Donghwasa Temple. Daegu, SK

The Donghwasa Temple (동화사), formerly named Yugasa, is located on the south side of the Palgongsan Mountain, near the city of Daegu. The temple was initially built by the monk Geukdal-jonja during King SoJi’s reign in 493, being later reconstructed during King Heungdeok’s reign in 832. Donghwasa literally means ‘Paulownia Blossom Temple’ as, according to the legend, during its reconstruction, wild paulownia trees bloomed around the temple. The current temple structure was built in 1732, although several renovations, additions and landscaping have taken place in the past few decades. By the time I visited the temple, Buddha's Birthday's date was near and the decorations of the temple had already started.

The main temple (Daeungjeon) may be found behind the Bongseoru Hall. The staircase leading to the main temple (the "Nugak Stairs") is decorated on both ways with railings in the shape of dragons and, in the center, with a pair of spherical stones (Yeouiju) often associated with dragons. At the right side of the staircase is the bell pavilion. 

The main temple is segmented into 3 sections at the front and side, and its natural looking pillars are one of its main attractions. The Josa-jeon Hall houses portraits of important monks the temple like Samyeong-daesa and Geukdal. Immediately behind, are the Sanshin-gak and the Chilseong-gak where paintings of Sanshin (The Mountain Spirit) and Chilseong (The Seven Stars) can be found. 

Passing through the Seolbeopjeon Gate (which houses the Four Great Heavenly Kings), you may find the Geumgang Stairs at your right. The Heavenly Kings are four gods, each of whom watches over one cardinal directions of the world. They are said to be the protectors of the world and fighters of evil (as it can be seen inside the Seolbeopjeon Gate), each one of them commanding a legion of supernatural creatures to protect the Dharma.

Walking down the stone stairs, you will come to the huge Seokjoyaksa Yeoraebul. The 30 m statue was created as a prayer for the reunification of Korea and completed in November, 1992. Along with the statue, two equally massive stone pagodas and lanterns measuring impressive 17 and nearly 8 m in height respectively, can be seen. As I visited the temple in March, decorations for Buddha’s Anniversary in May had just started. The National Reunification (Tongil) Temple was built in the 1980s, allowing people to pray inside the temple and seeing Buddha while doing it. Underground, the Seon meditation center can also be visited. 

Hanok Village. Jeonju, SK

For those willing to see more than the westernized Seoul while visiting South Korea, the history and tradition of Jeonju should surely be on their list. Jeonju is an ancient city with a millenium-old history, offering a wide range of time-honored traditions. Of all the cultural gems of Jeonju, perhaps the one gathering most attention is indeed the Jeonju Hanok Village. Designated as one of the top places to visit in 2011, the Jeonju Hanok Village has more than 700 traditional Korean houses, representing the largest and best-preserved cluster of Hanok in Korea. Surprisingly, some of the houses are still home to residents nowadays. While visiting, we may also find a large diversity of traditional culture learning centers, royal museums exhibiting ancient relics, temples, Hanok Living Experience centers as well as several traditional restaurants, coffee shops, all kinds of Korean street food, sports activities and traditional games.

Jeonju is also home to Pansori, a genre of musical storytelling performed by a vocalist and a drummer, originated during the Joseon Dinasty in the 17th century.  UNESCO proclaimed the Pansori tradition a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003. Accordingly, in the Hanok Village a reminder of the Pansori history can be found in detail. 

Jeonju has several important cultural assets and facilities like both Omokdae & Imokdae Pavilions and Jeonju Hyanggyo, a Confucian School. The Gyeonggijeon Shrine was built in the 10th year of King Taejong’s reign (1410) to accommodate the portrait of King Taejo, the founder and first king of the Joseon Dynasty. Inside, the portraits of King Taejo and five successive kings can be found on display. Visitors may as well take a look at the carriage used to move the mortuary tablets.

The impressive Pungnammun Gate was built during the Joseon Dynasty in 1768 and is the last one standing of the original four gates. The gate was partially destroyed during the Japanese invasions of Korea from 1592-1598 and recently rebuilt in 1978.

