If you haven’t read part one of this post, do so now or this will make very little sense.
Okay, so it is time to tackle question #2:
South Korea
WARNING: This post is going to include a lot of math, but DON’T BE SCARED! I know what you are thinking, “I am not a math person… HELP!”
The following are math people:
As you noticed, I am not in this group, nor is your former classmate who got A’s in every math class without breaking a sweat. The difference is that we are simply not afraid of numbers and neither should you. Release that fear! Okay done? Let’s continue.
While I meant to talk about our entire trip to Buyeo on the last post, I just went off on a tangent and couldn’t shut up about the Baekje Cultural Complex. Seriously, that place is amazing and was definitely the highlight, but I need to take some blogging lessons or something… Anyways…
What else is there to see in Buyeo? Plenty, and everything is walking distance as the town is so small. Let’s get this list started.
[Information on how to get to Buyeo is at the bottom]
1) Jeongnimsaji Temple
This once important temple happened to be next to our motel so we started here. It contains a 5 story stone pagoda, one of only two remaining from the Baekje Kingdom. It has been very well preserved and restored given it is over a thousand years old. Inside the building in the back (pictured) is one of the oldest known Buddha statues in Korea, too. The temple is not traditional in that it is only for tourism now and no actual monks live here.
The rebuilt temple also has a museum about the spread of Buddhism across the globe from India to Baekje and on to Japan. It also explains the meaning of pagodas and while I might have actually enjoyed it, there are no English translations at all, so let’s hope your Korean is better than mine.
2) Busosanseong Fortress
In two words, utterly disappointing. This was the main thing I was looking forward to and maybe it is my own fault by not knowing that Baekje didn’t make stone walls back then. The fortress is pretty much raised dirt on a hill and without a lot of imagination, it is just a nice walk, not something worth traveling to.
One interesting part was the Nakwaak Rock ,where legend has it that 3,000 loyal Baekje women jumped to their deaths instead of submitting themselves to the conquering force of the Shilla Kingdom and their Chinese Tang allies. Again, no explanation in English, but the rock itself is well marked.
3) Goransa Temple
There is a tiny little temple at the back of the fortress named Goransa. I know that after a while, all temples start looking, well… kind of the same. When I do find myself in one though, I try to find some artwork as Korean Buddhists tend to be fond of painting their places of worship. Here is what I found:
4) Gungnamji Pond
After walking through a labyrinth of stones and bridges between the water, you arrive at the center of the main attraction. This pond has a pavilion in the middle in one of the prettiest settings in town. Like anything in Korea, it has a mysterious legend:
The princes of Shilla and the prince of Baekje were in love and met secretly at this pond. They had to keep their love a secret since Shilla was at war with Baekje. There is a tablet in the central pond that tells the whole story (sorry, again only in Korean) but it is a little hazy as to whether there is any truth to it. Nevertheless, I am always a sucker for a romantic story.
To the east of the pond is a little park with a humongous monument commemorating the brave soldiers in the last battle of the Baekje Kingdom. Outnumbered 10:1, they didn’t stand a chance.
5) Buyeo National Museum (Sabi Maru)
While the museum is largely under construction (until August 2014), it is still worth a look. It has a bunch of artifacts, but none as important as the Baekje incense burner. Despite being beautiful and quite a large artifact, it also has great archaeological significance. Unfortunately… when I visited, it was on loan to the National Museum in Seoul so I don’t have a picture of it, but here, I googled it for you.
How to get to Buyeo
(Nambu Bus Terminal -> Buyeo Bus Terminal)
There is no train that goes to Buyeo. We took a 2 hour express bus from Nambu Bus Terminal in southern Seoul. Buses leave every 20 minutes, with some direct (2 hours) and others taking the scenic route (3.5 hours). Given how Buyeo is considered an important historical city, no one seemed to have arrived with us for the sights and the bus station was incredibly small.
There are no guesthouses, but plenty of motels around which can be seen from the station. Everything except for the Cultural Complex is walking distance from each other.
If you have any more questions, leave them in the comments!
Sometimes, I really wish we (meaning me, and me alone) had a time machine. Although we still have some pretty amazing places around the world, for every surviving monument, a hundred have been destroyed by war, burned by fire, and simply weathered away with time (source: guess-work using the proven ‘it sounds about right’ method). What would you do if your once proud civilization had it’s glorious capital destroyed. If you are Korean, you rebuild it.
Baekje Reborn
This last weekend, I finally made it out to Buyeo, the former capital of Baekje. After visiting the National Museum of Korea in Seoul last year, I gained an interest in Korean historical kingdoms, so this visit was a long time coming.
