Taiwan - 9,779 Miles from Home

Karl and I have started our journey back to the UK with a stop in Taipei, Taiwan. It was my first of six flights with Asian airlines, and luckily I made it without disappearing or any attacks from Russian/Ukrainian missiles. Wish me luck for the rest of them.

We are only here for a few days, just enough time to take in the city. The weather started off good, but soon changed to overcast and intermittent light rain. It’s not ideal, but we’re Brits abroad so regardless of the weather we persisted with shorts, football shirts, and flip-flops.

The view from the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall of the National Concert Hall and the National Theatre. 

The food in Taiwan is great. I didn’t have a bad meal the whole time I was here. One downside to being in a new land is the lack of communication. It may surprise you, but I can’t speak Taiwanese Hokkien, and Karl isn’t much help either. Karl is hardly understood outside of Nottinghamshire. When ordering food I had no idea what I was ordering most of the time. I’d point at pictures and feel like an utter mong. There is an upside to not knowing and it’s that you can’t prejudge the food, there is a chance that I ate a chicken’s anus whilst here but I’ll never know. It tasted delicious and that was good enough for me. Ignorance is bliss.

We went to a few temples; the most famous one in Taipei, Longshan Temple, and a quieter one, Bao’an Temple. They are truly amazing to look at, the design, the finer details - it’s all truly beautiful.

Longshan Temple

Bao'an Temple

We visited the National Palace Museum. ­­­­There are artefacts in the museum are literally from thousands of years ago, but it’s stuff that I just can’t get excited about. Early Chinese books and scriptures, but I can’t read Chinese so it doesn’t really matter how old the book is. Maybe I’m just not an appreciator of Chinese culture. If you’re not into it, you’re not into it. I wish I could be more like Wayne Rooney, he’s a real appreciator of ancient things. My verdict is go to the museum if it’s raining.

The Entrance of the National Palace Museum

A highlight was going to Taipei 101. It’s the 4^th largest building in the world. It seems that only Taipei and Arsenal use 4^th place as an achievement.

Taipei 101 and the only bit of sunshine we had on the trip.

On a final note, the night markets are good, and the beer is adequate. And that pretty much wraps up Taipei. It’s a shame that we weren’t able to take in a day trip or two to see more of Taiwan, but there’s always next time.

Had the City on Lockdown: Closing Thoughts on Korea

My time in Korea has finally concluded. I am setting off on my next adventure which will take me from Seoul to Taipei, Hong Kong, Macau, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Istanbul before a long awaited return to England. Korea has been filled with many new experiences, and good memories, but I thought I’d collate some of the things I will and won’t miss about the Land of the Morning Calm.

Things I Won’t Miss About Korea

1. The Unbearably Hot Summers – Temperatures soar to 40°C in the height of the summer, and added to this blazing heat is 90% humidity. Forget having an ice-cold cider in a pub garden, I’m sweating in my undies standing underneath my air-conditioner.
2. The Unbearably Cold Winters – You’d think that the tropical summer climate would even out to hospitable winters. Wrong! The temperature drops to -20°C. It gets that cold that the hookers on The Hill charge ₩20,000 just to blow your hands.
3. The Food – I’m not talking about Korean food, some of that stuff’s good. I’m talking about foreign food made by Koreans. It costs 3 times as much, and tastes half as good. There’s a reason why the Italians never put sweet potato on a pizza, and the Mexicans haven’t put fermented cabbage in tacos, they do not belong. Stop Korean fusion, please.
4. American English – When learning English as a second language it’s completely reasonable to prefer one dialect to another. But just because I don’t pronounce my R’s like some hillbilly pirate doesn’t mean I’m wrong.
5. The Inability to Queue – The concept of ‘first come, first served’ is foreign to Koreans. The number of times I have been standing in a queue, waiting patiently to be served (like a good Brit should) and an elderly person has cut the line is untold. Rules don’t apply to older people in Korea because they are to be respected. I tried to learn “Oi, coffin dodger! Get to the back of the queue!” in Korean, but I don’t think it translates.
6. Manners and Courtesy – I’m not asking much, just some acknowledgment that I stopped a door from slamming in your face. Or that when I’m standing next to you on the subway platform that you don’t cough up a throatful of phlegm.

It’s not all negative; there are some things I will miss!

