You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'South Korea' category.
Getting lost in the back streets of Seoul isn’t all that dangerous. It seems that any cold exterior people may portray is for protective purposes only, and possibly as a result of the perpetual threat of all out war that looms heavy. For every abrupt citizen you encounter, another is overtly friendly. Few speak English to any level of coherency; so basic functioning can be a challenge.
The war between North and South Korea never officially ended. When you consider also the present day nuclear capacity and Communist poverty only a few miles over the border, you have the tangible artifacts of history and a potentially disastrous future before your very eyes. Remarkably, it is possible to visit the border (or at least it was), but you must go on an organised tour.
On emerging from your hotel or the underground, one is bombarded and overwhelmed by a series of sensual attacks. The musk of garlic, soy marinated beef and odorous pollution hangs heavy like the dense clouds of brown vaporous smog. You are never more than a few metres away from some foul-smelling restaurant. Even so, we venture out in a mood to discover.
A 6 a.m. return to consciousness and a prompt taxi ride from our Ryokan in central Fukuoka takes us to Hakata Port. Setting off across the sea of Japan, dodging whales and rough seas, our destination is Busan, South Korea’s second city. Taking us there is the hydrofoil oddly known as the “JR Beetle”. The skies are grey, and the waves high. Everything is rather dreary looking.