Catholicism in Korea is equally present inside the Hanok Village. The Jeondong Catholic Church, built using the stones of the demolished Pungnammun Gate, was the place where the first Korean Catholic martyr was executed.

Uam Historical Park. Daejeon, SK

Not many places allow the world to admire the Korean cultural heritage in Daejeon, unfortunately. In one of my first weekends in the city, I visited the Uam Historical Park (우암사적공원), on the eastern edge of the city. The Park celebrates the life and teachings of Uam Song Si-yeol (1607-1689) credited as being one of the greatest Confucian scholars during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897). 

The site includes a wide number of buildings which were closed to the public and a lake frozen by then. Nonetheless, the Historical Park is without a doubt a peaceful and quiet place to visit during the weekend.

Street Food in Korea

South Korea sure has many advantages when it comes to ordering food considering the great food delivery system (Oh hey McDonalds !). But for those willing to have food anywhere, anytime, whenever they realize how hungry they are (배고파~~~), a large variety of cheap snacks and quick bites can be found around here. As most of them are actually particularly delicious, I’ve decided to post a few street food pictures with a brief explanation of each one of them, in some kind of attempt to at least properly introduced the most common choices around here.

Kimbap Probably one of the most common street food that may equally be found in  restaurants. Kimbap are basically rice rolls stuffed with cucumber, carrot and radish, and wrapped in seaweed with a bit of roasted sesame oil. There are many variants according to what one decides to have in it (vegetables, egg, beef, tuna, kimchi...). After picking your own preferences, just roll it in aluminum paper and it’s ready to go !

Odeng First time I had this one was in a soup in a restaurant. To be honest, back then I had no idea what I was eating. It is actually what is usually called boiled fish cake on a stick. Extremely famous as well (especially during winter season), we can have the the fish cake and have a cup of the broth while eating it or at the end. I’ve grown tired of this one and I’m not really having it anymore. Fish cake is also a usual ingredient in a wide variety of dishes or simply served as a seasoned side dish.

Tteokbokki Spicy Rice cake noodles with fish cake are common wherever I go, specially in winter season. The sauce is a bit sweet and spicy, as many variations and toppings can be found. Boiled eggs, beef or seafood can also be served together.

Dakkocchi Juicy chicken skewers grilled and basted with different sauces. I’ve tried the Barbecue sauce (yes, I’m such a loser…), but usually Koreans go for something spicier. From soft-spicy to “Boom!”, you may find different levels of spicy. Just call an ambulance in advance if you're willing to go for the latter.

Dak ddong jib (닭똥집) Chicken Gizzard. Yes, that's it.

Dakbal How I hated seeing people sucking on this back at home... It is nothing less then chicken feet, and it is apparently particularly sinewy and chewy.

Sundae McDonalds ? Ice Cream ?! Not really... Sundae is actually boiled (or steamed) intestine sausage stuffed with rice / sweet potato noodles and blood. A variation may be found with the intestine sausage being stuffed with seafood such as squid or dried pollock.

Grilled Octupus Well, nothing much to say on this one. The octopus is dried first and then crisped over a hot grill.

Takoyaki This one is in fact a Japanese snack that I often find in South Korea as well. A ball-shaped snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special takoyaki pan, typically filled with a bit of diced octopus, tempura scraps, pickled ginger and green onion.

Bundaeggi It was New Year’s Eve, we were near City Hall in Daejeon and of a sudden I felt a hideous smell in the air. One of the girls was particularly disgusted by the smell, but I curiously approached the adjuma that was selling it, to see what it was. Beans maybe? Hm, no... It is actually boiled silkworm larva served in a cup with some soy sauce and sugar. Bundaeggi is in fact a nostalgic snack that has somehow remained popular among the younger generations. I’ve founded it in restaurants as well (although it is not common I might say) served as a side dish. I still hold my breath whenever I see someone selling it... so I highly doubt that one day I’ll be trying this one.

Bongeobbang It took me a few weeks to realize this one didn’t have a fish-flavor. Actually it is not even fish-related. It is a fish shaped bread but stuffed with… red bean paste. They are extremely cheap, and first time we got a full bag of them for 2 euros. Same day, I found a variation with some sweet cream on it as well, even though I’m not sure it is common.

