Last bits of Korea

The countryside changed as we headed west from Jeonju, flat with occasional steep bits rather than the other way around. All very agricultural. We came to Buan to visit Naesosa temple in the Byeonsanbando national park on the west coast. Almost impossible to find out when and where the bus left from so thought it would be quiet there. Ha-ha! There were thousands of people there, in cars and coaches and the approach road was a mass of restaurants, obviously really popular. By chance we'd hit their annual one-day music festival as well. Walked part way up another mountain for the views then came back for the music - very good and a great mix of styles.

Four buses got us to Gongju, our final stop.

Magoksa is another gorgeous temple in a stunning setting, just north of Gongju. Then a walk around the very steep ramparts of the fortress overlooking the city.

A day out in quiet Buyeo admiring Baekje dynasty stuff (temple remains of, and museum) and garden where they were just closing a display of chrysanthemums, it was not too strenuous. That just left us our last day for our last temple, superb and mountain, steep, before heading to Seoul for our flight tomorrow.

It's been superb, just a shame hardly anyone speaks English!  Sign language is a wonderful thing.

More Korean scenery

Another day walking up and down a mountain in the east of Jirisan national park, more great colours, more sore legs.

Then to Namwon for access to the western end, no info on this town in the guide book but it's turned out to be "The City of Love", the setting for a Korean Romeo and Juliet folk story. Everything here is based around it with parks galore.

The lovely temple complex of Hwaeomsa sits in a wooded valley on the western edge of Jirisan National Park, below Mount Nogodan. We admired the temple then managed to get a bus to within an hour's tough walk up to the summit. We walked the 8km back down dropping over 1000m in the first 6km. So glad we hadn't tried to walk up! More sore legs from clambering down a very rocky path.

We stopped in Jeonju only an hour away, it's very historic and the old part was packed with young people dressed in traditional garb.  Everyone was having a jolly day out. Enjoyed the sights, ate a super bibimbap lunch (local delicacy) then headed for Buan from where we hope to see another national park.

More from Gyeongju

Yangdong, 30 minutes by bus, is a preserved old Korean village founded over 500 years ago and apparently still occupied by many of the original families. We arrived during a presentation ceremony for artists so there was music and dancing - brought back memories of border Morris! The village was interesting too. Another 20 minutes by bus took us to a Confucian academy - nice buildings, but ...  The village next door was much better.

The third day we breakfasted in the market (see Judy's picture) (all you can eat for a fiver) then hired bikes to cycle to Buddhist carvings and temples. Took a "shortcut" back but there was a mountain in the way! Not one of his better ideas!  We did it anyway.

Now in Jinju where we had the best lunch - huge and only £7.  Then staggered around the fortress.  Off hiking again tomorrow.

Gyeonju market Sunday breakfast

Moving South

We stopped at Gangneung to visit the Odaesan National Park which is higher but less rugged - it's near Pyeong Chang where they held the winter Olympics. More beautiful colours and three temples before a 9km stroll back beside the river. Unlike at Seoraksan we were the only foreigners, and some Koreans even stopped us for a selfie - most unusual. Then yet another Korean barbecue for dinner, but we're learning a bit each time.

A long bus ride down the eastern coast to Gyeongju, the ancient Silla kingdom  (50BC-950 AD) capital for a bit of history. The rain arrived almost as we did but mostly overnight - we have been lucky so far.

Did the museum which was really interesting - loads of gold artefacts. Then walked around the burial mounds of the Silla kings - they're everywhere around town, amazing. Two more days here as there's lots more to see.

Seoraksan pics

East from Seoul

Chuncheon sits at the edge of a huge man-made lake surrounded by wooded hills. There are cycle paths everywhere so we hired a couple of bikes and circled the lake - lovely views, great reflections and the autumn colours are just coming. We could have cycled back to Seoul if we'd wanted, but we didn't - 45km was enough.

The bus to Sokcho on the east coast burrowed through the mountains in a series of tunnels - they aren't high but they are steep. Then a local bus dropped us near our hotel 2km from the entrance to Seoraksan National Park. We dropped our bags and walked the rest of the way as the queue of traffic was longer than 2km! It's the closest hiking area to Seoul with easy access so very popular, especially on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Literally thousands of walkers. A lovely but steep walk up a series of waterfalls with good colours in the trees - spectacular.

Well, wrote that on Sunday evening, found the traffic just as bad at 10am on Monday! Another glorious walk though.

Stairway to Heaven has nothing on the climb up these mountains but views and colours out of this world.

