A cheeky visit to South Korea might not be everybody's cup of tea but following our two week stay, here are some very good reasons to go (we think !):
REASON #1: FOOOOOOD !
Korean food makes Spanish tapas look positively dull. You order a couple of dishes to share between 2 and you are likely get 20 more side dishes filled with some spicy fermented veggies (gimchi), tofu, leek, fried fish, oysters, noodles....your initial reaction might be "but we only ordered two plates...??" don't worry its all part of the Korean hospitality and you certainly will not leave feeling hungry ! But do open up your tastes buds because some of the ingredients you will not even recognise and maaaybe you don't even want to know what you are eating...!
The variety of food you get in Korea is truely astonishing....sooo astonishing we have created a seperate blog entry with photos titled "Glorious food in Korea !"
You can do the fun BBQ carnivore experience (Galbi) which basically means cooking lots of tasty meats, wrapping it in green leaves and washing it down with large quantities of Soju, Korean's version of a weak Vodka and made from sweet potato...absolutely gorgeous and highly addictive. Walk down the streets of Seoul at midday and you will notice lots of red-faced businessmen....they have all been naughty drinking bottles of Soju. And so has Raimon....hahaa
Fish markets in Korea (like Jagalchi in Busan) are some of the best we have seen in Asia and are brilliant places to get carried away eating lots of fresh sashimi (raw fish), crab meat and even octopus that is very much alive. Just make sure you chew the octopus non-stop to prevent the severed tentacles from grabbing your tongue !!
Other typical korean dishes include the mixed rice "bibimbap" which consists of a bowl of rice topped up with colour seasonal vegetables, minced beef and a perfect sunny side up fried egg. Or you can go for a "kongnamul gukbap" - a rice-and-veg dish cooked in a hot stone pot. Are we making you hungry yet !?
REASON #2: Fun times at the JJIMJILBANG
JJIMJILBANG is Korean's version of a traditional thermal spa. They are found in all sizeable towns and cities in Korea and are a perfect reason to stop sightseeing on a cold winters day ! We went to five...we were finally clean after seven months on the road ! Open 24 hours a day they usually include a couple of hot pools, TV within a sauna (!) and some steam rooms. You can even sleep there.....And there is no need to bring the swimming gear along. No need to be embarassed too even if you have lots of naked locals staring at you !
REASON #3: SLEEP IN A TEMPLE.
Yes you can...in over 100 temples in Korea. Our favourite was in Land's End....Nooooo we were not back in the UK but in the SW corner of Korea at the Mihwangsa temple, located among some stunning countryside and with wonderful views of the West Sea and all its islands. But you do have to get up at 4am for the compulsory morning chanting with the monks...
Korean people are super friendly too even if we were semi lost again in translation. Take for example an innocent attempt at hitchhicking to get to a beach on Bogildo Island to find some accommodation. A family of four picked us up, drove us around the island, cooked us some delicious meals, gave us a warm bed for the night and even offered us a packet of delicious dried korean seaweed to take away with us.
Sooo with some brilliant memories, nice stomachs filled with delicious korean food and feeling fit from early morning temple hikes we took another boat from Busan city to Shimonoseki, Japan. On this occasion we had no farewell fireworks like in China but we know that sooner or later we will be back !
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