Busan and Gyeongju

We arrived in Busan in the morning to be picked up once again by our trusty guide Mr J. Our tour began in the city, which from a distance looks like a collection of lego blocks spilling out of the mountains. Our car climbed its way up the hill through the narrow streets of the erewhile poor quarters, where many tiny houses were built on the tombstones of Japanese settlers. As we learned in a photo exhibition towards the top of the hill, the quarters were settled by refugees. Masses of people migrated South, particularly to Busan, when US, UN and South Korean forces were pushed out of the North by China – many had in fact begged US ships to allow them on board, which they did unwillingly after dumping their arms into the sea to make space. Upon their arrival in Busan, the refugees settled on the outskirts of the city to eke out a living in awful conditions.

 The rooftops of Busan

 Busan

 A house built on tombstones

 Narrow alleyways

 A mural of refugees

A Busan rooftop

We had lunch in a Korean barbecue place on the South, which I weathered by eating some vegetarian ramen. My dad, though, was in seventh heaven, rejoicing finally in some big chunks of meat. Our adventures in South Korea have been tough on both of us, as it is a place poor in vegetarian cuisine, leaving space for nothing but bad compromises.

Before leaving the city proper, we made a quick stop at a local beach.

 Haeundae Beach

 Opposite view from Haeundae

The way to the beach

Outside the city of Busan is the Haedong Yonggungsa, a very scenic temple nestled on the rocky western coast. I believe that this temple too was at some point destroyed by the Japanese, but even so it has been reconstructed with skill. Particularly remarkable are the colourful wooden dragons on the gates and overlooking building entrances.

 A pagoda in front of Haedong Yonggungsa

 A dragon at Haedong Yonggungsa's gate

 Buddha's head above the entrance

 A woman pouring water on baby Buddha for good luck

 Budai

 A stele

 Little stone Buddhist statues

 Stone towers above the sea

 A dragon head above a building entrance

 Reclining Buddha

 Budai from the side

 A stone pagoda above the sea

 Haedong Yonggungsa

 Golden Buddhist statue

Haedong Yonggungsa

From Busan, we headed to Gyeongju, the millennium-long capital of the Silla Kingdom. Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms battling for supremacy over the Korean peninsula between the years 57 BCE and 668 CE. With the help of the Tang Dynasty, Silla eventually prevailed over the rival kingdoms of Goguryeo and Baekje. Only in 918 did the new dynasty of Goryeo defeat Silla, conquer the remaining outposts of the rival kingdoms, and establish what are more or less Korea’s present boundaries.

Our last two stops of the day were Tumuli Park (Tumuli-gongwon) and the Gyeongju National Museum. Tumuli Park houses 23 impressive tombs of Silla monarchs and other royal family members. From the outside, they are very round, grassy hills, yet a video at Cheonmachong – the only accessible tomb inside – showed us that at the very centre of each hillock is a wooden burial chamber protected by a layer of stones. At the Gyeongju National Museum, we saw a range of items from daily life, like pottery and weapons. There were also a few impressive religious  objects, mostly Buddhist statues.  

 A grave at Tumuli Park

 A grove in Tumuli Park

 Another grave below Gyeongju's mountains

 Monkey guardian

 A replica of a statue at Seogkuram

 Another piece of Buddhist art

 Buddha's head at Gyeongju National Museum

A statue of Buddha

Finding dinner in the evening was a challenge. Without our guide, we gesticulated our way through an entire conversation with a kindly old waitress, trying to find the appropriate combination of simple words or actions to convey the idea of vegetarianism. The magic charm, my dad found, was to grab a particularly fleshy part of his arm and point to it with a vehement “no.”