Postcards from abroad
The Silla dynasty in Gyeongju was established in 69 BCE when a strange light shown down onto a horse of pure white which was sheltering an egg. A boy hatched from the egg and established the Silla dynasty which spawned more than 56 monarchs before collapsing in 935 AC. There are loads of regal burial… Continue reading Gyeongju: former Silla capital
Korea has made many efforts to keep alive its pastoral traditions, according to the Rough Guide, including preserved folk villages. We visited one such community where residents suvive on a mix of home-grown vegetables, goverment subsidy and tourist-generated income. This one has World Heritage protection. There’s a shuttle bus from the car park so all… Continue reading Hahoe Folk Village
We had a very long drive to visit a temple at Buseoksa only to find, once we’d arrived, that there was some kind of harvest festival going on and the place was inundated with cars, buses and people. So we got out to stretch our legs and to enjoy the very jolly atmosphere, even though… Continue reading Dinner de luxe plus ladies who dance
We set off to visit the DMZ (demilitarised zone) which is the buffer zone between North and South Korea, some 2.5 miles wide and running from east to west for 155 miles. We were in the far north-eastern corner, as the peninsula abuts the Japan Sea. The zone was created in 1953 and of course… Continue reading Visiting the observation tower over the DMZ
We headed to Seoul Station to pick up our rental car - a really lovely Hyundai with all the mod cons - and drove straight out into full—on Seoul traffic, though it was moving rather slowly for miles. Despite giving me a chance to get used to the car, the slow roads were also very… Continue reading Sokcho on the lake (or sea)