We left Kashihara by train and travelled to Osaka and Maiko. At Maiko we left the mainland and took a bus across a suspension bridge to Awaji-shima Island then crossed another bridge to Tokoishima on Shikoku Island. The train wound through the Iya Valley to Kochi - this area is proudly called The Tibet of Japan. We found a little Irish Pub and enjoyed a Guinness that night.
The train left Kochi for Yawatahama from where we took a ferry to Usuki. We boarded The Sonic fast train for Fukuoka where we stayed at the JR Kyushu Hotel and were given a special discounted rate because of all the travel we had been doing on the JR train network in Japan. Our room was not only a special rate but it was the best room in the Hotel - on the top floor and actually had 4 rooms in the suite. We took off on foot to explore the area of Fukuoka when we were lured into the Half Penny Irish pub by a group of young Japanese who highly recommended it - stayed out till Midnight and had a great night.
We left Fukuoka/Hakata by the JR Beetle Hydrofoil which makes the crossing from Japan to South Korea in 3 hours. We had no trouble at Busan customs and were given a 90 day permit to visit South Korea. We left Busan by the fast train the following morning and headed up to Dae-jeon where we were met by Khan and his friend Jayook - we actually met Khan in Tibet last year. Khan has been travelling overseas extensively during the past year so it was great to be able to see him. We visited Songnisan National Park which boasts of having the largest bronze Buddah (22 metres) at Beopjusa Temple. Khan's Mother Jo and Father Lee invited us to visit and stay with them in their family home at Zung Pyung Doan Village. The experience of staying with a family in their own home is unsurpassed - to experience how they live first hand makes a visit so much more rewarding. Khan's family live in central western Korea and live in the midst of beautiful farming land - Khan's father is a retired farmer. We went out to a traditional Korean Restaurant for dinner - we sat on the floor at a low table and the meat and vegetables were cooked in stock at the table - delicious!
We drove on to Chungju and from there took an express bus (1st class is only 3 seats wide) to Seoul. Seoul is a city with a population of 10 - 12 million. We headed out to Khan's sister and brother-in-law's Restaurant for dinner - a Korean Barbeque - right up Pat's alley! Our Korean friends Jung & Park also arrived for dinner - we all had a wonderful night together and emptied quite a few bottles of beer. Jung and Park are the two Korean girls we did a 4WD trip with from Tibet via Mt Everest to Nepal last year. After dinner Khan's brother and sister-in-law also invited us to their home for coffee - here we met their two sons Edward and Richard - Edward speaks excellent English and is only 7 years old! After another great night we were driven back to our Hotel in the Tapgol Park area near Insadong.
Pat has mastered the subway system here in Seoul - it is an excellent city to get around in - it is colour coded and is also clearly identified in English. We spend our days walking and exploring the different areas of the city. We took Jung and Park out for dinner to an Australian Restaurant - The Outback where we had some nice juicy steaks. We visited Gyeongbokgung and toured the Grand Palace and the National Folk Museum. At the Palace we saw a very impressive and colourful Changing of the Guard. We walked along the new waterway and explored the Namdaemun Market.
One day we headed out to look at the World Cup Stadium and then decided to walk down to the river - hours later we were still walking and then decided to take a cruise along the river. Later on we explored the small and narrow streets which are alive with people and an innumerable amount of restaurants - restaurants of every description - coffee shops are also popping up everywhere in this huge city.
We headed out early one morning for Sofitel Ambassador Hotel where we were to commence our day tour to the DMZ (DeMilitarised Zone) of Korea - the no man's strip of land between North and South Korea. While we were waiting to leave on our tour we had a cup of coffee in the Hotel's cafe - cost 22,000 Korean Won - that's about $25 Australian for 2 cups of coffee! Our buses headed out - there were only 3 whities on the trip - ourselves and Bas from the Netherlands - the rest of the tour was Japanese. Actually we have been told that 60% of all Korea's tourism comes from Japan and 40% of all Japan's tourism comes from Korea. The two countries are very close in proximity - however their customs and languages are quite different.
The DMZ was created by the Korean Armistice Agreement, which was signed on July 27, 1953. Especially, the Armistice created a 155 mile long Military Demarcation Line (MDL) with a 2 kilometre wide demilitarised zone on each side of it (for a total width of 4 klm), where all military operations and hostile acts ceased. This area is also a valuable natural ecosystem in the DMZ.
We visited Freedom Bridge and the Bridge of No Return, Peace House and Freedom House and Camp Bonifas. In Panmanjon we actually went into the Mac Building which is under the control of the United Nations - we crossed the Military Demarcation Line inside the building and actually had our photos taken in North Korea!! It is an unusual place to visit - guards are standing alert and are ready at all times - some even sleep with their boots on. We looked across at the straight faces of the North Korean soldiers. There is a village inside the DMZ - it is called Daesung Dong Freedom Village - here residents are exempt from federal taxes and the 2 year military draft - farmers earn $82,000 per year tax free. In this village the Korean flag flies at a height of 100 metres - a North Korean flag flies at a height of 160 metres - the North's flag has to be bigger and better - their flag weighs 600 lbs!
Last night we headed out to visit the Seoul Tower which has imposing views across the city of Seoul. We walked up the hill to the cable car and then headed up the mountain. At the top we booked into the revolving restaurant for dinner - we ate Australian steak and enjoyed the beautiful views and the night lights of Seoul.
Today is a National Holiday in Korea to commemorate the men who fought for their country and those who lost their lives in war. Jung, Park and their friend Lee picked us up this morning and we headed out to the Korean Folk Village for a wonderful day out. Tonight we sadly had to say goodbye to the girls until next time - maybe sometime in the future they will come to Australia for a visit. Khan is heading to Australia in a few weeks to study so we'll be catching up with him at home. Tomorrow we are heading out to do a bit of shopping and will leave Seoul on Friday for 3 days in Frankfurt - we then fly to Ireland - the country of my birth.