Things I Will Miss About Korea

1. The Cost of Living - Everyday essentials are just cheaper here than back home. A pint of beer costs less than £2, and a journey on the subway costs around £0.60. You can save a lot of money over the year from the reduced living expense, which you can then spend on more beer.
2. The Women - Going back to England I will be going cold turkey. Asian women are like a drug, giving up heroin would be easier. I'm heading home to a land of white women. Who wants them? I mean, apart from other white guys, black guys, Asian guys, and lesbians...I suppose anyone without an Asian fetish.
3. Honesty - Korea is by far the most honest country I have visited. I experienced no threat from Koreans, they are too honest to deceive and steal. In fact, the dodgiest people in Korea are the foreigners. It will take me a while to adjust back to not trusting people.
4. Being Different - I'm a Daily Mail nightmare. I'm a liberal, foreign immigrant, that doesn't speak the local language, and muslim. OK, that last one isn't true, but the rest are. Foreigners are treated well in Korea, I'm treated as a commodity here. Locals want to talk to me and be my friend, whereas in the UK I'm just another emotionally repressed, moaning, overly polite, pessimistic Brit. Although, I like being that too.
5. The Internet Speed - According to some reports, South Korea has the world's fastest average download speed. There's nothing more infuriating than a slow internet connection. Did you know that 57% of domestic abuse in the UK happened as a result of slow internet connections? OK, I made that statistic up, but it's believable, isn't it? Despite having the luxury of the world's fastest download speed adult content is illegal in Korea. So it's very much a win-lose situation.
6. FFs - It's a quaint club in Hongdae, Seoul. We go there every Saturday and it's a fun place, but it's full of loose women. My own problem with that is venereal disease, which is disabilitating, especially for a soldier. And it's irresponsible to the rest of your unit as well, right. You've been under attack for days, there's a soldier down, he's wounded, gangrene's setting in, 'who's used all the penicillin?' 'Oh, Karl Egan sir, he's got knobrot off some tart'
7. Teaching - It was a job that I had never tried before and never really saw myself doing, but I'm glad I tried it. For the most part it was a great experience, teaching adults is a joy, and the kids are a lot of fun. Sure, you have days with the kids when you start to justify child abuse, but that's part of the challenge. If you're considering teaching abroad you should.
8. The People - I met some great new friends, and some average ones too. Who knows if I'll see them again, but they made my Korean journey all the more fun.

The original gang who helped me settle quickly in Korea.

Fried Chicken Fridays (minus Johnny, I couldn't find one of us all together!)

The South Africans from down south

Two more Saffas.

The Korea Burn Gang

My mong partner in crime

A few of the little bastards

There's Too Much On Display at a Jjimjilbang

A jjimjilbang is a spa/bath house, they are very common in Korea. Jjimjilbangs are always touted as a tourist “must do” but, I never really got round to it, until this week.

The first time I became aware of a jjimjilbang was around a year ago when I was sitting in a pub in Bupyeong with Toner and James. The conversation got onto jjimjilbangs, and due to my lack of insight I asked, “what’s a jimjil-thing?” James went on to explain and, James being James, suggested that we went to one there and then.

“Come on, guys! You’re in Korea, you’ve got to try these things!” James probably said. Josh and I passed on his offer and, for once, we got the better of James’ positivity and enthusiasm for life.

My second interaction with a jjimjilbang was when I was innocently looking for a barbershop, to get my hair cut. I found a spinning barber pole and went inside. The “barbershop” was in a basement, I walked down the stairs and was greeted by an old lady who handed me a towel and charged me ₩7,000 up front. Slightly confused by the towel I entered anyway. I was forced to take my shoes off upon entry and was shown to a row of lockers. I was very confused at this stage. As I stood trying to work out this strange Korean barber custom a naked Korean man walked past me with the biggest bush I’d ever seen. “Oh crumbs, I’m in a jjimjilbang.” Well, I had already paid by that stage, I may as well get my haircut.

I wandered over to the barber and said “haircut?” He said yes, and showed me over to the lockers again. I tried my best to explain that I just wanted a haircut but, for the third time he ushered me to the lockers to get undressed. Eventually, I just sat down in the barber’s chair and he took the hint. As I sat in the chair I saw something I had never seen before whilst getting my hair cut. Normally, I stare at myself in the mirror and mentally criticise the job the barber is doing, but this time was different. This time I saw multiple naked men in the mirror as they undressed to enter the spa. Knob after knob wandered past catching my attention each time. I paid and left.

