Korea

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8 September: Today we were in transit from Japan to the Republic of Korea. Due to a typhoon hitting Japan a day earlier, flight delays meant we finally arrived at Seoul very late and at our hotel after midnight.

9 September: We explored Seoul under the able assistance of our guide, Sue Jung. We visited the exterior of The Blue House (the equivalent of our White House). Next, we walked to the Gyeongbok Royal Palace which was built in 1394 as the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty. We also toured a portion of the National Museum of Korea (we couldn’t possibly see it all as it’s the world’s 6^th largest museum).

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	A view of the Blue House
	The Palace Gate
	The Royal Guard at the Palace Gate
	Hwangwonjeong Pavilion
	State Hall
	Our guide, Sue Jung, by a ceremonial drum
	A glimpse of the old and new (check out the roof lines)

After convincing Sue we really do like and enjoy hot food, we went for a wonderful lunch of zzimdak (chicken, sweet potato noodles and vegetables in a spicy sauce) in the Myong Dong area of Seoul. It was one of the most delicious meals we’ve ever had and that’s saying a lot. After lunch we went to the Seoul Tower to enjoy the views of the city and we finished our touring in the Namdaenum traditional market where we could have purchased anything from food stuffs to apparel being sold by local street vendors and in small shops.

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	A market in Myong Dong
	A Seoul Police Office (check out the roller blades!)
	A view of Seoul from its Tower

We ended our day by attending an 8:00PM performance at the Chongdong Theatre. We were treated to an unbelievable performance of Korean traditional stage. We were so impressed with the show that afterwards we bought a DVD so we can take it all in again and again. Our experiences in Seoul were a wonderful introduction to our first visit to the country of Korea.

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	Dancers at the Chongdong Theatre
	Drummers at the Chongdong Theatre

[ T O P ]

10 September: We were picked up today by our guide, Truman Kim, who drove us south of Seoul. We stopped near the town of Andong for a country-style lunch. We then proceeded on to Dosanseowon, a Confuscian school during the 16^th century. It was very interesting to learn about their beliefs and doctrine.

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	An overview of the Dosan Academy
	A building within the Dosan Complex
	A shrine within the Dosan Complex
	Our guide, Truman Kim, at Dosanseowon

We then visited a traditional paper factory where paper is hand-made from the bark of mulberry trees (interestingly, the leaves of the mulberry are used as feed in the silk worm industry.). Amazing. Lastly, we visited a Folk Museum. We then finished the long drive to Gyeongju, Mr. Kim’s home-town, where we arrived at ~9:00PM.

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	Women begin the process of making paper in a traditional manner
	Screening the paper mix
	Ed and Lindy with stacks of the finished paper product
	Entry to the Hahoe Traditional Village
	A community building within the village
	A thatch-roofed home near the fields

11 September: We explored the area around Geyongju with Mr. Kim. We began our day at the Geyongju National Museum. It contained many artifacts found in the area. Next, we visited one of Korea’s cultural landmarks, Temple Bulguk or “Bulguksa”. It is a large complex of buildings devoted to Buddha.

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	The National Museum Building
	A Buddhist Sculpture of the Unified Silla, part of the Museum's collection
	A pavilion housing the Bell of King Seongdeok
	A closer view of the Bell which weighs some 19 tons
	The entry gate into Bulguksa
	A second gateway with a bridge in the foreground
	Cheongungyo Pavilion
	Painted wooden statutes
	A wooden gong in the form of a fish
	Dabotap Pagoda, a pagoda built of stone
	Birojon Hall with Ed standing by the Golden Bronze Vairocana Buddha Sitting Statute

Afterwards, we went to Gyeongju’s central market. You could buy anything and everything there! We bought some fresh peanuts which the vendor cleaned and cooked for us while we did other shopping. We went to Cheomseongdae Observatory and the saw the many burial mounds nearby. We went inside one known as the “Horse Tomb.” In ancient Korea, the dead were laid on top of the ground and then buried under mounds of earth instead of being buried beneath the ground.

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	The traditional market
	A potter working a piece on his wheel
	We guess someone likes these?? (Yes, they are real!)
	The Cheomseongdae Observatory is the oldest one in East Asia
	A view of the burial mounds found in the area
	Cheonmachong "Heavenly Horse Tomb" This a King's tomb which housed some 11,500 artifacts
	Lindy & Ed outside Cheonmachong

12 September: Our guide today was Ms. Kim. She took us to explore the many Buddhist temples in the area of Gyeongju. We started at Seokgulam Grotto. Here in a cave on the side of the mountain is a beautiful Buddhist temple. Our next spot was again in the mountains. Here we stopped at Golguram Hermitage. Here an image of Buddha is carved into a mountain cliff. It was quite beautiful but we did have to work to get to and see it. We hiked and climbed up a steep rock face to view the carving.

