South Korea – Page 6 – From Pyrenees to Pennines

Gamcheondong – culture village

You’ve seen post after post showing urban Korea to be home to the high-rise. Often it is. But not always. Gamcheondong in Busan for instance. At the time of the Korean war the little houses clinging to steep hillsides provided safety and refuge. The community was closely-knit over the years, but not prosperous.

In the early years of this century, the area started to become something of an arty community. Murals appeared, galleries, quirky touches of all kinds. Now the narrow streets and winding alleyways are a tourist destination. Today, we joined those tourists.

wp 20160924 11 58 07 pro li

wp 20160924 12 05 03 pro li

wp 20160924 12 13 30 pro li

wp 20160924 12 14 33 pro li 2

In which we are VIPs.

Emily came to Korea to teach. She’s at an Elementary school – children up to thirteen. And today, the Principal invited us to look round.

What a day. We were welcomed like royalty with elegantly presented ginseng tea and dainty fruit slices. We looked round the spacious, clean and orderly building where 360 children study.

We saw the classrooms, the well-stocked library, the science labs, the music and art area, the counselling room, the resources area, the sanatorium, the English room, the school broadcasting area, the after-school club rooms, the spacious kindergarten, the staff work rooms … and then the dining room, where we had school dinner, and jolly good it was.

After, we saw the playground, the garden and the sports pitches. We were beyond impressed.

The children were excited to see us, and there were welcome notices greeting us everywhere. My pictures of course are child-free, which is a shame. We had a truly special experience. Koreans clearly value education, and are proud to show off their achievements.

wp 20160923 13 49 35 pro li

wp 20160923 12 55 14 pro li

wp 20160923 12 55 39 pro li

Hundreds of fish, thousands of fish, millions and billions and trillions of fish ……

……. are sold almost every day at Korea’s largest fish market at Jagalchi, Busan. Fish so fresh it’s still kept alive in tanks; cured fish; dried fish; seaweeds both fresh and dried; sea foods of every kind.

Two market halls, one with fish restaurants above – they’ll cook the fish you chose in the market below, or serve it raw. Several streets full of vendors. Can there be any fish left in the sea?

wp 20160922 12 07 31 pro li

wp 20160922 12 06 21 pro li

wp 20160922 12 01 42 pro li

wp 20160922 11 56 36 pro li

A high-ride, a hard yomp, and a moment of peace.

We found ourselves in a cable car, rising slowly and stately, above the city to the forested mountain above Busan.

Once there, we explored the maze of forest trails. For the first time, my hard-won hangul came in handy. Only a few signposts were translated.

I wanted to visit the Buddhist hermitage of Seokbul-sa

If only I’d known how hard it would be, scrambling down stony forest hillside, then up again. Then down again. Then an endless hairpin-bended track.

It was worth it. Commanding views of the distant mountains; intimate, beautifully painted prayer rooms, and best of all, figures from Buddhist legend carved directly into the rock looming above the hermitage.

I was glad to have made the effort. But it was a very tough walk indeed.

The Igidae trail

Wow! Wow! What a trail to find within the boundaries of Busan, a city of some four million people. The crashing waves brought on by the aftershock of the distant typhoon, the bright sunshine, the blue skies and those striking views made this a very special walk.

wp 20160920 11 45 02 pro li

wp 20160920 11 57 11 pro

wp 20160920 12 26 36 pro li

wp 20160920 14 49 46 pro li

Spa Land

Emily was quite clear about it. If we want to do as the Koreans do, we have to spend time at a spa.

Spa Land, she said. That’s biggest and best.

Once we’d arrived, we had to split for the bath house experience. Naked, you see. I got used to this in seconds. Spring water with various health-giving properties, and hot, cool, cold, very hot, bubbling, still, shallow, deep, indoor, outdoor: I relished the lot. Saunas – 60 degrees, 80 degrees. Then scrubbing and pampering with lotions and potions.

Dressed in soft loose shorts and top as issued, I went exploring, though I never found Malcolm. There were rooms, beautifully appointed, with hot steam, warm steam, dry heat, dry cold, changing lights, atmospheric relaxing sounds, as well as various cool relaxing areas. I loved trying them all out and felt no need to pay for extra treats such as a massage.

If this is how Koreans give themselves treats, I thoroughly approve.

No photos though. Not allowed. Instead, here’s a view we saw later in the day – once I’d found Malcolm – of the Gwangandaegyo Bridge, stretching 7.4 km across the ocean, linking two parts of Busan together. It’s quite a sight. And a moody one too, when there are warnings out that a typhoon is on its way.

The cat café

From the sublime to the ridiculous. After the temple …. tea break time. Back in town, Emily took us to a …. cat café. We thought it was a Korean thing, but it turns out there’s even one in Manchester. And New York. And Barcelona.

You order your drinks. You sit down. And there are some fifteen or so cats, playing, slumbering, climbing on shelves, cat climbing frames, boxes….

It’s quite relaxing and fun. Emily says there are dog cafés too. But as you’d expect, they’re really rather smelly.

wp 20160918 16 49 50 pro li

wp 20160918 16 53 01 pro li

wp 20160918 16 55 28 pro li

A very special temple – Beomeo-sa

Emily took us on a special journey today. On a bus which climbed steadily up increasingly wooded slopes, leaving Busan with its crowds and high-rise buildings far below. We got off at the Buddhist temple, Beomeo-sa

It’s been here since 678. There’s a golden well nearby in which a golden fish from Nirvana lives, so this site was perfect as headquarters for the Dyana sect.

The Japanese destroyed it in 1593. It was rebuilt.

This is a temple, a working monastery, a place of worship and pilgrimage. It shows. Those of us who visited as tourists felt something of what it offers as we absorbed the beauty, peace and serenity of this special site.

wp 20160918 15 34 43 pro li

wp 20160918 15 39 27 pro li

wp 20160918 15 30 26 pro li

wp 20160918 15 15 57 pro li

Busan in the rain

Our high-speed train journey to Busan was effortless, and involved simply looking through the window at views which changed from high-rise cities and towns to glistening wet paddy fields to thickly wooded hillside.

And here we are in Busan. It’s raining, and how. It may do so for three more days. Never mind.

This time we’re not staying in a small old and traditional hanok, but in a hotel. A motel actually, as is common here. We think this one is fine, but you have to watch out. Another name for motels is ‘love hotel’ and it’s where you bring your – er – bit on the side. Very boringly, neither of us can find one.

But here’s a picture of Busan on this very wet evening. Roll on tomorrow and the chance to explore.

Two failures and a surprise hit

Yesterday, Dongdaemon Design Plaza and Park sounded good. Bits of it were. Most of it was shut.(Chuseok)

The French Quarter at Seorae sounded good. We found a French vet, but most of it was shut too (Chuseok)

Emily suggested lunch at a Department store, Shinsegae. We thought that sounded a really rubbish idea. But we were wrong. Up-market, varied, unusual and tasty foods from Korea and beyond were exquisitely and tastefully displayed. What to choose? It was a delicious dilemma.

After, Emily joined the queue – the long queue – for their famous cheese tarts (think creamy and delicate cheesecake). We were utterly converted.

After, Gangnam for Emily. Malcolm went home, and after I’d gazed at a few enormous sky-scrapers, so did I.

A good, but not at all as predicted day. And today we leave for Busan. There’s a monsoon hurling down out there. Never seen anything like it.

wp 20160916 14 57 39 pro li

wp 20160916 14 57 00 pro li

wp 20160916 14 26 21 pro li

wp 20160916 14 06 22 pro li