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| Robot envy |
I've not been having much luck with hotels in South Korea. The first one was pretty good, but I only had it for three nights, and there was no room at the inn after that. After my stramash with hotels.com's refusal to even discuss a hotel ripping me off (current status about my ongoing attempt to get a refund: STILL RAGING), and ending up in a room the size of a coffin, I was a wee bit wary about my hotel in Gyeongju.
I had to get there first, and that was a breeze. I leapt on a
Train to Busan (thankfully without zombies) and in no time, I was at my hotel in Gyeongju and being told by the guy that my room had no beds.
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| He wasn't lying |
Now I'm always up for going traditional, and I'm not even that bothered if I don't have a bed, but the futons they provided were about as thick as a postage stamp. Even both of them doubled over on top of another one I begged the guy at reception for (there was a mattress on the stairs but apparently I wasn't allowed that because REASONS), still didn't make for a comfortable sleep. There was also hee-haw furniture except a really uncomfortable stool and a stand for the telly. I resolved that my next accommodation (in Busan) would be better - and hang the expense.
Anyway, Gyeongju is lovely, and despite being a city, is tiny in comparison with Seoul. It was where the Silla dynasty's old stomping ground back in the -1st century to the 10th century. So as you can imagine, there is quite a lot of historical stuff kicking about.
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These are called tumuli. And they only cost 2 million Won to climb (well, that's the fine)
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Cheonmachong and the tomb of an unknown 5th century Silla king
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Much of it went over my head, which is a bit shameful because lots of English translations were provided.
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| A Confucian school |
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| The site is huge and much is still be excavated |
That evening, I went out for a meal / my daily humiliation. The meal itself was lovely, very cheap, and they refused to charge me for the rice or accept a tip. Which all sounds great except ...
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| I thought I was coping quite well with the chopsticks ... |
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... until the waitress plonked this in front of me without saying a word. Oh the shame.
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I really want to improve my slippery metal rod technique, but at the same time, I didn't want to offend my hostess. So I opted for some sort of hybrid approach (chopsticks in left hand, fork in right) which I'm sure they're still talking about in reverent tones in Gyeongju's eateries nearly a week later.
My other full day in Gyeongju I hopped on a bus* to go to the other part of Gyeongju, which is a wee bit more modern, but still not touristy (despite the theme park).
* Top tip: If you ever plan to travel via bus even once in South Korea, get a T-money card from any convenience store. They can be used nearly anywhere for travel, they save you money, and the best thing about them - you don't have to speak to the bus driver. That's not to say I don't like speaking to bus drivers, but trying to explain to them with zero Korean where you're going, and them telling you how much the fare is with zero English is an arse-ache well avoided. |
Arriving there, I found a class wee cafe (and K-Pop museum that I left unvisited) with lots of retro stuff and a huge wall of cassettes.
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Nearby, was the Gyeongju Pavilion, which appears on CNN's list of Top 50 Most Beautiful Places to Visit in South Korea ...
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| It only appears at #67 on Richie's list, largely due to the lack of the advertised blossom |
And just down the road, Hwangnyongsa, a nine storey temple built without nails back in the SEVENTH century. Sadly, it was shut, so I couldn't go in and accuse them of rebuilding at some point in the intervening 1,300 years.
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| Seventh century my arse |
One more stop was the Expo Park. A collection of the weird and wonderful. Not quite sure what an Expo park is, because it wasn't used for an official Expo, but it was pleasant enough to walk around.
It had a big tower ...
... which had both better views and better beds than my hotel.
Oh, and all sorts of crazy sound and light displays, no doubt full of meaning, but sailing right over my head. Still, I really enjoyed it.
Next day, it was an hour long bus ride to Busan. I only had one full day in Busan, which I spent doing absolutely nothing because:
- The highest rated tours on Trip Advisor seemed to advise hopping on a bus back to Gyeongju which I'd only just left.
- The weather was utterly miserable. Cold. Wet. Windy. In short, Scottish.
- My hotel was like the Ritz (compared to most of the other places I'd stopped at in South Korea anyway).
As I mentioned, I'd splashed out on my hotel (big spender, £49 a night), and I was in for a treat. I'm guessing it was popular with gamers, but my room came equipped with two gaming machines + monitors + a giant telly on top.
The toilet was hooked up to an electricity supply (not actually sure if this was a good idea), so you could get all sorts of liquids and gases shot up your arse at various speeds. temperatures, and intensities. Shame I had to sit there a good 10 minutes before I worked out how to turn it off.
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| THREE different water -> arse settings |
Even the wardrobe had a totally unnecessary set of controls which I believe had something to do with steaming clothes - not quite sure why you'd want to but everyone needs a hobby.
I did spot this "shop" near my hotel which I was fascinated by ...
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| How can you find anything in this place? |
... but I hardly think they're going to put it on any tourist guides.
Anyway, after my second night in my super modern hotel (honestly, I felt like I was in an episode of The Jetsons. Shame the breakfast was a bit shite.), it was off to the island of Jeju.
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