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	A pavilion at Soekgulam Grotto
	The entry to the Grotto. Prime Minister Gim Dae-seong built it in 751 for parents of his previous life.
	Our guide, Ms. Kim, outside the Grotto
	The entry to the Golguram Hermitage complex
	Our first glimpse of the carved Buddha
	Ed and Ms. Kim on the trail to see Buddha
	The carved Buddha is typical of 9th century Silla Buddhas

Afterwards, we took a break and drove to the port town of Gampo. Here we visited the fish market and then had a delicious lunch at a restaurant which had been run by the same woman for over 50 years. It was a great experience. Finally, we spent the afternoon hiking in the Namsan Mountains. It was a beautiful setting and again we came across Buddhist shrines. We finished the day at about 4:00PM and then Ms. Kim drove us to the Busan airport to catch our flight to JeJu Island where we arrived at about 8:00PM and then were driven to our hotel by 9:00PM. A long but very interesting day.

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	The fishing fleet at Gampo
	The Gampo fish market
	Our hostess and chef at a local restaurant she has run for 50+ years
	Ms. Kim assists our hostess in preparing a delicious lunch
	Ms. Kim serving the feast

13 September: (Happy 13^th! - We celebrate all 13^th’s as that is the day on which we met, the day we were engaged and the day on which we were married!!) To begin our exploration of JeJu Island, we headed to the coast to see Jeongbang Waterfall. Very nice! We then went to one of the lava canyons which dot the coast. JeJu is a volcanic island so the landscape is quite interesting. Next, we hiked Sunrise Peak to see the volcanic crater which is very much intact. It was quite a trek in the heat and humidity but we made it! We then were treated to a lunch of barbequed pork. Again delicious. We finished the day visiting a couple of folk villages in which individuals still live. We also saw the local statutes which are reminiscent of the statutes on Easter Island albeit in miniature form. However, there is no relationship. We did a bit of shopping and wandering through Segowipo town center and called it a day.

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	Jeongbang Waterfall The Falls are 23M high. Legend has it that "Seobok" came here to search for the elixir of life for Emperor Chen some 2000 yrs ago
	Lava Canyon (with a beautiful reflection)
	Ed on the trek down from Sunrise Peak
	A typical village compound
	A grinding wheel in the village
	Our group (on JeJu we toured with 4 other guests) with host, Victor Ryashencev, principal of our booking agency www.jejueco.com Check it out for your trip to Korea!
	The Dolhareubang These figures were placed outside castles as guardians

14 September: Today was incredibly rainy so that had an impact on our touring. We began the day at Cheonjeyeon Falls. Legend has it that seven fairies play in the area at night so the walking bridge to the falls is appropriately decorated. Next we went to the Ahndeok Evergreen Forest where we could walk without umbrellas through the thick forest. While there was a lapse in the rain we visited a Buddhist Temple called Sanbangsan Temple which is set among volcanic pillars. We then took a break from the rain (which began again) for a delicious seafood lunch. In the afternoon we visited the Mysterious Road (where things roll uphill; they really do!) and finally we visited Samsungyeol – the legendary birthplace of the three families of JeJu.

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	The walkway to Cheonjeyeon Falls (note the fairies are built into the bridge)
	Lindy and Ed at Cheonjeyeon Falls
	A Rock Shade House within the Ahndeok Forest also called a "ungduck" dating from 500 - 900 AD
	Sangangsan Temple from a distance so the volcanic pillars are evident
	A beautiful altar in the Temple
	A very happy Buddha and friends

15 September: Again, we had to contend with the rain today. We began with a morning walk along the seashore to view a volcanic pillar. Next, we went to Hallim Park. Here we were able to walk through lava tube caves and visit a bonsai park. The bonsais were absolutely incredible; all sizes and shapes and probably ~1,000 of them. It takes a great deal of care to keep them so beautiful. After another delicious Korean lunch, we went to a green tea plantation for tastings. Finally, we went to Yackcheonsa – a four storied Buddhist temple, the largest on JeJu Island. It was a great conclusion to our touring of this wonderful island.

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	A lava pillar sitting offshore
	Walking through a lava tube in Hallim Park
	Ssangyong Cave or "Two Dragons" Cave which was formed 2.5 Million years ago; this is one of the dragon's backs
	A beautiful bonsai
	Another beautiful bonsai; take a look at the size of its trunk (it's very old!)
	Yackcheonsa Temple, the largest on JeJu Island
	A giant drum at Yackcheonsa Temple
	The Buddha of Yackcheonsa Temple

16 September: Our day was supposed to be spent traveling from JeJu to Seoul. However, a typhoon (a pacific hurricane) struck JeJu early in the morning. Our host, Victor, managed to drive us to JeJu City but the airport was closed. In fact, all domestic air travel within Korea was suspended. So, we went to a local hotel to wait it out.

17 September: The typhoon broke late on the 16^th. The destruction was pretty severe. Our travel plans were upset but that was nothing compared to the disruption of the lives of people in JeJu. We walked about town as most individuals cleaned up. We also worked on alternate travel arrangements as a result of our two day delay on JeJu Island.

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18 September: Today we flew off JeJu Island (yeah!). We then booked a flight on JAL to Narita where we spent the night in a hotel near the airport before proceeding to Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, on September 19.