Baekje was one of the three kingdoms that ruled Korea from 18 B.C.E.- 668 C.E. (C.E. is the non-religious way of saying A.D. just in case you’re wondering). Following its demise, the capital city which also goes by the name of Sabi was wiped out from the face of the earth and reduced to a hand full of historical documents (read: footnotes) and ancient poems of later kingdoms. In 1993, following further archaeological discoveries (a fancy way of saying they were randomly digging in the dirt and got lucky) in the region, the Korean government made a plan of massive proportions (read: $$$). With a budget of 690 million dollars, they planned to rebuild Sabi / Buyeo on the outskirts of where it used to stand 1500 years ago. Straight up dope… I can’t put that any more eloquently, sorry.
The Baekje Cultural Complex (Baekje Cultural Land)
At first glance (read: after coming across it on the pamphlet at the Buyeo bus station), this totally sounds like a cheesy theme park and I almost passed it up because of that. With a huge Lotte Hotel near by, I thought it would be another one of those overcrowded and underwhelming ‘things to see’ that the Korean government tries to shove down visitors’ throats which end up being much blander than advertised (if I am ever considered for a job there, I hope they don’t read this line). I was wrong.
I can’t really think of the words to describe how awesome this place is, so instead, here is a picture walk through what I feel, is a top 10 thing to see in Korea.
1) Jeongyangmun
Esentially, the front door.
2) Sabigung
The Royal Palace
Here is the main hall…
Cool looking corridor. On the walls are pictures of the excavation history of Buyeo over the last 3 decades.
I’m always impressed by the detail in Korean buildings.
Dragon patterned tiles…
3) Neungsa Temple
Possibly the most bad-ass wooden pagoda ever. Neungsa is thought to be one of the most important temples of the time. At its height, Baekje actually introduced Buddhism to Japan.
Here is another view…
4) Royal Tomb Park
Given that the actual tombs still exist and are within the same city, you could just visit the real ones… but it is a nice inclusion nonetheless.
They really just look like lumps. Nowhere near as complex and beautiful as the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty.
5) Living Cultural Village
You should really click on the picture to enlarge. Quite incredible.
If you look closely, no cement is used on the walls. The stones are mearly stacked nicely. In some of the more rural places like Sado, they really look like this.
6) Wiryeseong Castle
This is the first palace of King Onjo, founder of Baekje in 18 B.C.E.
He built a pretty sweet wall with a moat!
Their fortress was made of dirt, but hey, it was 2000 years ago.
Inside the Wiryeseong Castle
In front of the throne is this ‘punishment table.’
7) Baekje Historical Museum
It has the history of how they built the complex as well as a bunch of Baekje stuff. Unfortunately, it was closing when we got there so we only skimmed it.
It was some pretty nice miniatures!
8) Not Done Yet
In the true spirit of Korea, they decided to open the complex years before it was fully finished. There is still quite a bit of construction, but not enough to cause an annoyance. It looks like they are planning on putting some guards in and making it even better.
690 million dollars is a huge investment, but personally, I don’t think you can put a price tag on culture. The Baekje Cultural Complex is worth every penny. Check it out if you come to South Korea.
Typically, I don’t shy away from weird food choices. I like to try new things and am always up for a challenge. There is just one type of food that, no matter what, I tend to resist: FISH! I absolutely hate almost all kinds of fish, and despite Japan being my favorite country, I tend to shun most sushi and sashimi, too. For this reason, when a trip to the Noryangjin Fish Market was suggested, I dodged, resisted, and feigned interest while avoiding, all strategies that worked for almost four years. Alas, my luck ran out and I was dragged into the enormous but damp building while kicking and screaming. Okay, maybe my display wasn’t that dramatic.
Just a tease
On the contrary, despite really not liking fish, I love seafood markets. I am probably the worst kind of ‘customer’ though as I am lurking around, taking pictures, and stand in front of stalls for minutes at a time, but am never once tempted to buy anything…that is, until now!
My trip to the Noryangjin Fish Market was… well… pretty damn awesome. One thing I definitely noticed immediately and was the sheer size of the place. It’s HUGE!
What the hell is that?
Another thing that I never gave much thought to was the variety of sea creatures Koreans eat. Tuna and salmon are just the start as you can also buy those weird flat fish with eyes on its side, those hideous blubber fish, and even shark. Come to think of it, it seems like the ugliest things in the ocean hang out around off the Korean peninsula.
Blood and guts everywhere
I am not squeamish at all, but even I took second looks at some of the blood splattered everywhere. Bloody knives and severed shark heads were the tame parts where I was not shocked and took out my camera for some shots. Sidney thought it was a bit too weird though when we saw a completely gutted fish still splashing about vigorously. How in the world was it still alive? One butcher lady motioned that I should take a picture of what she was about to do, then proceeded to drive a pick into a large fish’s brain. Definitely not for weak stomachs.
So what did I buy?
I actually did cave and bought some shrimp. Sidney got herself some salmon sashimi and we had a pretty awesome feast. Although the shrimp came out too salty, even for me, they were still pretty good! Here are some pics of the cooking process and end result.
I hope you liked this tour of the Noryangjin Fish Market and subsequent dinner. How about you? Are there any food markets out there you particularly like? Put them in the comments!