We got up really early today and caught a bus to the Bulguksa Temple. It was spectacular! The views were fantastic. I have never seen so many steps in my life. Myt leg muscles are going to be like a power lifters! I wandered off without the boys and was just amazed by the beautiful pagodas. The colours are amazing. I sat around the back of one of them and just chilled out for a while. I could hear voices but I felt like I was on my own. The atmosphere was so serene.
When we left the temple we had some lunch and then made our way to the bus to go and see Seokguram Grotto. This Grotto is very high up in the mountains and we had to walk a long way. When we got there we could see the clouds resting on the mountains. I felt exhausted because all I seemed to have done all day is walk. It was nice to sit somewhere where the air was clear.
One thing I noticed is that the people hereare much more friendly than the people in Seoul. After lunch we were approached by a man who was with his family. He was interested in where we from. We spoke to the whole family in English and his two little girls were adorable. they had been learning English for 3 years and had impeccable acents. We also spoke to a group of Chinese tourists and their Korean friend and they seemed very interested in London. Matt and Sean had been to a sauna the night before and in there they met two Korean boys who were twin brothers. they arranged to meet them for dinner so we had to get the bus back to be at the hotel by 7. The two men Hyun Dai and Hyun Woo took us to a busy Korean restaurant and we ate bbq. The meal was great and we had two lots of meat and two bottles of Soju. The whole meal came to about 20 quid for 5 of us! We payed the bill and then decided that as the night was still young we would go back to the hotel for a drink. The Korean men bought some beers and snacks and we ended up in my room. We sat around talking and I decided to find some music on the t.v. I flicked through the channels and was absoulutely mortified when I came across a porn channel! The others thought it was hilairious that I was so shocked as we were in love motel. Needless to say the t.v went off and I found music on the computer instead.
We had a really fun time (as the pictures will show!) The two Korean men were really open minded and friendly. They thought it was hilairious when Matt told them to bundle me on the bed so he could take pics! One of them is going to contact me next week because he is coming to Seoul.
we had to be up and out early as our bus was leaving at 10ish andit is a 4 hr journey. On the way back we had torrential rain. that ewas quite daunting as acombination of Korean driving and driving rain is no fun. When we got back to
seoul I realised how cool Gyeong Ju is in comparison. The heat just hit me like a brick wall when I got of the bus.
Some observations:
Korean people outside of Seoul are friendlier.
I have never seen so Many soldiers in my life, especially at the bus depots.!
Everywhere you go there is a 'family mart'.
There are rice fields everywhere outside of Seoul.
It's surreal to be sitting on a bus listening to piped Korean reggae while passing through a rural area with traditional houses.
Also listen to Althea and Donna's Uptown top rankin' with Matt was quite surreal while surrounded by rice fields!
Zebra crossings without lights are meaningless.
Crossings with lights can also be meaningless depending on the drivers mood!
Korean people of fascinated with tattoos - or is it just my tattoos because they are Hangul and I'm not Korean, and I'm a woman?
Korean buses and trains don't hang around!
In Seoul I am coughing and sneezing but in Gyeong Ju I wasn't. Pollution?
They spray the street with mosquito killer - which is quite scarey if you're not expecting it!
Korean men on Harley Davidsons look cool.
If you have read this please comment just so I know I'm not wasting my time!