Gul Tare I’ve seen this one in Jeonju for the first time. The guy made it right in front of me, as he kept turning and turning a block of fermented honey into… 16,000 strings. Then it can be stuffed with crushed peanuts, walnut, almond or chocolate.

Hotteok This one is a variety of a sweet dessert. A fried filled Korean pancake enveloping a powdery mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon and occasionally nuts. Usually eaten during the winter season, two variations may be found. The unhealthy one (picture below) is fried in a pool of oil, flipped till it is completely cooked and the powdery mixture inside has melted. The second one is prepared in something like a rotating waffle iron, making it definitely less oily. I had my first one in Jeonju as well. Needless to say, it IS quite good !

Sool ddeok (술떡) Rice wine cake typically served during the summer, as the sweet and sour taste is believed to be refreshing in hot weather.

Seo-gu. Busan, SK

One of the biggest holidays in Korea is the Lunar New Year (Seollal) in which Koreans go back to their hometowns and spend time with their families. Therefore, this foreigner took a chance to visit Busan, which is the second biggest city in Korea during the four-days holiday (sunday included). Being a port city, Busan allowed me to be near the sea once again even though apparently not all Koreans seem to be particularly fascinated by the city and its easily-impregnated smell of fish and sea food. Busan tends to be peculiarly busy during Summer, so I decided to visit the city during Seollal as well.

I went to the Jagalchi Fish Market three days in a row. Unfortunately they were closed since it was a national holiday and I just kept trying and coming back every single day. Even though the market is impressive, seeing "aunties" selling the fresh sea catch outside the market is probably more interesting at the eyes of a tourist like me. The Market is famous for the freshness and the reasonable prices of the catch itself and for the hilarious aunties trying to sell the fish. There are a few "restaurants" right next to the fish market where visitors can have grilled fish, eel, sashimi, whale, shark and probably those little (but not so little) alive octopus that some Koreans like to have... alive (Not me !).

And yes, I got the chance to get some sashimi because fish (and sea food) could not get fresher than that. It's particularly well-known that in Europe it has become cool to have sushi (even if sushi means a piece of cucumber rolled up in rice...), but some of these sea-food-sashimis were INDEED a challenge for me. But I'll have to admit, a very good experience though !

Visiting Seo-gu included (a long walk to) the Songdo Beach as well as the Songdo coastal walk. The beach is a popular escape during summer, after opening in 1913 as Korea’s first official beach and gaining particular popularity in the 1960s for its graceful coastlines. In the 80's nonetheless, the facilities at Songdo Beach gradually deteriorated with the continuous loss of sand from the beach due to acceleration of seafront development and repeated damage from typhoons. The beach underwent remodeling through the execution of a consolidation project for the seashore of Songdo (the first one in Korea), over a 5-year period starting in 2000. Apparently in the years to come, the Seo-gu district office will successively drive a complex marine resort formulation project already considered to be a "potential world-famous 4-season marine tourist attraction in the near future". There might be some exaggeration in this (I actually lol'd to be honest), but Korea surely has been known for its recently continuous accelerated growth and this might be no exception at all.

While desperately searching for a place to eat exploring the area, I also had the chance to find a Buddhist temple that undoubtedly deserved being included in here. The temple's name is Daebeob-sa.

Another attraction is obviously the Busan Tower and the small gardens surrounding it. The tower, considerably less impressive than the ones in Seoul and Daegu, allows nonetheless a clear and magnificent vision (that can be seen below) of the city and its many contrasts.

The impressive Bosu-dong Book Street opened there in late 1950 by a refugee Korean couple selling old American magazines discarded by soldiers. Back then, some people would sell their books when money was needed while others would cheaply buy secondhand books in the market. Especially, at the beginning of semester, the street would be crowded with students looking for good opportunities. Piles upon piles of books up to the ceiling and book series brutally tied up and ready to be sold, defining the narrowest corridor inside the book stores, can nowadays be found in the book market. Messy, chaotic, claustrophobic, the market remains these days, after 64 years, an attraction for tourists and dedicated book lovers.