Anyway, I decided to give the jjimjilbang experience a try.

I went to the Dragon Hill Spa in Yongsan, one of the more elaborate jjimjilbangs in Seoul. First of all I went to the locker room, stripped off and changed into the casual pyjamas that are given to you upon arrival. I walked around the common areas, this specific jjimjilbang had it all. There were noraebangs (karaoke rooms), a video game arcade, a restaurant, a PC room, screen golf, a cinema, as well as the more traditional saunas, and ice rooms. I’m not such a fan of saunas and ice rooms. When it was summer I’d complain about the heat, but there I was voluntarily going into an uncomfortable room. And now it’s currently winter, it’s 0°C outside and I’m wrapped up with a warm coat, hat, and gloves, but I’ve paid to go to a place to put on pyjamas, and sit in a freezer encouraging frostbite. They don’t make sense to me. 

I went to the wash room. It was very strange. James said the being naked thing is normal, which I suppose amongst other men it is, but there were children about. Being white and having a beard in Asia most people already assume that I'm a paedophile. To Asians there's no difference between me and Gary Glitter. Being naked around children was weird. Not only that to get from the changing room to the showers you had to walk through a snack bar and past the kids TV area. Being a teacher I'm used to children laughing at me but not normally when I'm naked, it was like a living nightmare.

In the wash room I sat at the waist height taps and scrubbed myself down using the communal soap. Ahh, the communal soap. How many sets of balls have been cleaned with that one bar? You can add another set to the tally. After the rinse I got in the Jacuzzi. I've been in many Jacuzzis in my time, but this was the first time I'd been in one naked with 6 elderly Korean men. As I sat there the hordes of naked boys came in. I realised that it’s less uncomfortable to be naked around old men than young boys.

An encouraged experience at the jjimjilbang is the body scrub. During this process someone takes a flannel and takes all the dead skin off your body. Something I didn’t realise until yesterday was how sensitive your skin is until someone takes a layer of it off with a Brillo Pad. I had a scab on my shoulder when I went in there. Had. Skin grows back, doesn’t it?

Sometimes in my life I consider the choices that I have made and assess where I am and what I’m doing. However bad life can get for me I don't think it will be as bad as the male body scrubber in a jjimjilbang. He charges ₩15,000 to rub old men down (and even does a discount for children (see, I told you it's weird)). That's around £9. Not even Thai ladyboys charge that little...so I've been told. The guy that gave me a rub down (not that kind) certainly wasn’t shy, his Brillo Pad covered every inch of my body and entered every crevice. I suppose I got my money’s worth.

My final verdict on jjimjilbangs is that I did feel relaxed, my skin was incredibly soft after the body scrub, and 24 hours later my it has started to grow back. So if you’re into relaxation and naked children then this is a Korean experience you must not miss. 

The comedian Conan O'Brien visited a jjimjilbang recently. You can watch his analysis of it below.

Korean Delicacies at Gwangjang Market, and Eating Dog (Bosintang)

A few months ago I went with a ‘friend’ to Gwangjang Market in Seoul. It’s a pretty standard market with a huge array of Korean delicacies, of which I tried some of them. All the food that we ate was washed down with beer and soju - it's the Korean way. 

One of the more normal dishes I tried at Gwangjang was yukhoe. Yukhoe is seasoned raw ground beef topped with a raw egg, or as it’s more commonly known in other countries as ‘E.coli topped with salmonella’. The taste was uninspiring, I tried to explain to the waiter that both ingredients tasted better when cooked, but there must have been a language barrier. I read after I had eaten it that in 2011, 5 Japanese people died and 35 were hospitalised after eating yukhoe. Jamie Oliver can say what he likes about the standard of school dinners in the UK, but 10 years of eating Turkey Twizzlers probably saved my life. My stomach could probably fight off a pint of bleach without much hassle.

Some men like breast, others like legs, but the foot fetish guys are always the weirdest – and the same applies for chicken. Dakbal, as it’s known in Korea, is a dish of spicy chicken feet. The look and sound horrific but in actuality they taste OK. The initial thought of popping one in your mouth is the worst part, but my question is ‘why bother?’ When there are so many better parts to eat; a succulent breast, a tender thigh, I was struggling to think of a reason to eat chewy, meatless feet. It was an experience that I shall not repeat.

