One night of Soju fun at Busan (only to return for 3 nights a few days later) and we were off in a plane the next day to Jeju Island, about a 45min flight South West of the mainland. Jeju ended up being a rather wet experience for us, although we made the most of it, visiting the largest Lava cave in world, dragon rock (unfortunately insignificant, got nothing on Piha’s Lion Rock), Jeju Loveland (only the P.G images shown above) and filming the above rear sighting of ‘Crazy Stick Man’, among other historical sites filled with cherry blossoms. Jeju is famous for its volcanic properties and the production of oranges and citrus, although I think their pedigree fruits have nothing on a neglected orange tree booming in the average NZ garden, tarty tasting and bursting with juice. (209-211 Godley Road, still miss those orange and tangerine trees we had as kids in Titirangi). Sniff sniff. Jeju was our first real experience with Korean drivers... darting, snaking and abruptly stopping. Taxis were relatively cheap and the best way to get around both Jeju Island and Busan unfortunately, plenty of them too. Almost every 5th car was a taxi in Jeju or Busan.
Back in Busan after the Jeju getaway and Damian was back on the Soju, now let me explain the taste of Soju (Esther speaking) its fowl, like vinegar left to go rancid with a hint of nail polish remover for aroma. Damian had somehow found a way to drink a 330ml bottle (20%) (a bargain at a little over NZ $1.50) the first night at Busan, Go Damian! While we are on the topic of Damian, I will inform you (although he would need no introduction to gloat this), Damian is apparently very handsome to the Koreans! His first instance of hearing this, was from a bus of school boys heading to the Natural History Museum! ‘Hey you, you handsome boy’, and they proceeded to point wave, take photos and giggle. Go Damian! Although flattering, not Damian’s target market. Luckily for Damian (who was starting to question his sexuality) this was followed up by a bunch of girls wanting to talk & take photo’s. Phew!
Busan offered a few typical tourist attractions, aquarium, beach and temples, of which came highly recommended by the hostel owner. The aquarium was rather average and the 4m by 4m seal enclosure (minus view hole for people in the centre) is hardly fair for 3 adult seals. Esther insists the beach is artificial, as the geology in the area does not permit light sand, and there are no shells on the beach to indicate the sand has come from their erosion – yet to research this. Before I continue I would like to explain the above picture with the man running around the beach in little more than his birthday suit. All though it was a beautiful sunny day, the temperature was still very chilly, (note what everyone else in the photo is wearing), so this man & his friend who was equally as liberal with his clothing choice gaily making their way up the beach throwing the Frisbee to one another was surely a sight that caught more than just our attention. The temple on the other hand, great! Set on the coast a painstakingly sticky 2 hour bus ride from the city, it was a really neat place to chill and watch the Koreans do what they do, prey, laugh, take photos of themselves and worship the big gold Buda.
We learned of South Koreas rubbish issues, apparently according to our fortunetelling host at Zen Backpackers, the government decided to start charging for private rubbish disposal because they wanted people to reduce their household waste, so people started filling the public bins. The next move by the government was removal of the public bins... so now people just dump their rubbish anywhere. They also prefer to put the used toilet paper in a bin next to the toilet, instead of flushing, we learned this is because South Korea doesn’t have an adequate sewer drain system, so the toilets get blocked by toilet paper. But unfortunately this makes for the worst overflowing bin type possible. Eeeek.
Right, let’s talk food (probably should’ve added this paragraph before the last). Koreans love the spice, so soups are as hot as they come, cold salads like Kim chi are packed with chilli, and bursting with flavour. Our first taste of Korean BBQ came with an etiquette lesson, we were shown how to sit cross legged in front of a small 30cm high table – an absolute challenge for Damian, so much so that he had the waitress, (a middle aged Korean woman) on her knees slapping the floor and bellowing out in hysterics! You see he was pulling his shorts up like she did her apron. Ahhhh ladies and gentleman, my boyfriend ‘the clown’. Korean BBQ is pork or beef cooked on a gas BBQ in the centre of your table. A selection of condiments & garnishes are provided to accompany your meat pieces, which you wrap in lettuce (or other leafy vegetable) and stuff whole into your mouth - one tasty morsel!
