It was delightful to be greeted by the family at Incheon Airport and we then drove south towards our first Hanok, stopping, on the way, for cold buckwheat noodles, a summer speciality. Ordering and payment was done from screen at the table and the food was delivered by robot. This, in a restaurant just off the highway in the countryside near Cheonan.
The traditional house was charming and comfortable although I got the bed with a mattress while the others slept on mats on the floor.
Hanok garden
Wildlife notes: Oriental Magpie, Oriental Turtle Dove, Brown-eared Bulbul (all common but lifers for me)
South Korea (Republic of Korea) , is still technically at war with North Korea and 18 – 21 months of military service for men is compulsory. They can choose when to do this between the ages of 19 and 35. Shinyoung’s eldest nephew, M, elected to do military service while at university and on this day we witnessed the passing out ceremony marking the end of basic training. We drove to the .Army Training Centre south of Nonsan and met up with Shiny’s sister and family and watched as 5-600 young men saluted marched, sang, and listened to an address from the Commander. He seemed to be remarkably supportive and recognised the difficulties which some might face (I used Google Translate to get the gist). The recruits were then met by families, some of whom (mothers mostly it seemed) rushed forward to greet their sons with bouquets of flowers. I saw one boy alone in the crowd. Not all families would have been able to travel to the centre of the country for a fews hours for this. We spent a delightful afternoon with the family eating very well (for me bibimbap and pajeon), playing games and later doing Karaoke. M’s girlfriend, also in computer science was there and she will be doing a placement in Italy while he is working on computer software development for the army.
We then spent the next two nights in the Jeonju Hanok Village at Moryub : well appointed accommodation. When we arrived Eliot led a tea ceremony on which he had been recently tutored. Then we changed into traditional costume (Hanbok) for a photo shoot inside and in the courtyard of our Hanok. I was privileged to wear Shiny’s father’s Hanbok.
Jeonju has a long history, including as capital of one of the eight provinces of the Joseon dynasty The dynasty considered the city their ancestral home when they ruled the unified country for 500 years from the late 14th C. The city was occupied by Japan from 1910 to 1945, when all the city walls except for the Pungnammum Gate were destroyed. Close to the Gate there is a monument to the memory of the so-called “Comfort Women” .
The Joseon Gyaonggijeon Palace includes a main Hall, a small bamboo forest , archives of records of the daily activities of the kings, and the Yejong King Placenta Chamber and monument. The complex was partially destroyed in the 16th C but restored in 1614 and is home to the Royal Portrait Museum which holds the painting of King Tae-jo, founder of the Joseon. The museum includes section for children, in common with every other museum we visited, where they could recreate, on screens, characters in a dynamic depiction of the elaborate procession carrying the portrait.
The Palace is surrounded by the Jeonju Hanok village which in the past was an important centre of light industry and now houses many short stay rentals, such as ours, shops and restaurants. Jeonju is a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy and is recognized for it’s traditional home cooking particularly bibimbap. We ate this dish twice during our stay! Eliot also enjoyed patbingsu (shaved ice and sweetened red beans)
and I tasted my first daechu-cha, a traditional tea made by simmering dried red dates with pine and other nuts, cinnamon and honey.
The administrative centre of the province, Jeolla Gamyeong, was established in 1395 and the buildings have been artfully restored.
It was a hot and humid day so the children cooled off at misters placed conveniently on the streets.
In a lovely warm evening we walked around the Cheaongyeaon Ru Pavillion on Namcheon Bridge which was a gathering place for young and old, some listening to live music.
Before we left the following morning I walked down to the river and saw Eurasian Spot-billed ducks, a Medium Egret and a Gray Heron.
On the way out of the city we explored the Jaman Mural Village. Local people have brought attention o their neighbourhood by painting pictures on all available walls.
I had expressed a wish to do a temple stay and we chose Naesosa as it was possible to stay for one night only and is small in size. The temple is located at the base Mount Naebyeongsan and was established in 653 CE and rebuilt in 1633 during the Jeosan Dynasty after being burned down during the 16th C Japanese invasion. There is an interesting story passed down about the construction that was recounted to us by our guide.
We were taken through our program after receiving temple clothing. The etiquette for the temple was explained; bowing to the three Buddhas in turn followed by a sequence of kneeling and bowing. Later I watched others, including monks, and realized that it was possible to modify the movements depending on the willingness of knees to comply….
There were crafts for the children, predictably!
Meals were taken in a dining room with the two other visitors, two volunteers and the monks. The food was simple and vegan and we all had to rinse our dishes. The evening ceremony was led by one monk whereas the one at 04:30 the following morning, was led by one sounding a gong, and two others chanting. Kneeling was repeated a number of times. Both children got up and willingly participated at that early hour.
The previous evening we had an opportunity to have tea (mulitple cups) with one of the monks. Although all in Korean the gist of the discussion was relayed to me. I asked a question about continuous learning and was told that study never comes to an end.
