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Annyeonghaseyo!!!
After spending 6 weeks in Japan; South Korea is a big change. Koreans are more open and a lot taller, the streets are a lot more chaotic, the food is spicier and the language barrier (pronounciation and even more difficult words) is even bigger.
We spent almost an entire week in Seoul. Over all it is just another big city but what made it a speial place for us was the hostel we stayed at. Seoul Base Camp is a place like no other. The owners Jake and Min know how to make someone feel welcome; whether it is their Waffle Breakfast with Maple Syrup (even after a night out they didn't mind getting up earlier for us) or their strong social streaks with anybody who stays there. Another uniquness is that the dorms are not actual rooms, they are tents which can accommodate either 8 or 12 people on bunk beds and this creative idea was the crucial point for the name of the hostel. We were lucky to meet many interesting people there and ended up going out for Korean BBQ with a Canadian, an American, an Australian and a Dutch guy. You can only find a random group like that in a hostel but it was an awesome night and so much fun that we ended up staying awake until 7am to see the sunrise from the hostel's roof top patio.
Of course we spent some time sightseeing as well. We went to the D.M.Z., the DeMilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. It was informative and a joke at the same time. They turned such a tragical, historic event into a huge tourist attraction. You can see the strict border controls and barbed wire fences everywhere; pictures of the unification in Germany as a sign of hope, armed soldiers ready to act, strict rules on where we were allowed to walk or what to take pictures of and we even got to go into a part of "The 3rd Tunnel" one of the 4 tunnels (they discovered only 4 until now but suspect more) that was dug by North Koreans after the Korean War (1950-1953). But the atmosphere was so twisted that afterwards we really didn't know what to think or how to feel. In general if you ask Koreans about the unification they all agree that the 2 countries should reunite but they have different opinions on the how and when it should happen.
Besides the history lessons we also learned how to make "kimchi" - a traditional Korean side dish made with vegetables (usually cabbage) and a variety of seasonings (mostly spicy and sour) - at the "Hot Festival"; and how to drink Soju (a distilled beverage made of rice, wheat and barley) properly (never pour yourself a glass, drink as shot or mixed in beer).
The plan was to leave Seoul and stay one night in a temple on the southern tip of the country. But this just did not quite work out as we had planned and we ended up going to Busan straight away instead. There we were lucky to find another temple and could book for the next night. Temple Stays are a very traditional and popular way for tourists to get to know the daily life in a temple and learn more about Buddhism. We arrived after a rather rough bus ride at Golgulsa Temple and were welcomed by an English girl who lives in the temple for 1.5 years already. We got our name tags, uniform (yes, a uniform!) and room keys along with our schedule for the next 24 hours. After having loads of fun putting on our uniform we headed for dinner at 5:20pm. All meals are vegetarian in a temple, you can take as much food as you like but you have to finish your plate and there are strict rules on where to sit (women, men, monks and junior monks all on separate tables). After dinner we had a 30 minute orientation where we were told what to expect, how to act and some other helpful basics. The evening continued with the chanting (singing or rhythmically speaking the prayers) for 30 minutes, meditation and since Golgulsa Temple is famous for the Martial Art "Sunmudo", we had practise for 90 minutes. At 9pm we were completely exhausted and headed back to our room. The lights were turned of at 10pm sharp. After a fitful sleep we got up at 3:30am, got dressed and walked up the mountain for 15 minutes to get to the main temple for our morning chanting. The chanting was followed by sitting and walking meditation for 45 minutes each. Breakfast was served at 6:30am and then we had free time for 1.5 hours during which we climbed to the highest point of the temple grounds to see the in stone carved Buddha. At 8:30am we had again Sunmudo practise but this time it was less active and focused more on Qi Gong and Yoga (doesn't mean it was less exhausting). After our own Sunmudo lesson we got to see a "real" Sunmudo performance by monks which was very impressive. At 11:45am it was time for lunch and then our temple stay was already over. We had an unique experience here and apart from the sore muscels and bruises, we enjoyed every moment. We recommend this to everyone who is visiting Korea.
Exhausted from our temple experience we got back to Busan for an additional 2 nights. Ann's friend Yonggee took us out to a traditional Korean Restaurant where we got to experience a "Korean Feast" - a variety of about 8 different dishes (salads, fried fish, duck, pork, chicken, tofu with pumpkin puree, etc.). When we finished all plates we both felt filled and satisfied but then another load came (soup to share, rice and another load of side dishes). We had a great time and got to experience traditional Korean culture in a special sorrounding. Thank you Yonggee for this amazing evening and showing us the secret of Busan, your "Pigs" will never forget that.
Our 2 days in Busan were rather relaxing. We spent the day at the beach, enjoyed Corona and Fruit Cocktails and happened to run into Murray, who we met in Seoul and went out for dinner and a couple of drinks with him.
After 10 days on the mainland we are heading off to Jeju Island next, the Honeymoon Paradise of South Korea.
More soon! Cheerio,
Ann & Sabrina
- comments
Elena Glad you are enjoying :) continue living!!! 40 days and I am off traveling :)
Yonggee You're not pig! Sorry ;)
Gotte von Ann-Katrin schön kochen habt Ihr auch gelernt, wie ist es mit dem Singen - klappt das????