because in Korea, warm water runs through the floor.
After we had settled into our house we drove to the Baekjie central museum. Bakjie was one of the ancient kingdoms of Korea. Inside, there were lots of gold ornaments, earrings, necklaces and even mirrors without glass. These all belonged to King Mureayang and his wife whose tombs were the best preserved of Baekje kings. We could even see their coffins made out of wood with gold handles.
We soon got out of the museum and went to the tomb of King Mureayang himself. The tomb was high on a hill along with other tombs that were dug under big mounds. I had to wear three layers of clothing: my shirt, my hoodie and my heavy jacket. As we climbed to the top we could see a great view of the Geumgang river. People used to be able to go into the tombs but because of falling stones they were closed. After we reached the top of the hill we took a really steep path downwards.
Once we reached the bottom of the hill, we went to our car and on the way home, stopped at the supermarket to buy food. My parents bought something that they thought would be spicy sausages but it turned out to be pigtail (not something our family considers dinner) so they swore that they would always use google translate when buying food. After dinner we went to bed early to get ready for a big day ahead of us. We were going to Jeonju, and then driving to our stay in Gwangju.
Day 2: Gongsanseong fortress, Mireuksa temple, Jeonju Hanok Village, stay Gwangju
My dad and I took a short walk around the neighborhood in the morning. A cat decided to follow us! After we got back, we jumped into the car and set off to the Gongsanseong fortress. Built to make the most of the geographical features of the area around Geumgang river, Gongsanseong fortress housed the royal palace of Bakjie. Outside was a huge gold statue of king Mureayang.
There were four gates inside the fortress. According to Korean mythology, the black tortoise guards the north, the red phoenix guards the south, the blue dragon guards the east, and the white tiger guards the west. It was a steep walk up and down the hills and we had to be careful. While observing the gates,I read that when the stones had been placed to make the wall, there was no cement to stick the rocks together and they were randomly stacked on each other.We could soon see rain clouds and started to head back to the car.
Back in the car we began our drive to the Mireuksa temple site. At Mirekusa, we tried to avoid the goat poop as we were walking on the grass. There were two Pagodas, the original one and a model which was more recently built. Pagodas are pyramid-like structures made when stones are laid on top of each other so that half of the stone is overlapping the one underneath it. Mirekusa was an important temple for meditation in the Baekjie period.
We stopped next at the Jeonju Hanok village, and took a walk around. We saw lots of people walking around in traditional dresses called Hanboks. Women wore long colored skirts with flower-patterned shirts while men wore long, red and blue robes and hats with chin straps. We bought two figurines of a Korean couple wearing Hanboks and some Choco-pies to eat. It was a quick walk around because everybody was tired and we moved on to Gwanju.
Day 3: Boseong tea plantation, Naganeupseong folk village, Yeosu port, stay Gwangju
Our house in Gwanju was surrounded by mountains, which meant we were living in a valley! For dinner we had a Korean dish called Bibimbap which is a dish of rice, chicken, steamed vegetables and spicy sauce. We found out that our neighbor was a farmer, and, excited at the thought that we could visit his farm in the morning, I quickly went to bed. It was a huge farm with blueberry trees, and at the back, we could see a field of onion.
After that, we drove to the Boseong tea plantation. At the tea plantation, people plucked tea leaves with their hands and filled baskets, which were then carried to factories where they would be dried. It was a very hilly, steep area. There were Easter bunnies at the top so my sister agreed to climb to the top on the condition that she could take photos with them. We went into a biome where there were lots of tropical plants. It was like we had been transported to Singapore!
Our next destination was the Naganeupseong folk village. All the houses had roofs made of straw fastened with bamboo sticks. These types of houses are called thatched houses. There was a water wheel that turned a stick, which in turn was used to grind rice in a basket. There was also a machine where an ox pulled a really heavy grinding stone around in circles to grind grain to make bread. We also watched a traditional Korean song, which had a man drumming and a lady singing. I could see cotton fields growing near a house. Nearby, we could see an exhibit of tools you would use to make clothes out of cotton. There were sticks that were used for ginning which is beating the cotton to remove all the seeds and leaves. There was also a spinning wheel that was used to turn cotton into a spool of thread. All this activity was making us hungry so we gobbled down some Korean seafood pancakes made of scallion (green onion) and shrimp.
