Autumn in South Korea in 2023
(Travel Story Series @ Hon Too Fang 2023)
Now Part 2 of 2
Gangneung - Wonju - Andong - Hahoe Folk Village
Shown the train station at Wonju, with beautiful spiraling crystal-like vaulting columns. And typical rural scenery from Wonju to Andong.
Andong
Some modern statues at the Andong Main Cultural Street down town.
From Andong city we took the antique colourful tourist bus to the Hahoe Folk Village. The sides of the bus are colourfully painted with classic Korean comic characters.
Hahoe Folk Village
Hahoe Folk Village is a traditional village in Andong founded in the 14th century by the Pungsan Ryu clan in the later part of the Joseon Dynasty. The village is a valuable part of Korean culture because it preserves Joseon period architecture and maintain the old tradition of clan-based villages. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010.
We had home-stay in this village. A 3-room house named “Hwawoljeong” or 风月亭meaning “pavilion of the flower and the moon” where we slept on yo (mat) above the traditional heated timber floor or ondol in Korean.
Two other couples slept in another house.
Have a look at the village and the houses preserving the architectural styles of the Joseon Dynasty. They consist of tiled-roofed residences originally for aristocrats and thatched-roof homes for their servants. Of course now they could be owned by anybody, no more rank differentiated.
Shown the general layout and the tiled-roof buildings, including a Presbyterian church. The building in the 2nd photo is the family clan house for the villagers.
Next the thatched-roof houses, and typical well-wishes couplets on the doors, very much like rural houses in China.
Then the farms: crops found include peaches, cotton, cabbage, rice paddy, etc.
Fruits shown are the familiar persimmon, the unfamiliar pear-like quince and a productive berry shrub. The quince has hard, edible, strongly perfumed flesh.
And as usual and befitting the title of this story, Autumn in South Korea, presenting here more autumn colours. The trees shown are maples, and the yellow ones in the last photo are ginkgo leaves. Maple and ginkgo are the two most common trees famed for their autumn colours.
Lastly the miscellaneous. Inside the village there is a 650-year-old zelkova tree said to be home to the Goddess Samsin who is the goddess of birth in
Korean Shamanism. The carved image looks more like a man though. The pieces of white paper are petitions. The next photo shows our group hiding from the light drizzle under the eaves of the visitor information board, and giant swings by the riverside.
Info on Gyeongju
Gyeongju is a coastal city in the southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province. It has a population of 264,000. Tourism is a leading industry.
Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient Silla Kingdom (57 BC – 935 AD), which ruled about two-thirds of the Korean peninsula at its height between the 7th and 9th centuries. A big number of archaeological sites from this period remain in the city, giving the city the nickname of "the museum without walls”.
Five major historic sites are grouped under the “Gyeongju Historic Areas”, and accorded a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.The historical treasures include those we are visiting:Royal Tumuli Park, Cheomseongdae observatory,
Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple.
Royal Tumuli Park
Tumuli means “mound” in Lain. The royal tombs here are shaped like domes, dated to the 6th and 7th centuries. There are 23 tombs found, but only one is open to the public, the Heavenly Horse Tomb. Shown scenes in the park, part of it a pine forest. The Heavenly Horse Tomb is shown in the 1st photo.
The Heavenly Horse Tomb, dated to the early 6th century, was excavated in 1973. It consists of a wooden coffin placed inside an underground chamber mounded with boulders and earth. The mound is 12.7 m high with a diameter of 50 m. The chamber is 6.5 m by 2.1 m, and 2.1 m in height. There were over 11,500 pieces of artifacts discovered from the tomb.
Shown the coffin and a few gold accessories discovered, and a replica of the painting of an eight-legged heavenly horse after which the tomb is named.
Cheomseongdae
Cheomseongdae ( star-gazing tower) is an astronomical observatory. Built around 647, it is the oldest surviving astronomical observatory in Asia, and possibly even in the world. It stands about 9 m high. The design and construction like the number of bricks used, positioning of the hole in the middle, etc, are said to be tied to astrology. An observation device, now lost, was believed to be placed on the top square.
The tower was also used as a sundial to tell time.
Its original appearance and shape has remained unchanged for over 1300 years. However the structure now tilts slightly to the north-east.
Beside the observatory is a large expense of Pink Wuhly Grass, an ornamental grass originated from the US. It could grow up to a meter high, with pink-to-purple bloom in autumn. Do note that the walking track is overlaid with mats made of paddy-stalks to provide a comfortable and non-soggy walking surface, an excellent way to make use of the stalks.
