An early start to catch the 6.00 express bus to Gyeongju…and another morning of breathtaking scenery and a more realistic insight to the daily lives of rural Koreans. For much of the journey, the road hugged the rocky coastline. Many times the road seemed to fall away in front as the terrain tumbled into a foam-capped and churning sea. Rugged cliffs rising to steep mountains dominated the horizon and made the route long and circuitous. Off to the west, I occasionally caught a glimpse of the West coast highway under construction. For your average Korean, going about daily business, I’m sure the ability to get to the south in 3hrs instead of 5 ½ will be welcomed. It’s a shame though that, soon, the bus will no longer follow the scenic route I saw. Talking of average Koreans, I saw a lot more of the daily rural life. The bus passed through many small towns and skirted some of the big cities en route. Many of the conurbations were extremely run down – dirty with trash piled everywhere. Amidst this, countless wizened old men and (mainly) women toiled around with buckets and bags of fresh fruit and veg…occasionally, one would jump on the bus for a stop, lugging their own weight in bean sprouts or potatoes up the steps. Often you’d see someone shuffling across the road – burdenless, but still bent double over a walking stick…frozen in the position they had been forced to assume all their lives. Once again, the lack of a welfare state seemed to be putting unfair demands on these people who’d done nothing but work all their lives. Retirement…what’s that?
I arrived in Gyeongju shortly after twelve and, after sorting my accommodation and onward train ticket to Seoul, immediately went in search of…yes…food ;-) Incidentally, my yeogwan (cheapguesthouse) cost just £6.50 for the night for which I got a small ondol room with sleeping mat, pillow, duvet and 1 channel tv. There was also a tiny adjoining (private) bathroom with loo and cold shower…you get what you pay for, but, again, I was totally satisfied.
For lunch I had a traditional Korean hot plate meal, which is effectively a large pan of noodle soup with fresh veg and chopped meat cooked (by you!) at your table. Exceedingly filling and very tasty. For the last couple of days, I’d got into the habit of asking the waiting staff to recommend something. This may seem a little risky, given the Korean love of spicy food. However, they are, if anything, over-cautious in this respect and the strategy has yet to let me down. After lunch, I made a bee-line for the Gyeongju national museum. Gyeongju was the capital of Korea during the reign of the Silla dynasty – the first to unite the entire peninsula under one banner. The level of skill exhibited by their craftsmen and builders is incredible…particularly in the intricacy of their gold and jade jewellery and their early use of iron armour to protect both themselves and their horses (4th and 5th Centuries, respectively). These and other incredible artefacts were recovered from the tumuli of ancient kings and queens that litter the southern end and surrounding districts of the city. Many of the finds from Gyeongju are part of the Korean National Treasure scheme, which aims to preserve the ancient roots of the country’s great cultures. Once again, the pesky schoolkids were out in hordes, screaming and generally causing a nuisance (am I getting old?). Eventually, I took a walk back into town via Cheomseongdae and the Tumuli Park. Cheomseongdae is the Far East’s oldest astrological observatory. Back in 632 AD, while we Brits were grubbing around in the Dark Ages and being quashed by the Saxons, the relative stability of the Silla empire was building a tower to observe the passage of time using the stars. It’s alignment to certain stars and the number of stone blocks that went into its construction were all meticulously calculated…and the fact that it still stands there today is enough proof of its structural integrity. The Tumuli Park is an attractive and (occasionally) peaceful parkland that has been cultivated around 23 of the Silla burial mounds from which so many treasured artefacts have been recovered. Their construction is unique to the Silla dynasty prior to the unification of the kingdoms and was well designed to protect the bodies and their finery from grave robbers. One, Cheonmachong, has been excavated in cross section to allow visitors to see the internal construction.
A dinner of buckwheat noodles with vegetables and beef rounded off the day, followed by a few well-earned beers whilst working on my journal in my room. Tip for all the fellas: More so than spaghetti, avoid buckwheat noodles when taking a lady for a meal. Not only do they flop around flicking sauce all over your best shirt like their Italian cousin, they are also remarkably elastic and extremely resistant to being bitten through. The two choices of allowing them to fly back to the plate or continue to dangle from your mouth should not be considered whilst in polite company…
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