After lunch, we went to Yeosu and hopped on a cable car ride. The ride was over Yeosu port. We could see a huge ship docking. We also saw a lot of lighthouses and fishing boats. Apart from that, there were a few dry docks. Dry docks are like tracks that you keep the ship on before releasing it into the water. Under us, we could see lots of cherry blossoms (sakura)! Mixed with the green, there was loads and loads of pinkness.
Day 4: Busan – Gamcheoun cultural village, Oryukdo skywalk, Costal train, stay Ulsan
The next day, we were heading to Busan, one of the biggest cities in Korea. The ride was boring except for two parts, one where I could see some paragliders jumping out of a blimp (inflated plane) and one where we crossed a double decker bridge!
We went first to the Gamcheon cultural village, one of the main shelters during the Korean war. The village had many houses, all in different colors. I think that if you looked at the village from above, it would look like a maze. We obtained a map that showed lots of places around the village where you could put a stamp against specific landmarks on your map. There was an observatory where you could see on one side, the multi-colored village and on the other side, the large forests of cherry blossoms! There was lots of art using wooden fishes – many fish combined to make a huge fish. There was another one where a whale was spraying out water!
After that, we went to the Oryukdo skywalk, a glass-bottomed skywalk overlooking the sea. We had to wear foot pads so that the glass doesn’t get stained by our shoes. I tried to skate with the pads on and was successful. There were loads of seagulls flying above our heads, and a few men fishing. I wanted to watch them until they caught a fish, but we had no time. We saw a lot of cherry blossoms on the way and my mother made us stop and take photos. Orukdo skywalk – glass bridge with a view
Our last activity in Busan was a coastal train ride, after which we went to our AirBnB in Ulsan. We stayed in a special type of house called an Ondol. An Ondol is a house that has a hollow space under the floor. At one end, there is a fireplace, and when you light the fire, the smoke spreads underneath the floor and heats up stones just under the floor. The stones make the floor very warm. Ahhhhhh! After the smoke travels through the whole floor, it comes out of the chimney. Because it was cold, the owner made us a fire out of wood outside. It was so warm! When the fire started burning out, we could see the hot embers just like the one in the Ondol.
Day 5: Ulsan gorge, Banguade stone petroglyphs, Yeongnam Alps
The next day, we decided not to drive around too much, and just visit places near the house. We started at the petroglyph museum. Petroglyphs are rocks with drawings from the prehistoric period on them. Unfortunately, it was closed so we walked to the nearby gorge and walked down the slope to the river. There were a few steppingstones to get to the other side and my dad taught me to make stones bounce on the water. Next, we took a walk through a bamboo forest to get to the Banguade stone petroglyphs. The petroglyphs were on the face of the gorge just across the river from where we were standing. The petroglyphs weren’t visible from where we were standing but if we looked through binoculars, we could make out animals such as foxes, whales, tigers, birds, bears, badgers and much more!
We spent the afternoon at the nearby Yeongnam Alps, the mini-Alps of Korea. Just at the bottom of the range of mountains, there was a whole avenue of cherry blossom trees in full bloom! I tried to persuade my parents not to make me get out of the car but I had to. We walked around the avenue and took lots of photos along the way. I told my dad that walking around here and taking photos would waste my energy and I would only get it back when we started climbing the mountain.
We decided to take the Hong Ryu falls trail. There were lots of steps and dusty paths. Sometimes, my dad and I would be quite ahead of my mum and Rebekah, and we would have to wait for them. We passed lots of large streams on our way up to Hong Ryu falls. Finally, we could see the falls in the distance. To get right up to the falls, we would have to cross a series of rocks with little gaps that had water rushing through. We made it through though! By the time we got down, my sister was tired so we went home. My dad managed to light a fire and he was so proud that he did it by himself that he never stopped talking about it.