Back on the train heading up country to a smaller city called Gyoung Ju. Our hostel for the first time was average, a little old & run down, & a tad dirty. But it was just a place to lay our weary heads so we were still happy. History, martial arts & acrobatically talented horsemen were the theme of Gyeong Ju’s Millennium park. The men & women shooting bow’s, flipping & performing crazy stunts aboard there valiant steeds, delighted the crowds, particularly Esther who giggled like a school girl throughout the performance. Cheap local beer, more soju, a couple of humorous Germans & a friendly optimistic Irishman rounded the evening off nicely.
Dangyang, further up country & an even smaller town, was a welcome change for a bit of peace & quiet & incredible countryside scenery. Being a smaller town hostels were not available, & hotels were reasonably cheap, so we treated ourselves & upgraded to a humble room with cooking facilities. The thought of good ol spaghetti Bolognese “just like a mama used to make” lured us on a mission to find the required ingredients. Est enjoyed the cooking process almost as much as Damian did eating it, “Ahh that hit the spot”. Just a hint of the norm once in awhile revitalises the soul. The next day dawns inviting us to seize it. Our target! Climb a hill some hundreds of metres up in the stratosphere. Excited by the possibilities we headed off to ask the information centre how & where. We got maps & all the info we needed, we had even managed to hook up a free ride to the base of the mountain. We were about to head out the door, when the lady asked what we were climbing in. Chucks, shorts, t-shirt & a jacket was D’s plan, Est had little more. It seems that there was snow at the summit & it was not a good idea to do climb in our casual attire. Damian in his infinite wisdom was undeterred, Est however perhaps a little wiser & level headed was not so keen. Dang, change of plans, Guin Buddhist temple here we come. Maybe a blessing in disguise as the temple high in the hills was one of our favourites. Although the temple was new, founded around 60 years ago, & rebuilt around forty years ago (as it was burnt down in the Korean war) & thus did not share the same history as other temples we had visited, the vast peaceful beauty was unmatched. We easily spent the best part of the day in the grounds, relaxing in the sun, enjoying the architecture which was designed in harmony with the old school ways, & accepting the hospitality of the ever friendly monks. At around 10am the following morning a sound likened to that of thunder roared past our hotel. Instantly bringing us to our feet, we launched ourselves at the window, two Korean Jet fighters were putting their plans to the test. Weaving in & out of the nearby hills & coming incredibly close to the taller buildings in the city, i.e. our hotel. Quite a sight to see, especially for a couple of kids from little old peaceful New Zealand.
Seoul, the bustling capital of South Korea, is modern, fresh & addictively comfortable. A city where certain couples unashamedly walk hand in hand wearing matching tops, & handbags are gladly held by the loving boyfriend. We settled into our humble abode, before catching up with the super friendly hostel staff & guests for a drink downstairs. This is where my soju world turned upside down. I was handed a small glass of red liquid. “What’s this?” “Red Skittles flavour” was the response. The process is to dissolve skittles of one flavour in a bottle of soju, before chilling in the freezer. The final step is to sit back & enjoy. Definitely a welcome change to the regular “nail polish remover “ flavour. Some well organised subway transfers later & we were catching up with Thomas (aka Jenny, I’ll explain later) a friend of Esther’s who, is living a few hours south east of Seoul. A late dinner of Korean BBQ, was followed by cocktails in a chill little bar. We rounded the evening \ early morning off in a dart’s bar. A fun few games of dart’s had transpired & all was well in Seoul, that was until Pepe. D noticed something in the corner of his eye, something had caught his attention across a rather empty room. A brand spanking new uncracked bottle of Pepe Lopez (Tequila for all you straight edges). There was a moment of silence between D & Thomas, as the same thought was shared, “how do we get some!!!”