Geoje-do

So after leaving Jinju in the evening we caught a bus to Geoje Island. The Islands are connected by bridges and driving through them offered beautiful scenery. We took a taxi from the bus terminal to the Geoje Island Hotel in Okpo. Though the room was a bit expensive (110,000 won) it was a really nice place to stay. We had a queen size room with a balcony overlooking the harbor. Plus, the room had a bathtub with a jacuzzi!

Since we were tired from the day, the night in Geoje consisted of only going out for dinner. Of course, it was Korean bbq.

Sunday morning we woke up and went to the roof-top restaurant for breakfast. The only thing missing from this great hotel, was breakfast being included in the bill! We paid 10,000won each for an "American Breakfast" plate. It was pretty good, and the view was nice!

We checked out of the hotel and decided to take a ferry around the Islands for 16,000 won. The ferry took us first around Haegeumgang, also knows as the Sea Diamond. This rock island is part of Hallyeo Marine National Park. This is definitely a must see if you go to Geojedo!

After going around Haegeumgang the ferry stopped at Oedo Botania. This island garden was cultivated by a Korean couple, and is the first Island in Korea to be owned and developed by an individual. Walking the path around the island you see a lot of sculptures and it seems a blend of an art gallery and a garden. Though a bit cheesy at times, the island was nice and I'm glad we went there.

We got on the ferry again and returned to Jangseungpo terminal. After a failed attempt at finding Tanguy oysters for lunch, we settled for a meat restaurant for dwegi galbi. Unfortunately, after lunch we didnt have time to do much else on the island. We went to the information desk at the ferry terminal and tried to ask what we could do in just a few hours, but to everything we asked the lady just said "impossible". So, instead we took an early ferry to Busan to catch a bus back to Gyeongju. Though we maybe didn't see as much as we would have liked to, it was another great weekend!

Jinju

So the second weekend of November marked the second weekend away with Tanguy. After a week of research we finally decided to spend Saturday in Jinju then go to Geoje-do that night and leave sunday.

So Saturday morning I woke up and met Tanguy to get the 8:50 bus from Gyeongju to Jinju. We were told by Tanguy's korean colleague that it would take 2 hrs and 20 minutes, but it was almost 3 hours. We finally arrived in Jinju and walked to Jinju fortress - only a 5 minute walk from the bus terminal!

Jinju fortress is famous for 2 things. First, holding off an army of 20,000 Japanese soldiers with only 3,800 Korean soldiers during the Japanese invasion of Korea in the 1590s. Second, for Nongae a female Korean entertainer. During the invasion she seduced a Japanese general and took him to a cliff over the Nam river, embraced him then jumped into the river, killing them both. There is now a shrine in the fortress complex dedicated to her heroic action.

Next in the complex we came across a statue of Kim Si-min, a Korean general during the Joseon Dynasty and is famous for defending Jinju castle from Japanese invadors. The statue also reminds me a bit of Uncle Sam.

I also really enjoyed seeing Hoguksa Temple. Though I'm sure those who don't particularly enjoy seeing temples would think this looks like every other Buddhist temple in Korea (and smaller), I enjoyed it. This temple was the base for the monk army during the Japanese invasion

After making our way to the other side of the fortress grounds Tanguy and I took the riverside path back to the entrance. It is such a beautiful place, wonderful scenery and the fall colors were gorgeous!

Pictures from Jinju can be found on my picasa account:
http://picasaweb.google.com/aeihrig/Jinju#

Here are some sites I found interesing. I'm mostly putting them on here so I can remember them.
http://yisunsin.prkorea.com/imjin.htm - about the Japanese invasion of Korea
http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Korean_Buddhism - Korean Buddhism

Seoul

So November started a month of travel in Korea with Tanguy. My new French friend will leave Korea at the end of the month, so we have decided to spend our weekends travelling to parts of Korea he hasn't had the chance to see yet.

First on his list was Seoul. We took the KTX from the new Singyeongju station in Seoul. We were running a bit late on time so we took a taxi from Yong Gang Dong to the station and it cost about 18,000 won and took 20 minutes. It now takes about 48,000 won and only 2 hours to get to Seoul! Such a relief to the 4 hour bus ride or 3 hour trains!

We arrived at Seoul Station and checked into the New Korea Hotel. It was a decently priced hotel for a decent room. It was clean and had a bathtub!

After checking into the hotel we started our adventure in Seoul by wandering around Namdaemun market, conveniently located about a 2 minute walk from the hotel. It was a decent market with stands full of clothes, shoes, bags, coats, etc. We grabbed lunch at a nice fried rice restaurant.

After Namdaemun we took the subway and went to the Gyeongbokgun Palace. Unfortunately, we arrived just as it was closing and could only observe from the outside. We took a few pictures in the front of the palace and went on our way.

Outside Gyeongbok Palace there is a median in the road that has a statue of Admiral Yi Sun Shin. Behind the statue there is a stairway that leads down into a small museum dedicated to the life of "King Sejong the Great and Admiral Yi Sun Shin."

We spent some time walking around the statues and decided to make our way to Insadong. For those who don't know, Insadong is a market for traditional Korean souvenirs. We wandered around the shops, bought a few things, and returned to the subway.

Our last stop for the night was Seoul Tower. We took the subway to Myeongdong station and walked up the hill to the Tower lift entrance. We stopped for dinner at a Korean restaruant and ate bulgogi. Though it was more expensive than the same dish in Gyeongju, it was pretty good!

After eating dinner we took our place in line for the lift. There is an option for hiking up to the tower, but seeing as it was dark and we were both pretty tired, we decided the lift was better, plus a better view! Though the line was long, it moved faster than I expected. The lift offered a great view of the city and got us to the tower in just a few minutes. In the observatory of the tower we were able to see out to the whole city, though the view wasn't very clear because of the weather. The best view was from below the tower.

Below the tower is a gazebo area for visitors to sit. There were also rows of trees with messages of love tied to the branches. After spending some time outside the tower, we took the lift back down the mountain and returned to the hotel.

Sunday morning I was feeling a bit sick. Tanguy went by himself to a palace and returned to the hotel near noon. After checking out of the hotel we went to Changdeok Palace. The palace was built in the 1400s, but like every other structure in korea was burnt down during the Japanese invasion and has been rebuilt. It is probably my favorite place to visit in Seoul (I had been there one time before). Behind the palace there is also a 78-acre "secret garden". We were not able to see the garden because you have to enter with a tour and the last tour was at 2:00. Be aware of required tour times if you visit this site. I had seen the garden before, and highly recommend it!

After visiting the palace we met with on of Tanguy's french friends for dinner and took the KTX back to Gyeongju.

More pictures from the weekend can be found here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/aeihrig/Seoul112010#