The Woljeonggyo Bridge
The Woljeonggyo Bridge is a bridge over the Muncheon Stream. The first bridge was constructed in 760. The recent rebuilt based on the original design was completed in 2017 after many years of research to trace the exact form of the ancient bridge. This new 66 m long bridge is the largest timber bridge in Korea. There is a 2-storey pavilion on either end. The 3rd photo shows the remains of the timber used in the original bridge, on display at the small museum in one of the pavilions. The last photo shows a parallel stepping-stone crossing over the shallow stream.
Gyeongju National Museum
The Gyeongju National Museum was first founded in 1945 as the Gyeongju Branch of the National Museum of Korea. It was upgraded to "Gyeongju National Museum" in 1975. The collection is mostly devoted to artifacts of the Silla Kingdom, when Gyeongju was the capital. The collection is huge, with many artifacts stored in the warehouse.
There are 5 permanent exhibition areas.
The iconic exhibits in the Outdoor Exhibition Area include the the 3-storey stone pagoda from the Goseonsa Temple site dated to the 7th century, the Bell of King Seongdeok dated to the 8th century, part of a pagoda with a carved statue of Buddha dated to the 9th century, and rows of headless statues of Buddha, dated to the 7th century.
The exhibits inside the buildings are mostly recovered from the tombs at the nearby Royal Tumuli Park. Shown a golden crown dated to the 5th century, a plate armour dated to the 4th century, a long-neck jar dated to the 5th century and a roof tile with a dragon-mask design.
The gold crown, 27.5 cm in height was the first of its kind discovered in the tomb complex, so the tomb where it was found is named Gold Crown Tomb.
Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple
The Seokguram Grotto is a hermitage and part of the Bulguksa Temple complex in Gyeongju. They are located about 3 km apart, on Mount Toham. They are part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Seokguram Grotto
This modest grotto was completed in 774, nestled in the pine forest of Mount Toham. A pavilion is built over the arched entrance which leads into the main rotunda with a 3.5 m high statue of the historic Buddha as well as other smaller statues of arhats and bodhissattvas. No photography is allowed inside.
Shown the entrance gate before the long up-hill climb, scenes along the way and the pavilion at the grotto entrance.
Bulguksa Temple
The temple's records state that a small temple was built on this site in 528. The present version is dated to the early 1970s. It is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and a masterpiece of the golden age of Buddhist art during the Silla Kingdom. It is home to seven National Treasures, the most for any Korean temple.
From the parking lot we had to walk through a garden with a lake before reaching the main entrance gate. Shown the garden, the gate and statues of two Heavenly Kings inside the gate.
Bulguksa comprises a series of wooden buildings on raised stone terraces. Shown the facade of the buildings fronting the 1st platform. Standing on the same platform are two National Treasures: the Seokgatap Pagoda (3rd photo) and the Dabotap Pagoda (4th photo). The Seokgatap at 10.8 m is a traditional Korean-style stone pagoda with simple lines and minimal detailing. The Dabotap is 10.3 m in height, a highly ornate structure. Its image is reproduced on the South Korean 10 Won coin. Both pagodas are dated to 751.
The two halls on the front row are the main hall, Hall of Great Enlightenment (大雄殿) and the the Hall of Supreme Bliss (极乐殿), both enshrined with statues of different Buddhas. No photography of the interior of the halls is allowed. Shown details of a window and the roof eaves.
Other photos: the bell tower near the exit, a wall panel with gilded images of Buddhas, lanterns with petitions and a golden mouse, some kind of mascot?
Info on Busan
Busan, officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second most populous city, with a population of around 3.5 millions as of 2017. Its port is South Korea's busiest and the sixth-busiest in the world. The surrounding region is South Korea's largest industrial area. Busan was added to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a "City of Film" in 2014.
Gukje Market
Gukje Market is located very near to the BIFF Square where our hotel is. We passed by the sea food market section. See the artistic pattern created by the dried fishes, 3rd photo. We had a special fish lunch here, consisting of 3 different types of fish cooked differently, plus the usual side dishes.
Free coffee too.
Info on Gamcheon Culture Village
The Gamcheon Village in the Saha District was built during the 1920s and 1930s more for the working-class population. During the Korean Civil War in 1950-1953, it became a refugee camp and the population exploded. Essentially it became a slum full of shanty homes. The area remained poor with low living standards.
In 2009 the government stepped in to revive this area. Infrastructure was improved. Artists were hired to paint and install artworks. Houses were repainted with bright colours. The village has been turned into one of the most featured tourist attractions in Busan, with its layered streets, twisted labyrinth-like alleys, and brightly painted houses. And works of street arts for selfies.
