Travel
Monday, 29 December 2008 10:12
Written by Peter Gyulay

---

A historic walk through Korea’s ancient city of Jeonju

In a back corner of South Korea, lying deep in the shadow of Seoul’s ever-changing modernity, is the ancient city of Jeonju. Many parts of this city quiver with history and take the walking wanderer back in time. Jeonju’s most famous dish, bibimbap, is a ‘mix’ of pleasant things and sums up Jeonju perfectly as a place. Its preserved history stands side by side with the many newfangled amenities.

The Joseon Dynasty, the last dynasty in power in Korea, was founded by Yi Seonggye, who hailed from Jeonju. He first gained fame for repelling Japanese pirates off the coast of Korea. He then overthrew the king in a coup, poisoned the next king, and seized the throne. This, the longest Confucian ruling dynasty, lasted over five centuries.

We visited historic Jeonju during Seol, the Lunar New Year. Even though the city has a population of 650,000, the streets were virtually empty. Families communed indoors, but when we passed someone we would do our best to wish them Happy New Year Korean-style; “say hay boke-mahn he pah du say oh.”

After searching we found Pungnammun, the gate and last remaining section of Jeonju’s ancient city wall, then weaved our way through the small streets and stumbled upon the historic shrine named Gyeonggijeon, built in 1410. As the air grew cooler and the sunlight faded, we walked across the street and found a café. The interior had a cozy, earthy warmth, wooden décor and offered a variety of Korean beverages such as yuja-cha or sweetened orange rind tea.

Stepping out into the dark, we realized we needed to find some accommodation, so settled for a “love motel” which, as you might imagine, is for those who want to get away from the family home and get some physical time. Despite the seedy connotations, it was a cheap option and surprisingly clean.

The next day, we caught a taxi to Maisan otherwise known as Horse Ear Mountain. Near the entrance to the hike was a small Buddhist Temple painted in gold and glowing in the morning light. The priest spoke English and was very welcoming; he showed us a one thousand year-old Buddhist relic and later fed us delicious Korean dried persimmons.

We continued our hike and eventually came to the much anticipated stone-stacked masterpieces. In the early 1900s, a hermit named Yi Kap-ryong spent ten years building eighty huge stone pagodas, as a prayer for peace. Some of the majestic mounds are ten meters high. Further up the mountain is the Tapsa Temple.

It was a misty and drizzly day, which only accentuated the historical buildings protruding out from the mists of time. While strolling through the Hanok village, our eyes were continually drawn up, mesmerized by the curved tiled rooftops. Amidst the humble and unassuming surroundings of the small town, we soaked up the history of Jeonju and stood in awe as its antiquity slowly came alive.

< Prev		Next >