The waste not, want not culture of Korean food doesn’t stop with chicken feet, the Koreans also enjoy jokbal which is a dish consisting of pig trotters cooked in soy sauce. I tried this dish in Gwangjang Market and it left me unfulfilled. Friends had told me prior that it was delicious, a delight not to be missed. Well, what I ate was disgusting. It was extremely tough to chew, pretty much all skin, and served cold. I was told after that this is not how it should have been served. So I’ve literally experienced the worst kind of jokbal available.

Beondegi is a dish that I haven’t been brave enough to try. The main reason being that beondegi is silkworms and they smell exactly as you’d imagine a steamed bowl of silkworms would smell. Fucking rank. It’s another case of ‘why?’ I’m sure that when food supplies were scarce you had to make do with what food was available, but nowadays Korea has one of the strongest economies in the world. Even Bear Grylls would turn his nose up at beondegi. 

And, probably by far, the most commonly known food to come from Korea, is of course dog soup (bosintang). There is a lot of controversy regarding the consumption of dog meat, and many state that it is technically illegal to eat. So, for the record I definitely did not eat bosintang on the 23^rd February around 4pm, but if a fictional person in Korea were to go to a restaurant and eat bosintang it might look like this (right).

If one were to eat it, they might say that it tastes like low grade beef, and that it's as chewy as a piece of leather, and that it's likely that they'll pick it out of their teeth for a week. But, who actually knows? That's just the imaginary opinion of a fictitious person. 

I won't be rushing out to get another bowl anytime soon...I mean that person won't be rushing out. But, as the saying goes "it could be worse, you could be Scouse, eating rats in your council house".

I'm just reporting on this, but leave me alone with your pet at your own risk. 

Often in my classes my students are all too happy to tell me that they once visited England and “experienced” British cuisine. They say it’s salty and horrible. Food is subjective, and in my personal opinion I’d much rather have a Sunday roast than bulgogi, and I’d share a bucket of vindaloo with Fat Les rather than eat chicken feet, but each to their own. 

Politics and Bloodshed go Hand in Hand

The 13th of December marked a full year in the Republic of Korea for The Tefl-on Don, and as some of you may already know I have decided to extend my stay for another 2 months. So, I plan to be back in beaming Bedford sometime in March. 

Last weekend we went to Cheong Wa Dae, also known as The Blue House. Cheong Wa Dae is the office and residence of the Korean head of state. We booked the tour three months in advance and I was truly looking forward to it, to be inside such a significant building where the country is run would be inspiring. In reality you don’t go inside the building, you hardly even get close to it. Considering it is called the Cheong Wa Dae Tour it is very disappointing and misleading, it should be called the Cheong Wa Dae Garden Tour. Had I known this I would have been less interested, especially as it was -5°C in the middle of December.

The sub-zero freezing tour went like this… “This is a 170-year-old tree”. Don’t care. “This is where the former presidential office once stood”. Not concerned. “This is where foreign dignitaries stay when on official duty in Korea”. I don’t have any flying fucks to give. It was far too cold for sightseeing.

The following day we went to watch ROAD FC, or Korean UFC to you and I. Now, this was interesting. Violence, ring girls, and sipping Poju (Powerade and Soju) made for an excellent Sunday evening, and all the better as we got free tickets (thanks Susie!).

This was my first experience of UFC. I rather enjoy boxing, but this sport is different. It is so much more violent and seems to lack concern for the fighters’ safety in my opinion. In boxing it seems that the referee is willing to intervene quicker, preventing any unnecessary blows to the head. Throughout the many fights we saw on Sunday evening the fighters were allowed to knock a fighter to the floor (some seemed unconscious) and they are allowed to continue punching them on the head until the ref stops the fight. I didn’t like this aspect.

Fighters would enter the stage to their own choice of music, most played high tempo rap or rock songs to build anticipation. But my favourite fighter came out to Westlife’s version of You Raise Me Up. It was hardly intimidating but he won.

The best part of the evening was the women. As if there wasn’t enough testosterone in the bodies of every emasculated man in the audience, the women caused quite a stir.

And speaking of women, allow me to introduce you to Song Ga-Yeon. She is a ROAD FC fighter.

With her involved I would enjoy being her punching bag. The beating that I’d taken would definitely be worth the semi-naked contact in an enclosed ring. 

Until next time...