After dinner we had climbed up to a small temple overlooking the main site and
Note: Although we were urged to collect any insects in our room and deposit them outside, fogging presumably for mosquitoes was being carried out as we walked up from the site!
the next morning we climbed to a higher ridge where we got a great view of the temple and the surrounding area
I shared my experience of the temple with my yoga/ meditation teacher:
“While not a Buddhist I felt it was OK to maintain respect for the practices while benefiting from the meditation. The environment was peaceful, welcoming and conducive to the practice.
I have no wish to become an adherent of Buddhism but valued the opportunity to learn more about it and to take advantage of the time for meditation.
There was a very old “grandma” tree in the grounds, around which people had hung small messages (with an appropriate Chinese zodiacal sign). We left one for Lois around the 6 month anniversary of her death.
By the time we left mid-morning there were lots of tourists in the grounds and they were treated to a performance of traditional singing.
We drove from Naesosa to the sea at Ducheong-ri where we had another great lunch which included cold noodles with a boiled egg and fermented soy bean soup, doenjang-jjigae. As with every meal there seemed to be an infinite variety of fermented, pickled and seasoned small side dishes (banchan) of, for example, greens, sprouts, mushrooms, radish, and cucumber . The ever present kimchi was but another variety. Rice was served and Eliot especially liked to eat this with sheets of seaweed, gim (not my favourite). I preferred jeon, pancakes made with potatoes or vegetables.
The beach nearby was not inviting so went to Gyeokpo and while S hiny and Eliot were in the water Chris, Alice and I walked along the rocky shore towards the Haesik Donggul Cave, only to be told that because of the encroaching tide it was closed for the day. We retreated to sit on the sand. Almost all of the bathers were wearing life jackets (available to borrow for free) , commonplace in Korea and enforced at popular locations.
We stopped by Mohang to climb a lookout to get a panoramic view of the bay and the salt pans nearby.
Journeying on we arrived later at the walled town of Naganeupseong.
Dinner was another feast, this time including grilled mackerel, one of my favourite fish.
We explored the village the following day, although I was up earlier and was lucky to see some lifers: an Asian Tit and a Daurian Redstart. There were also Hoopoe’s on the ground looking for insects, always good to see.
Naganeupseong is a village which was the administrative centre of the county during the Joseon Dynasty. It includes government buildings (and prison) and many hanok style houses with straw roofs, verandahs and courtyards, in one of which we stayed, the Five Beans Thatched Pension. There are many resident households who actively farm growing crops such as back sesame, soy beans and cotton. There is a water wheel powering a pounder, a static ox driven mill, and the local blacksmith showed us knives he had made. We walked along the wall in the rain and spied a pottery – large vessels for fermentation seem to be in every courtyard.
Near the entrance to the village there was a cluster of poles with spirit faces ( Jangseung ) which served as village guardians to frighten away demons, evil spirits and disease.
We all had a go on the giant swing on the playground!
While staying in the village we went to the Suncheon Bay National Garden which opened for a Garden Expo in 2013. The intent was to preserve the Bay and develop an ecological centre. The “Sky Tube” joining the Bay with wetlands was closed so we wandered through a small part of the expansive grounds ( lifers: swan goose, white wagtail and great egret) and got a sense of the breadth of the flora and the topography.
The Suncheonman Bay Wetland Preserve is a large expanse of reed beds bordering the river leading to the Bay. Although quiet bird-wise in summer it attracts many migrants later in the year including the rare Hooded Crane. But, today, I did see a “lifer” a Vinous-throated Parrotbill, when we climbed up to a ridge which afforded a fine view of the delta.
However there was abundant fauna to be seen amongst the reeds; Japanese Ghost Crabs, Sand Crabs, mudskippers and dragonflies.
After departing from Naganeupseong on the 16th we had delicious loach soup (Chueo-tang) for lunch. The fish are sourced during the harvesting of rice.
Just near the Village we learned about the life of Han Chang-ki in the Deep Rooted Tree Museum. He authored a Britannica of Korea and
“finally, after receiving approval from the head office, with the money raised through the Britannica, in March 1976, he started publishing Tree with Deep Roots, a monthly magazine dedicated to Hangeul and written horizontally. At one time, it boasted 65,000 regular subscribers, but in August 1980, it was closed by the Chun Doo-hwan regime for ‘creating class consciousness and social unrest’ . He did not give up and started publishing again in 1984. He redesigned the font and usage of Hangeul through magazines and books, and introduced the native culture of Korea to the public through projects such as pansori albums, seven-episode album production, and the publication of an autobiography of the people.” https://en.namu.wiki/w/%ED%95%9C%EC%B0%BD%EA%B8%B0
We wandered around a “Dolmen Park” on Chris’s list, where there are many Neolithic stone burial structures, some of which had been moved from the area nearby which was flooded after construction of a dam.