Gamcheon Culture Village
Presenting the general overall view, a typical narrow side lane
and a sloping alley with painted images on the steps.
Some interesting selfie spots: markers, tiled steps, cute advertisement, etc.
BIFF Square
The annual Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia, to introduce new films and first-time directors, especially those from Asian countries. The 1st BIFF was held in 1996 in a downtown area now called the BIFF Square. However, since 2011, the BIFF has moved to a new permanent place in the central business district.
The BIFF Square is one of Busan’s top tourist attractions. Tourists come to photo-shoot the iconic archway, find the hand-prints of film celebrities on walkways, enjoy the street food, and shopping too.
The main street is traffic-free. The street food stalls operate only in the evening. During the day the stalls in the middle of the street are nicely “fenced” up as shown in the last photo. Really neat and tidy.
For street food, we particularly like these prawns fried by hand-held gas nozzles. Ate them on consecutive nights.
And the hand prints, a foot-print too. The last two show prints of John Woo 吳宇森 and Tsui Hark 徐克, both famous directors from Hong Kong.
And some bronze statues on the main street. We had ginseng chicken in this niche restaurant, established since 1960, but it was rather tasteless. But then ginseng is such an expensive herb, one couldn’t really expect the chef to put in a lot of it for the moderate price charged for the meal.
Yongdusan Park
Yongdusan Park is a park near the BIFF Square. Yongdu means "dragon's head" and san means "mountain". The place is said to look like the head of a dragon which has symbolically protected Busan.
The defining structure at Yongdusan Park is the 120-m tall Busan Diamond Tower, opened in 1973. The next attraction is the statue of Admiral
Yi Sun-sin, famed for his victories against the invading Japanese in the late 16th century. The last photo shows a relief on the pedestal of the statue.
The park itself does attract some seniors playing a chess game.
Other photo-shoot attractions include a bell tower, statue of a dragon, a pagoda building housing a museum for folk music instruments, and a bust of writer Baeksan An Hee-je who was an independence-activist against the Japanese Occupation between the 1st and 2nd World Wars.
Info on Igidae Park
The Igidae Park is a coastal park in Busan, facing the Sea of Japan. It is a designated National Geological Park with abundant geological heritage sites such as sea caves, marine potholes, coastal cliffs, islets, etc.
Igidae Coastal Walk
There are several hiking trails along the coastline in the Igidae Park. We took one which would end at the Oryukdo Skywalk, over four km long, up and down in a forested land with some steep sections and uneven terrain. The track surface is part dirt/stone and part timber planks.
Shown the rugged coastal landscape. In the last photo, the protruding platform in the middle on the left is the Skywalk we are heading to.
Some shots from and around the Oryukdo Skywalk.
We had to cover up our feet with thick socks (provided free) to protect the glass floor of the Skywalk. The view through the glass floor is a bit hazy.
The tour is ended.
The tour is ended but the story continues with some info and comments.
The tour operator is YonGo Travel (www.yongo.biz). There are 17 of us plus the tour leader and may be two out of three are over 65 years old. Malaysians, Singaporeans and Australians. The tour leader is CF who speaks fluent Korean. He is shown enjoying the sun and the breeze. Thank you sir for leading us in this wonderful Korean experience. Shown also a group photo with 17 happy faces. Cheers to all the travel mates! Thank you for the company.
During the trip friends at home are asking: how is the going? Well, South Korea is a developed country with great modern transport connectivity. We essentially used public transport to go around. The Korean cities are so clean and orderly. A safe place too. We feel safe in the deserted alleys in the cities as well as in the crowded local markets. A great place for tourists.
And how is the food? Well, on this tour food was on our own meaning we chose what to eat, not prearranged by the tour operator. We (my wife and I) are more interested in sight seeing, and not food tasting. So we didn’t really venture to try anything special or unusual. We took what was available, be it noodles, rice, anything!
In a local restaurant or even a stall in the market, when you order a meal, it comes with several side dishes. Kimchi is usually one of them. We love kimchi and would ask for free refill. So we would say we enjoyed most of the meals, even though the main dish might not be what we have expected. Shown a fried fish main dish with the side dishes.
We did have some meals together as a group, like the Korean BBQ and the Korean fried chicken. Both great tasty selection. The BBQ came with thick juicy cuts of beef and pork while the fried chicken came in 3 different favours.
The story is ended.
This story is essentially an expanded version of the daily reports made during the tour, with more photos added.
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