Legs not functioning too well now but just had the best spicy chicken (they didn't say it was the whole bird) needless to say we managed.

Seoul

Flights worked fine and then we followed the very detailed instructions our homestay lady had sent, reaching her place where we have a room and amazing breakfast (but no English spoken despite the detailed instructions!). It's quiet and well placed although getting around is easy on the metro and walking is easy too.  Korea (at least Seoul) is well organised and very clean.  Food is very different from anything we've eaten before, but lots of places to eat it. Wandered the streets as we do everywhere and ended up in an art museum (some ancient, some modern)  Impressive.

 

Spent an hour or so with an "English" guide at the national museum, but it was more about him than the museum itself.

Now in Chuncheon, an hour and a half east after negotiating left luggage machine and various other machines with 'English' translations.

Hotel here quite smart (for us) but nowhere to put clothes!

Leaving Oz

We went up into the hills to walk 20km through the rainforest at Eungella national park about 2 hours away. Quite hot but mostly under trees.  Lovely forest marred by huge fires last year.  Just starting to regrow, will take years.  The lunchtime snack at Eungella Chalet was huge, even by Aussie standards!

Then over 60mm of rain in a day kept us inside, apart from a break for emergency downpipe repairs. That night we'd been given tickets to the annual Eisteddfod song and dance show - local groups doing various takeoffs of Queen, Cher, Austin Powers, etc. We laughed for two hours.  Thankfully we didn't see recorder recital for under 6!

We've been kayaking on the creek, eaten out lots, covered a lot of dark green paint with bright blue and met lots of nice/strange people. Off to South Korea tomorrow - a cooler northern hemisphere and complete change of culture?!

More from Oz

As well as drinking beer overlooking the beach, we've been out walking around Grasstree Beach where Donna wanted to explore a new circuit but had to pass through mangrove swamp, hence the mud socks! Also loaded the bikes in her ute and cycled the Bluewater trail in Mackay which is beautiful and a mercifully flat 25k.

The weekend was a national holiday and we went north to the Cape Hillsborough national park on the Sunday. Lovely walk around the cape where we saw turtles, followed by drinking spritzers on a friend's balcony overlooking the ocean. Spent Monday at the 2000 acres of bush belonging to one of her orchid- crazy friends near Cape Palmerston.  A day spent in the bush identifying strange Aussie plants.

Fewer odd jobs, hooray, more trips, also hooray!

Two weeks in Oz

We've spent the first couple of weeks doing a few(!) odd jobs around the house. It's looking better now and the garden she has worked on for the last year is really good, as is her orchid house. Saturday had a bit of excitement when the council did a "controlled burn" across the road. 

Sunday was up early to leave at 4:15 am to support her for her first Olympic length triathlon, where she came third in her age group, so a great weekend. A day's rest now then much less to do, but not all finished yet!  Perhaps we can start to have a bit of a holiday now with the kayaks, bikes and walks.

Traveling again

We're now with Donna at Grasstree Beach, Queensland having paused for 12 hours in Seoul on the way. Fortunately Seoul airport does tours for people in transit so we visited a temple, went into the centre of Seoul to visit a palace and eat lunch, then went to the very modern city of Incheon where the Koreans were at play, this being a national holiday. Here for 4 weeks, then Korea.

Back to Chennai

Two lazy days in a 3-bedroom Raj-era villa (luxury), beautifully furnished, in upper Coonoor, which is surrounded by tea plantations, rounded off the trip to the highlands. Had a look at the botanic gardens which were lovely, found a good cafe and a good restaurant, did very little but eat, drink and read.  A good end before the dash for home.

Long bus ride down the mountain (again) to a surprisingly modern hotel in Coimbatore. Seven hours by train across Tamil Nadu and that's it, back in Chennai!

This has been a much more"Indian" experience than our trip to Rajasthan 3 years ago, largely because there is no real infrastructure for foreign tourists here so we had to do everything like the Indian tourists. And why not?!

Ooty

At 6am we were 3 on a scooter, us and our walking guide for the morning. But great walk, us the guide and two of his friends, one a multi- millionaire property developer. Great walk up a mountain ending with breakfast at the guide's house which was tasty but rather basic!

We did, of course, admire the children's school books.

Lay in bed this morning before a huge breakfast. Then bus to a lake and waterfall where we were much photographed by a large group of college girls studying Eng. Lit.  Got a lift back with three young guys from Chennai - we'd taken their photo for them earlier.

Moving a short way tomorrow to a hopefully luxury villa but without internet.