The Jirisan Museum of History was next. This was particularly informative as to the history of protest in Korea. During the late 19th century, Korean society faced various social problems such as inequality, corruption, and excessive taxation. These problems sparked a series of peasant-led rebellions based in the south of the peninsula. Later in the period of the “Korean War” leftist partisans and remnants of the Korean People’s Army used the peaks of Jirisan National Park as a natural fortress. Movements regarded as “communist” were brutally suppressed by the US, UN, and the Government of the ROK. The Jeju uprising is one chilling example.
Our next stay was in a recently built hanok, near Gurye, below Chiri-san the highest peak in mainland South Korea.
After we arrived at our Hanok the night before, we visited a friendly local coffee and tea shop.
Note: When Lois and I cycled in Korea we always looked for a Paris Baguette, a chain which sold coffee, pastries and cheese cake. Now it is possible to find coffee shops everywhere. On this trip I had an espresso a couple of times and found it similar to Starbucks, although I read that there are quality roasteries, at least in Seoul. The pastries are very light and fluffy as Korean wheat has a lower gluten content compared to that used North America and Europe. Fruit juices and smoothies are also commonly served.
In the morning we stopped at another coffee shop before heading to Gwangju to meet Shiny’s other nephew for lunch at a sushi restaurant near his university. The visit was short, but fun. He left to go to a seminar on Benedict Anderson an Anglo-Irish political scientist with whom I admitted I was not familiar.
In the misty rain we walked along the trails of the Jungnogwon Bamboo Forest Plantation which was a quite different experience than strolling through an evergreen or deciduous forest.
Later by the time we reached the Sunchang Fermentation Theme Park it was hot and sunny again. The park was a revelation. There were pavilions with permeant exhibits on the making of yeast, the different bacilli used in food fermentation, food safety, packaging, and additives. The children’s section was just for diversion and included a climbing wall, skiing machine and treadmills on which I was I was convinced to race against my grandchildren!
There was a traditional village street close by which features businesses selling home made fermented products, the Sunchang Traditional Paste Museum and the Sunchang Sauce Industry Special Zone Complex. This sauce refers to Ssamjang widely used in Korean cuisine and made using fermented soy bean and chilli pastes from Sunchang County.
We left the town across a bridge with depictions of fermentation vessels.
Dinner included yet another new dish, Yeon-ip-bap: sticky rice with grains, chestnuts, dates, pine nuts and beans wrapped and steamed in a lotus leaf; a meal in itself.
Note: I should mention that cheese is one of my favourite foods but I ate it only twice during this trip. Once as a breaded cutlet of cheese and tofu, katsu, and in salad from large supermarket.
We ended our day at sunset walking around the peaceful park, lakes and gardens surrounding many fine buildings including the Gwanghallu Pavillion, in Namwon. This pavilion was rebuilt in 1638 and is described as one of the Joseon Dynasty’s most exemplary structures.
Our hanok for the night was recently constructed but very traditional, to my eyes, and well appointed (again I slept on a bed while the others were on mats…). It was at the foot of the Jirisan National Park and Mount Jirisan (1,915 m).
Nearby there was a large Temple Gate, over the road which eventually led to the large Heaeomsa Temple, nestled in the mountains. We entered past a large metal gate topped with a dragon
and three buddhas (see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evi).
It was busy with visitors and ceremonies in the three large halls, but tranquil nonetheless.
Afterwards we did not have time to go on the steam train at the Seomjingang Train Village but took a short fun jaunt around the park on train tracks riding on pedal powered cycles.
As we made our way back north the landscape changed. There are many large towns and cities in the south and they suddenly appear amongst the hills and agricultural land, as collections of large closely packed high-rises. Closer to Incheon and Seoul there is increasing industry and urban development but still interspersed with irrigated farmland, with rice being predominant. The traffic became heavier and more congested.
The population of the two cities is around 13 million but our hanok, which had been refurbished expertly, was situated in a surprisingly quiet area on the edge of a small forest in the centre of Incheon.
We spent the next day in Seoul, heading first to the National Palace Museum, seeing, notably, the displays of scientific achievements of the Joseon Dynasty; clocks and devices to measure and plot astronomical events. In the grounds of the palace there were many visitors, Korean and others, dressed in Hanboks and watching reenactments of palace life.
For lunch we had an exquisite, fine vegan temple meal:
After wandering through the now-touristy Insadong, we visited the more interesting district of Bukchon and the relaxed Tea Therapy Cafe.
Finally we had a short stop in National Folk Museum where we found stone sculptures of our Chinese Zodiacal signs including Lois’ Ox.
Next day, we left the hanok, drove through traffic and wandered around urban Songdo Park in the misty rain.
Holly’s (coffee house chain) offered shelter before we headed to National Museum of World Writing Systems. The displays compare the development of 55 different language scripts including Korean Hangul. A replica of the Rosetta Stone is impressive as is the tower of loudspeakers inside the staircase to the lower floor.
Note: syllabics developed in the Canada to record a number of indigenous languages including Inuktituk, would be a useful addition.
Our final lunch was in a tofu restaurant, Millstone Roman, where customers can watch soybeans being ground into a thin paste for making blocks of tofu.
From the website
I then said farewell to the family at the airport. It was sad to leave….
