Young, a Korean American, living in California saw Globetrotter Kevin’s
Korean itinerary in March’s Globetrotter e-newsletter whilst visiting
Korea for a week with his wife and daughter after a trip to Tibet and
Sichuan, China.

Young has a few hints and tips he’d like to pass on to us, particularly
more interesting as Korea will see a massive influx of tourists as a result
of co-hosting the next Football (Soccer) World Cup with Japan in a few
weeks’ time:

1) Gyeongbokgung is a fine introduction to Korean “old palaces”,
a significant part of Korean cultural heritage. An advantage is that there
are museums on the grounds as you say. But if I were to pick a single
palace for someone with limited time, it would be Changdukgung Palace,
which is a beautiful place, especially the Piwon (Secret Garden) part.
There are also regularly scheduled guided tours in English. 2) In Gyeongju,
most Koreans would consider Sokuram (Stone Grotto) a must see. Last year
I had a privilege of seeing it up close (beyond the glass barrier) thorough
some contact, and it was a great experience to see the details of the
stone carvings. Certainly not as extensive or imposing as the relief in
Angkor Wat which came later, but they offer subtle and balanced beauty
that you see commonly in Korean art.

3) We took a 3-day side trip from Seoul to Busuksa Temple and Andong
in Kyungsangbuk-Do (the province where Gyeongju and also Taegu, one of
the World cup sites are located), made easier with the recent opening
of “Central Highway”. Busuksa is an old Buddhist temple dating
back to the 7th century, and contains the second oldest wooden structure
in Korea. Some people consider this temple to be in the most beautiful
mountainside setting in Korea. Andong is a traditional town with well-preserved
Korean style houses. At the nearby hamlet of Hahoe, we attended the annual
festival commemorating the visit by Queen Elizabeth II 3 years ago. The
highlight is the mask dance that started as a parody on the ruling class
600 years ago. From spring to fall, there is a performance of the dance
every Saturday and Sunday. We also visited the most celebrated of the
old private schools for Confucian scholars, Dosan Seowon, dating back
to 16th century.

4) For me, the fascination of the Korean landscape and culture can be
found in one setting – Buddhist temples. They are typically located
deep in mountains, and many of them have survived the ravage of war throughout
centuries. They are still the central repository of Korean Buddhistic
practice where meditation in the serene setting is an integral part. Try
to visit at least one Korean temple – it is vastly different from a Thai
temple, typically gaudy and metropolitan. The most famous is Bulkuksa
(often overrun with tourists), mentioned in Kevin's itinerary, not
far from Daegu and Ulsan where World Cup matches are to be held. Haeinsa
and Tongdosa in Kyonsangnamdo, near Busan are also well-known.

5) Visitors will find it difficult to communicate in English in Korea,
especially in the countryside, even though we saw the whole country gearing
up for co-hosting of the World Cup. Organized tours will be convenient
but expensive. Independent travellers will need patience and spirit of
adventure, but rewarded with memories of a unique culture, neither Chinese
nor Japanese. Korea is much cheaper than Japan, but significantly more
expensive than most third-world countries, especially in the world-class
city of Seoul.