South Korea: The Land Of The Morning Calm

I was very fortunate to join the 2024 Journey to the East during their time in South Korea. Here’s what I discovered…

The Land of Endless Bridges might be more appropriate. I’ve never seen so many bridges: big and small, colourful and drab, long and short, ugly and beautiful. Korea’s endless combination of rivers and mountains dictates the vast number of these structures.

Truth be told, South Korea, the Land of the Morning Calm, isn’t going to knock your socks off with its touristic highlights. There are no Great Pyramids or Eiffel Tower or Angkor Wat. Its attraction is much more subtle and as such, to me, can be much more rewarding. The Koreans do live up to the ‘calm’ in the tour section name. They aren’t looking to impress you, to insist on your attention, to point out how wonderful their country is (sound like anyone you know?). They just get on with their lives and the result is, frankly, amazing. Our mechanic, Jordy from Scotland, on his first trip overseas was overwhelmed. He wondered if, perhaps, the Koreans could come to his country to show them how to go about building a wonderful nation.

Sand scupltures (L), Haeridangil (R)

For example, the end of this section of the Journey to the East Cycling Tour is in the port city of Busan, the country’s second largest metropolis. We stayed in the Haeundae beach area and I wandered along the beach, which was in the midst of a sandcastle building competition, before zigzagging inland. I happened upon an area called Haeridangil where some older buildings had been remodelled as tiny cafes, gift shops, restaurants and galleries. This wasn’t mentioned in the guidebooks but it was just another example of the locals creating something special…and keeping it to themselves.

You will also notice the presence of magpies, the unofficial National Bird – called “gachi” in Korean. It is a symbol of good luck and of good news. In Gyeongju, a wonderful town full of history, they were the only ones allowed on the ancient burial tombs. The rest of us faced 2 years in jail!

Korea is an aging country. In fact, it has one of the lowest, if not the lowest birth rate in the world. Outside of Busan and Seoul, you rarely saw any young people. The older adults are very active however, something the government strongly encourages. Almost every small town we cycled through had a busy Gate Ball Course. Essentially, golf for Korean seniors featuring large plastic golf balls. And it is free! In the countryside it is not uncommon to see older farmers using mobility devices to get out to the fields – hoes/shovels attached!

All hotel rooms have doorbells. No loud barbaric knocking here! And the toilets. And let me tell you about the toilets! I’ll admit, I was scared to try the ‘Enema’ button! It took me a while to notice but there are no 4th floor in hotels. After a little investigation I discovered it was because the character for 4 also translates to death.

Bus stop in the apple orchard region

Apples. I had absolutely no idea apples were a thing in this country. The Korean word for apple is 사과 sagwa which also happens to be the word for ‘apology’. Offered to those you have offended. If they take a bite, your apology is accepted. Our young driver was listening to this explanation grinned and said, “I’ve never offered anyone an apple.”

In Seoul, while visiting the stunning Gyeongbokgung Palace, we were introduced to the concept of ‘hanbok’. It refers to the traditional dress of the Korean people and at most historical sites, there are shops where visitors can rent outfits which they then wear while strolling through the grounds. It made our visit that much more realistic and for the locals, they benefited from free admission if they were dressed up.

The country’s capital has a surprising amount of green space. To me, the most impressive was the Cheonggyecheon. Once a polluted stream paved over for an elevated expressway, it has been beautifully rehabilitated into an 11 km long riverside park through the centre of the city complete with wildlife, public art (including a incredible 190 m long 5000 tile documentary painting that recreates a royal procession) and meditation spaces.

In fact, public art is everywhere. Even in the smaller towns along the route, you would find unexpected streets of murals or striking, and amusing, sculptures, reflecting the people’s rather whimsical sense of humour. Public pride is also illustrated by how clean Korea is. In Seoul, one of the biggest problems was trying to find a garbage can to dispose of any litter but despite their absence you could literally eat off the floor of the subway cars!

Abandoned bunkers (L), Korean War Memorial (R)

Of course, it is important to keep in mind that this beautiful, peaceful country remains in a official state of war with its recalcitrant neighbour to the north. A reminder of the amount of immense effort and sacrifice South Korea has put into building its remarkable society.

No visit to Korea is complete with eating at a traditional BBQ restaurant (한식집[hansikjib]). The hot coals area prepared by hand outside and then delivered to your communal table, along with a ridiculous amount of meat and an endless stream of side dishes. Add in a cold beer or a carafe of the local liquor, soju, and you have perfection!

Nirvana

I’ll add one more personal highlight that I think best illustrates the quirky nature of this fascinating country. On one riding day, we were cycling along happily when out of the corner of our eyes we saw something weird so, of course, we have to stop to explore. In the middle of nowhere, there was a pool of water surrounded by, yes, old car seats in which sat a number of men casting their lines into the water. We sat down in a couple of vacant seats (I think mine was from a Chevy minivan and it still even reclined) and simply watched. Some fishermen were snoozing but every now and then one line would go tight, a fish would be reeled in, and then released back into the water. So peaceful. So strange. So Korea.

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