Day 6: Bulguksa temple, warship Munsa museum, Sky train across the XX coast, Chogok Yonggul caves, stay Gangneung
We were going to Gangneung the next day. In the morning, I wrote a thank you note to our host for giving us such a lovely time. We drove to the Bulguksa temple, a temple where Buddhists prayed during the eighth to the fifteenth century before it was destroyed by the Japanese. There was a small bell pavilion where a huge bell could be hit by a stick to make it ring. Inside the main temple complex, there were lots of pavilions and halls to worship different gods. The structure of these halls was built by stacking different pieces of wood on each other. It was like a jigsaw puzzle. Sticking out from the roof were animal heads like a rooster or an elephant. Also on the roof were dragons trying to chase humans.
After that, we drove to a warship called the Munsa, that had been used in the Korean war. It had been hollowed to make a museum. It landed in the Jangsa port after its mission. When North Korea attacked South Korea, they had to withdraw and escape to the small part of South Korea that was left: Busan. To reclaim land, the South Koreans sent the Munsan as a distraction to lure the North Korean soldiers away from Seoul and then sent their army to capture Seoul back.
The next stop was at a Sky train at Jukbyeon along the east coast. The Skytrain was a small capsule that runs on the edge of the cliff so you can see the seaside. We could also see huge rocks and seagulls bobbing back and forth in the water. At the end of the track, we had to reverse and switch tracks to go back to the start.
After that, we stopped at a place called Chogok Yonggul caves, which involved a walk on a platform that was embedded into the rocks almost following the cliff. While walking, I could see huge rocks in the water. There was a cave that we might have a close view of, but fallen rocks were blocking our path, so we had to turn back and head to our next stay. Unlike the other places we stayed in, this house was an apartment. I was so happy that the person we had rented the house from had left us a Playstation!
Day 7: Seorak mountains, Yukdong falls, stay Gangneung
The next day, we took a trip to the Seorak mountains. We had to take a huge cable car to the top which we shared with other people. Underneath me, I could see small houses, a river, colored rocks and even snow! There is still some snow on the mountain that has not yet melted away after winter! When we reached the top, we took a trek further up and climbed a few rocks to get a perfect view of the Korean pine forest half-covered in snow. After we came back down, we warmed ourselves with cups of hot chocolate.
Then we picked a trail to climb and set off to our target, Yukdong falls. We climbed all the way to a suspension bridge overlooking the falls. There was water suddenly jetting out of the rock, but how could this happen? It was because the force of the water had made a hole in the rock. The hole was quickly filled resulting in water spraying out. While coming down we stopped near a big patch of snow, and had great fun trying to make a snowman! After coming down we went home and played video games for almost an hour before going to sleep!
Day 8: Seoul – Gyeonbokung palace, Bukchon Hanok village, Blue house
The next day we drove to Seoul, the capital of Korea, the fourth biggest city in the world. After reaching Seoul, we went first to the Gyeonbokung palace, where king Sejong of the Joseon dynasty used to live. There were Ondols in each room, an invention room, a banquet hall surrounded by a lake (it was beautiful), a room for talking to his officials, a room for his kids, a room for his grandmother and a HUGE kitchen. The king must have loved to eat!
After that, we walked to Bukchon Hanok village. There was a very famous street with lots of Hanoks side by side. We could see Seoul tower in the distance.
Next, we went to the Blue house – Cheong Wa Dae, where the president of Korea used to live. There were lots of meeting rooms. The president doesn’t live here anymore as he has another place. The houses were very much like a Hanok and we could see the banquet hall with glass chandeliers. After that, we went home. We went to a dumpling restaurant, where we had gigantic tasty dumplings with beef and prawn inside.
Day 9: Seoul – Namdaemun market, Namsan Seoul Tower, National Korean museum, Star field mall, Gangnam square
The next day, we took the Korean metro to Namdaemun market. The Seoul metro was fast, but it was so quiet! Soon, we arrived at Namdaemun market. We wanted to buy clothes for my baby cousin. There was a street at each gate exiting the train station. At gate 5, there was the children’s clothes street. There were lots of hats and shoes and glasses around the place.