. A rather unimaginative answer fuelled by liquor was presented. “Whoever loses this game of dart’s has to ask for some”. Simple but effective. D with 2 left hands & double vision was the gracious loser, & so wandered across the room with his eye on the prize. Scoping the situation, for a possible weakness, a target was picked out of 3 possible candidates, the lone female at the table. “Ahh excuse me miss, can we have a some of your Pepe Lopez”... Yup people, that is all I could come up with, definitely not the smoothest cat in town. Before I had a chance to realise how scabby & unimaginative that sounded I was greeted by the lone females rather over protective boyfriend, who turned out to be equally as protective of Pepe. After much deliberation between the 4 of them (Pepe included) it was decided that simply giving us a drink was out of the question, we had to earn it. We had to win a game of darts, loser buys a shot of tequila. D knew where there was 1 shot to be had, more would surely follow, & so began operation “PONYTAIL”. The mission was obvious, win a game get a free shot. The objective, befriend the leader of the pack. A man who wore a ponytail atop his head to keep his fantastically styled fringe from obstructing his view, & seemed very uninterested in sharing his liquor with a few cheeky foreigners. Outclassed, & outmatched Damian & Thomas managed to come out triumphant, Damian somehow throwing the game winning dart. Reluctantly Pepe was cracked, & victory was served in shot glasses. Victory had never tasted so sweet. Unhappy with the result & feeling a little robbed of pride, a second game was thrown on the table. With the taste of our last success still lingering on our taste buds, the confident winners accepted the challenge. You win some, you lose some, & it was our time to experience the latter. Keeping our word we ordered a round from the bar. Our opponents had already ordered a shot of retribution, Thomas & I opted for tequila. By now strangers had become chums & we were finally welcome to join our friends at their table & given Pepe rights. Mission accomplished. Between us we made a decent dent in Pepe (although I think our clothes, floor & table took the brunt) before it was time to start making our way home. Thomas started reciting some memorable Forrest Gump moments (i.e. Jenny) which in turn started Damian with his take on his favourite moments, & so the theme for the rest of the walk had been decided. With the 2 loose units in tow, Est lead us back to the subway & finally home. Good times all round, a special thanks go out to Pepe, Jenny, & our Korean friends who made it all possible...
Baekundae at a cool 836 meters is the tallest peak in Bukhansan, Seoul’s national park. With beautiful granite rock formations & amazing city views it sounded like a perfect way to spend a day. We made our climb with Brit our super swell hostel host,& Bill & Adam – two cool cats hailing from the U.S. Enormous views, many laughs & another great apple moment were some of the highlights. There was only one thing that could possibly make the day perfect - a potato tornado. Anything & everything imaginable is available on a stick in Asia. The potato tornado, is one of those things. Potatoes are sliced & skewered, fried in a batter & then rolled half in a cheese powder, & half in a spice powder. Messy, addictive & soo tasty.
The D.M.Z (Demilitarized Zone) acts as a buffer zone between North & South Korea & was a definite highlight of our Korean trip. Tension was high between the two country’s as a boat had recently been sunk off shore trapping 40+ sailors in what would become their final resting place. The reason for the boat sinking was not known at this stage, & there was speculation that the north may have been to blame. Although a safe destination these days, soldiers & even civilians have been hurt & killed over the boarders violent past, therefore rules are strictly enforced. The joint security area of Panmunjom, is filled with armed soldiers, & guards. This is where north meets south, the two countries buildings face one another & are guarded 24\7. The statuesque south side soldiers are positioned half behind a building, should the north decide to shoot at them they can quickly take cover. Negotiations take place here also. The border is surrounded by a wire fence which has an old, simple but effective security system. Rocks are placed in every metre or so in the fence, when a rock falls (due to tampering) the guards are notified. Later we were taken to one of the 4 known tunnels the north had dug in order to quickly infiltrate the south. Capable of moving 10,000 soldiers every hour, and a massive 70 storeys below ground the “3rd tunnel” was found on October 1978, 52km from Seoul. After informants from the north had alerted the south of this tunnel, pipes were sporadically driven deep into the ground & filled with water. Blasting within a close range of a pipe causes the water to shoot out & locates the whereabouts of the tunnel. The north blamed the south, saying it was their tunnel & they were trying to infiltrate the north. This was proven false as all the blast marks are heading south. The north also tried implying the tunnel was a coal mine and painted coal on the tunnel walls as they retreated, unfortunately for the north there is no coal in the area. The tunnel is now sealed off by 3 solid steel doors & monitored by video. According to informants there are 20+ tunnels in total, the whereabouts of the remaining tunnels are unknown.
