Cross dressing?

We were fascinated by the number of young couples who dressed the same!! Why?
Often it was just a shirt, but for some it was the entire outfit including shoes and hairstyles, and mobile phones!!

Poseokjeong Pavilion

In this bower, which is an annex of the Silla Kingdom's royal palace, the kings hosted banquets and other entertainment, passing cups around the stone water course which is in the shape of an abalone.

The beach Korean style

BONGGIL BEACH
The sand is quite stoney, and there is virtually no evidence of swimming costumes. They actually bathe up to the knees, fully clothed, then sit under umbrellas in sweltering heat with even more clothing on. We were hot and flustered, just looking at them









This setting was made from upturned beer crates with a board on top and even a little table set on that under a canopy. The heat was really intense on this day but no-one was deterred.
Air- con was sounding more desirable the longer we were there, which wasn't long, as we quickly made a bee line back to the car.

However this setting didn't prepare us for what we saw when we got to Haeundae Beach in Busan, which is the 2nd largest city in South Korea. Over a million people pack the beach on weekends and holidays (which happened to be when we were there!!) And not a grain of sand is left uncovered!!!!!

The mass of sponsored umbrellas as far as the eye could see. Everyone here also used a rubber inflatable ring to wallow in the water. Not much room for air to circulate between the umbrellas, but everyone was having a jolly good time and were well set up in family groups with plenty food and drink.






Oh my goodness!!! A rare shot of swim suits.

I think if the beach ever got like this in Australia you would stay home.











The brollies and bathers came right up to the street, where you could get your floatie reinflated or get a mat to put on the sand. It appeared all the accompaniments were hired as I don't know how you would ever get all the gear to the beach if you had to bring it by bus. It's a pity it was a hazy day as it doesn't give a true picture of the number of people present.

Gyeongju arts and fun

The mascots for Gyeongju...more cutsie kids!!!



































Food at the market

A traditional theatre performance

These duck boats can be hired on the lake, and are great fun to paddle around

Gyeongju

Gyeongju is an ancient city with a splendid history. It is referred to as a museum without walls, because of the tombs and historic relics you can see throughout the city and surrounding areas.
We were approached at the station by a taxi driver who offered to take us to our hotel at Bomun Lake. On the way he suggested that the next day he drove us around to see the sites..this was a godsend after seeing how expensive and limited the tours were going to be. He was also able to get to many places the groups couldn't go, and he was lots of fun....getting out of the car at every location to show us "in-fo-mate-shun". The first day was so good we got him back for a second day...great value.

At Seokgulam temple


















Bulguksa Buddhist priest One of many temples in the grounds.

Tumuli Park with one of 23 funeral mounds
where kings were buried

Cheomseongdae Observatory

The oldest existing astronomical observatory in the orient.

Suwon

We arrived in Suwon in the midst of a typhoon, with torrential rain, very inadequate umbrellas, and equally inappropriate leather shoes which are very difficult to keep dry when travelling. Despite this we battled on.
Andy came over on our first night and took us to explore the back alleys near our hotel to find a traditional Korean restaurant…Bingo!!!!! What a find. A wonderful Suwon BBQ ribs establishment. An abundance of food was delivered to our table which had a BBQ built into it, and we dined on pickled veggies, pork, chicken and other delicacies which one wrapped on lettuce and sesame leaves.
The next day was no better weather wise, but as we had come this far we were not going to be deterred by the downpour, and headed to the tourist office to book onto a Suwon tour. As we were the only ones there it didn’t look promising at first, but fortunately a young Canadian girl arrived so the three of us with a delightful english-speaking guide and driver, set out in a huge bus to see the sights.
The main attraction is the Hwaseong Fortress which has been listed by UNESCO.
It was begun by king Jeongjo (1776-1800) in honour of his deceased father.

Enveloping an area of 130ha of Suwon city in a huge ellipse, the fortress wall runs 5.7km.















After the fortress we had a walk around the set of the most famous soapie in Korea…. the Korean version of “Neighbours”.

Street scene













The market place