After buying a dress, we walked to one of the most famous landmarks in Seoul: The Namsan Seoul Tower. We went to the bottom. I could see four stone towers where you light a fire signal. Each one of them was overlooking a part of Korea. Guards used to guard these towers and when they could see an enemy, they would light a fire in their tower to warn people about the danger.
Next on our itinerary was the National Korean museum. The first section in the museum was the history of Korea section. There were lots of stones and weapons in the Neolithic period when people learned how to farm. I could see some bones of a very ancient man! In dynasties such as the Goryeo and Joseon, there were lots of jewelry, crowns and even gold thrones. I was surprised that Buddhism was one central religion in Korea during 53 BCE to the 9th century when the kingdom of Silla was at its peak. Only my mum wanted to see the next section of the museum. It was where there were Korean Calligraphy paintings and artwork. The last section had sculptures and pieces of arts from foreign countries such as Greece, Mesopotamia and Rome.
After the museum, we went to Star field mall, one of the largest malls in Asia, which was located at Gangnam. We could see a big statue of the hand sign in the famous Korean song called ‘Gangnam Style’. Inside the mall, there was a library with bookshelves going to the ceiling! My parents did a bit of shopping and I entertained Rebekah by playing a game with her.
Day 10: Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Seoul – National Folk museum, stay Seoul
The next day, we went to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which is an hour’s drive from Seoul. The DMZ is where the border of North and South Korea is. There is 2 kilometers of DMZ at the edge of each country with the border in the center. The whole DMZ was mined because both countries don’t want invaders. Only the military force is allowed to cross the DMZ because they have a road to do so. You have to take a tour bus because the military has to check who you are.
There were 2 bridges, the Dokgae Bridge which was destroyed after war and the Freedom Bridge which was used by the Prisoners of War as they walked back to their respective countries. We saw a train that had been destroyed by bullets, which had carried prisoners on the Freedom Bridge. We took a glass-bottomed cable car to the Civilian control zone which was just in front of the DMZ. We could see warnings that there were mines around. There was also a gallery about the war that showed the lives of different soldiers that fought in the war.
We soon were back on the bus going to the Dora observatory. At the observatory, we could see a river which was the border. There was a North and South Korean flag facing each other at the border. There was a huge area of forest supposedly where the DMZ was. Next, we went to a tunnel that the North Koreans had dug to try to invade Seoul. It was very steep down the artificial tunnel to get to the real tunnel. In the real tunnel, my dad had to keep on ducking so that he did not hit his head. We could see yellow marks that were surrounding holes that dynamite was placed in when people were building the tunnel. If we could go through the whole tunnel, we would end up in North Korea. To stop North Koreans from passing through the tunnel, people added 3 strong doors. The climb back up was steep and we walked slowly to the top. After that, went back to the bus stop, and from then back to Seoul.
After lunch, we went to the National Folk museum. It showed how things were in Korea before the 21st century. We saw Korean Hanji paper, a paper that could be bent or twisted, people used it to make stools, tables, clothes and much more. They dyed their clothes by using powder from plants such as indigo and ginger. We could also see tools used for taking care of crops. There was a load carrier which you would put your loads on and carry them on your back instead of in your hands.
Soon, it was night and we headed for dinner. We went to a Korean barbecue restaurant. I had a lettuce roll with barbecue beef and Gochujang sauce, a spicy sauce. The beef was very tender and juicy with crunchy lettuce. My parents let me have a whole tub of Gochujang sauce for myself.
This trip, I took away a few memories. The experience of hiking outdoors with a Korean breeze blowing on your face is lovely as well as looking and learning about Korean inventions such as Hanji paper, and the water wheel-that-is-also a grinder. I liked learning about Korean history and the different dynasties. I just wish that Korea had been called Gorea. Well, that is all about Korea and I hope to see you in my next blog. Till then, bye!