The DMZ: The Most Dangerous Place on Earth

The Korean Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) is known to be “the most dangerous place on earth”. OK, that seems an exaggeration; I can’t help but think central Africa, the Gaza Strip, or Middle Eastern war zones where people are beheaded are slightly more dangerous. The DMZ is a place where any idiot with a camera, such as I, can stroll around unharmed. Sure, some people have been shot here, but that doesn’t make it the most dangerous. A more accurate description would be ‘the most heavily guarded’. I’d rather take my chances here at the DMZ than on a night out in Luton.

The tour starts at the DMZ Observatory Post, here you can look into North Korea. The main thing you can see is Kijong-dong, a village in the North known as Peace Village, but outsiders know it as Propaganda Village. This is a fake village where propaganda about the country’s great leader, and music will play for 20 hours a day. It is all an act as no one lives in the village, as you can see doors and windows painted on to the buildings. In the 1980s the South Koreans erected a flagpole on their side of the border, only to be outdone by the North as they built a taller one soon after.

The view of North Korea from the DMZ Observatory Post. It's difficult to tell from the picture but the trees stop suddenly on the North side of the border. This is to make it easier to spot any potential escapees to the South.

Propaganda Village, a fake village visible from the South.

The next stop on our tour was to look at the third infiltration tunnel that was discovered by South Korean soldiers in 1978. The North used dynamite to hollow out a tunnel, although they claim they were looking for coal…sure. We entered the tunnel (not an innuendo), and it was, erm, a tunnel. Long, dark, and narrow. Like most tunnels.

Soon after we went to Dorasan Station, a station that once connected the two divided countries for all of… 1 year. As tensions grew once again they shut it down. The station was used to transport materials and goods to and from Kaesong Industrial Region (a joint business venture by both countries, the cheap labour of the North is utilised by major companies from the South).

Finally, we visited the Joint Security Area (JSA), an area on the DMZ that is used to host negotiations between the two countries and the United Nations. This room is on the border, quite literally half of the room in the Republic of Korea (South) and the other half in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North). Prior to entering this room we were briefed on the risks and we signed our lives away in expected fashion. We were under the control of a 20-year-old American soldier, who openly said “I don’t care if I cause open fire, but y’all might not like it” and “I don’t read books, I only read magazines”, this was the guy in charge. 

We stepped out onto the steps of Freedom House; we looked across the JSA buildings, the North and South soldiers in stand-off, and Panmungak (the main North Korean building). There was a huge amount of tension, none of the tour group dared to speak; it was eerie, and dangerous. Apparently, when out in the open where we were North Korean snipers are aiming directly at us, anticipating any provocation.

We went into the JSA building where there were South Korean soldiers on duty. They stood motionless wearing sunglasses (a scare tactic to intimidate the Northern soldiers). They are all highly trained in Taekwondo, and this was as close as I was willing to get to him.

The seemingly insignificant picture of the slabs on the ground (above) do have significance. The concrete slabs represent the border line between the countries, and standing to the left of the slabs shows that I have crossed the border into North Korea. That’s something off the bucket list!

We were in the JSA room for 5-10 minutes before we were ushered away.

The last stop before heading back to Seoul was at the Bridge of No Return, a bridge used for prisoner exchanges after the cease-fire in 1953. Prisoners of war were allowed to choose whether to stay in the country of their capture or cross the bridge to the other country, once a decision was made they could never return, hence the really imaginative name.

The DMZ tour was very interesting; although very touristy there are plenty of interesting sites of the formed of the divide. Whether you know a lot about the Korean conflict or not I would still recommend it. If you don’t know much about the North Koreans, allow me to summarise. North Korea hate all Americans, with the exception of the eccentric, alcoholic, spouse beating, transvestite that is Dennis Rodman. He’s the one they accept. If that doesn’t show how fucked up their county is then nothing will. 

Gyeongju: The Museum Without Walls and the Korean Love Motel

Angie and I went away for the weekend to Gyeongju. Gyeongju is known as the “museum without walls” and was the capital of the Silla dynasty for almost 1,000 years (57 BC – 935 AD). During Korea's many conflicts with Japan and the North a lot of their historical sites have been damaged or destroyed. In some cases structures have been rebuilt, this reconstruction period took place in the 70s and 80s, meaning that the authenticity is lost slightly. In contrast, the many sites in Gyeongju were untouched during these battles – they’re the real McCoy. It was to be a weekend retreat away from the smog and the bustle of city life in Seoul.

