CLOSING TIME!

LIKE MY TIME HERE IN KOREA, MY TIME UTILIZING THIS BLOG ALSO COMES TO AN END! THANK YOU TO THE THOUSANDS OF FRIENDS, FAMILY AND STRANGERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WHO HAVE KEPT ME MOTIVATED TO CONTINUE!

BUT DO NOT FEAR BECAUSE EVEN BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS ARE TO COME! I AM ABOUT TO EMBARK ON ANOTHER GREAT JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD SO WILL BE BRINGING YOU 2 NEW BOGS STARTING OCTOBER 1!

HUCKLES HOLIDAY To share the places and experiences I'm having with you.
BITES AND BEER To share the local street food and beverages I am enjoying with you.

SO PLEASE BECOME A FOLLOWER OF THE NEW SITES AND COME WITH ME ON MY JOURNEY!

THANKS!

Buyeo

Sometimes it takes a friend moving to an obscure location in order to have reason to visit. Once there however one can truly discover phenomenal things that would be otherwise undiscovered and easily missed. This was just the case for the Korean west coast city of Buyeo another former capital of the Baekje Dynasty established in 18 BC.

Never on a ‘Bucket List’, Buyeo is certainly something not to be missed on a trip to Korea. Upon arrival you instantly get a small town feel that you normally don’t get while visiting typical urbanite locations in Korea.  Busosanseong makes the perfect place to start a tour of Buyeo for a morning hike in the mountains in the heart of the city packed full of historical sites.  At the top of the mountain is a grand view of the quaint city where the Baengma River carves through it, with a rather dark past where it is said 3000 women jumped to their deaths from the Nakwaam Rock before the Chinese invaded.

Back in the city there are many other points of attraction, from the small but informative Buyeo National Museum, to the extensive Seodong Park, offering additional leisure to the already peaceful and slow paced city. The Gungnamji Pond is certainly the highlight of the park with walkways through seemingly endless lotus filled ponds. Before departing from the tiny intercity bus terminal you can take a glimpse of the tranquil Jeongnisima Temple and its 1500 year old stone pagoda to leave you with some piece of mind before departing the calm historic city and to re-emerge into the hustle and bustle of Korean life.

 

GONGJU

When living in a location where rain is so prevalent, many people will cancel outdoor plans and intend on doing it the following week. This is a terrible mind set to fall victim of as it could be raining for weeks on end, while you forget your plans or simply lose interest. Even with the advancing Typhoon Samba, nothing could stop a last minute trip to the former capital of the Baekje Dynasty in Gongju.

The miniscule city of Gongju rests along the banks of the Guemgang River and is engulfed in misty mountains. Adjacent the river is the major tourist attractions starting with Gongsanseong Fortress. The fort is perched on a hill overlooking the city and surrounded by stone walled fortifications towering over the river. With impressive south, east and west gate entry points the fort offers an interesting and at times treacherously slippery walking trail through the rain.

Nearby the fortress rests the Tomb of King Muryeong and his Queen, which were first excavated and researched in 1971. King Muryeong, born in 461AD, was the 25^th king of the Baekje dynasty and helped defend the dynasty and is accredited with significantly increasing trade with China. The inside of the tomb is off limits to visitors and the grassy hills on top resemble obstacles on a golf course, but their historic significance can overshadow the lack luster appearance.

The artifacts from within are now housed in the spacious Gongju National Museum. Such items on display include gold crowns and jewelry, stone and bronze Buddhist sculptures, weapons and other treasures fit to be buried with a king. Even the dreariest of days can be taken advantage of to see and learn new things. A little rain, when used as motivation, can go a long way.

 

DAEJEON

For over two years Daejeon has been nothing more than one of the stops along the way from the south up to Seoul. With only weeks left in Korea however it was decided to make a visit to this frequently overlooked metropolis to see if it had anything to offer. As the 5th biggest city in Korea it was once the home of the 1993 World Expo and proved to remain a city with some flare.

As soon as one exits the train station on the left there is a large and bustling traditional market displaying herbal medicine, local produce and an abundance of other sights, sounds and smells. After hopping on a local bus and arriving just outside the city rests Sikjangsan Moutain which offers fantastic hiking trails; traversing streams and at times using ropes to scale muddy slopes. At the top is a majestic view overlooking the whole of the city and nearby Daecheonghosa Lake.

While back in the city on a Saturday evening, they have turned it’s nearly 20 year old World Expo Park into a fully functional city gathering grounds. The area hosts a central concert hall where a track for joyous children on tricycles, dates rocking couple wear can skate hand in hand, parents teach children to ride bicycles, and just casual on lookers can enjoy the fresh air and music.

It is surrounded by an arboretum and lined with a river traced by bicycle paths which is spanned by a unique red white and blue bridge leading to the Expo Tower. It is also flanked by the Government Complex, that although with dull architecture still has countless tennis courts, basketball courts and other sporting facilities free for use. In addition the park offers rides, museums and countless other activities; the perfect way to unwind and embrace the leisure’s of city life.

Daejeon remains a city underrated but is deserving of a chance to exploit its numerous attractions, surrounding mountains and unique blend of Korean culture as it rests in the heart of this thriving nation!

Daegu International Body Painting Festival 2012

After living in one place for so long it is easy to fall into a comfortable daily, weekly and monthly groove that at times seems hard to break. Even living in the most seemingly mundane places however, can still offer unique opportunities to be taken advantage of. Such was the case this past weekend in Daegu, South Korea.

Occasionally some obscure attraction or event will come to town and break up the typical flow of weekend life here in Daegu. In this case it was the International Body Painting Festival. With no idea what it was all about, we decided to divert our weekend routine from downtown to Duryu Park.

Once there and with a cold beer in hand we began to investigate the fair ground.  Nothing could have prepared me for the spectacle I was about to see.  Tents full of artists painting their nearly nude canvas’s in the most vibrant and intricate designs I have ever seen on any work of art before. Crowds of photographers with larger than life camera lenses were snapping photos of the naked bodies being adorned with the creative twists of the artists; representing South Korea, China, Japan, Germany, Ukraine, Bulgaria the USA!

As this was occurring on stage there were graffiti contests as well as costume contests on stage where models became lost in the lavish and exotic body paint, dresses, and head wear. Some of them were a bit creepy with their long finger nails reaching out for you, almost like drag queens. The entire event seemed bizarre as it was being held in South Korea, a land of conservancy where typically showing even a shoulder is deemed offensive. 

The event served as the perfect meeting ground for my friends to drink in the sun and have a worldly experience in our cities own back yard. We were among the first to return the following day to do it all over again!