Upon arrival we walked around the Daereungwon Tomb Complex, it was the place where all the former kings of Silla were buried many years ago. The complex has been well preserved, and with the foliage changing colour it was an enjoyable wander. Having said that, it is essentially a glorified graveyard. One of the tombs has been excavated, and is open to the public were you will see historical artefacts, and the place where the king was laid to rest. You're in and out of this public hole in about 10 minutes – a lot like the girls on Geordie Shore.

Our walk soon took us to the Cheomseongdae Observatory. Cheomseongdae means 'star-gazing tower' in Korean (according to Wikipedia). Built in 7^th century, it is the oldest observatory in East Asia. It is a reflection of how developed the people of Silla were.

Our tour of Gyeongju continued to the Anapji Pond. An artificial pond and garden built in the 7^th century. We arrived just before sunset, and it really was beautiful. The water was still and peaceful, and as the sun went down and the lights came on you could see a perfect reflection of the pavilion on the water. After the sun had descended the area became manic, all the other tourists showed up in their thousands. The last time so many people showed up to take pictures of a pool of water was when Michael Barrymore last had a party.

With a day of sightseeing behind us we looked for a room for the night. That night was to become my first experience of a Korean love motel. These motels are very popular in Korea, young adults will continue to live at home with their parents until they are married, this inevitably leaves little time at home for private encounters. In Gyeongju, there seemed to be very few places available so the motel had to suffice.

We paid for the room up front, a very modest ₩40,000 (£24), this included a “welcome package” which comprised condoms and toothbrushes - preventing pregnancy and plaque are high on every love motels’ agenda. The stairway was dark, only lit by the light from the emergency exit signs. The third floor was brighter than the others as it was lit by a ceiling light which had a red light shade to reinforce the cliché. We walked past a vending machine which had sold out of condoms. Classy.

The first impressions of our room were overwhelming; it was a mixture of astonishment, dissatisfaction, and hesitancy. The décor looked something out of Eastern Europe in the 1960s. It looked clean but felt dirty, and seedy. Dirty like a Law and Order: SVU crime scene, and seedy like a job interview with Peter Stringfellow. Luckily, I left my UV light at home. I had heard a few rumours about love motels in Korea, one was of the free dirty porn channels. I turned on the TV only to be disappointed - 3 channels and no porn. Another rumour I had heard was that you can ask for a dirty movie at the front desk, I suppose that’s what the VCR player was for, but I wasn’t brave enough to ask. It was far from glamorous but it was a place for the night.

The next day we decided to first check out the World Culture Expo Park, the main feature being Gyeongju Tower which has a nine-story pagoda cut out in the middle, this is homage to the Hwangnyongsa Temple pagoda which was destroyed by the Mongolians in 1238. It was the tallest structure in the world at the time, reaching a height of 80m.

Soon after we made our way to Bulguksa Temple, the head temple of Korean Buddhism, and is considered by many to be the best. The initial building of the temple started in 528, it is vast and incredibly impressive. But with this title it has become a bit of a tourist trap. There were hundreds, if not thousands of people there, which killed the vibe. I’m no Buddhist monk but I was under the impression that the temples are meant to be peaceful, tranquil places for prayer and meditation, instead Bulguksa is filled with crowds, crying children, slow walking tour groups, tour group leaders with PA systems, and constant queues because some twat is taking another selfie. It says it all that the temple has a souvenir shop. I’m not saying don’t go to Bulguksa, but I would encourage you not to go on a weekend. If Buddist temples are your thing then go to a smaller, less popular one. There you will get a true, authentic experience, you will get the place to yourself, and you’ll see monks in their daily routine. You will not see this at Bulguksa.

Sunday was wrapped up with a short visit to Seokguram Grotto, 4 miles up the mountain from Bulguksa. A giant stone Buddha has been carved from a single rock. An impressive feat but it wasn’t something I could truly admire as a non-Buddhist. I could only appreciate it for its artistic value, which took all of about 2 minutes. If you’ve seen a Buddha statue before then don’t bother going to Seokguram Grotto. There I just save you a trip.

It would have been nice to stay another day, there were some other places I wanted to see but after a while it started to feel very similar. Temple, field, shrine, pavilion. Temple, field, shrine, pavilion. Returning to Seoul where there is civilisation, where restaurants aren’t empty after 9:30pm, and you don’t have to wait 20 minutes to get a taxi was nice. Gyeongju is a nice escape, but I am thoroughly glad to be living in a city.