• World Vagabonding
  • World Vagabonding

Chapter 2

📖 This chapter is about going from Hong Kong back to Toronto by buses 🚌 , trains 🚂 and boats 🚤 Les mer
  • Day 53: On the way to Jeju Island

    26. februar 2025, Sør-Korea ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    The ferry is almost without any seating. We bought the cheapest tickets, but they assign all passengers in different room. And the room is without any seatings. There were at least 10 people in a small room. So we decided to sit outside the whole way and we survived in our 2.5 hours journey.Les mer

  • Day 54: Mt. Hallasan National Park

    27. februar 2025, Sør-Korea ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    With a height of 1950m, Mt. Hallasan is the highest mountain in South Korea. Mt. Hallasan means ‘the mountain high enough to reach the milky way’. We attempted to reach the top but unfortunately the top was still full of snow and was not open yet. The hiking route in the lower part was still very icy. Therefore, we decided to do a short hike and kept our day slow.Les mer

  • Day 55: Jeju World Natural Heritage Ctr

    28. februar 2025, Sør-Korea ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    We didn’t plan to visit here at first. But then we saw some google reviews about the guided tour held by the Natural Heritage Centre around the volcanic area, so we thought to drop by and take a look. There were 3 hiking routes to choose from and the whole area is restricted by guided tour only. We did the longest one and even though the guided tour is in Korean only, we enjoyed the hike and learn more about the volcanic formation on the island.Les mer

  • Day 55: Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone

    28. februar 2025, Sør-Korea

    Seongsan Ilchulbong is a tuff cone formed about five thousand years ago by an eruption in its shallow sea. The tuff cone was an island shortly after the eruption, but became smaller after thousands of years of wave erosion. The eroded materials were transported southwestward and deposited along the eastern shore of Jeju Island. The tuff cone became eventually connected with the main island by a tombolo, resulting in the present coastal landscape. It is quite a touristy place. When we were there, we thought that we were in Scotland as the full picture looks very much like the Scottish landscape.Les mer

  • Day 56: Leaving Jeju Island

    1. mars 2025, Sør-Korea

    Our short trip to Jeju Island came to an end. We woke up super early to catch the ferry back to Wando. However, it was a surprising morning. It was the first time we went to the wrong ferry terminal. We met a girl, Marine, in our hostel in the morning and she was heading to the ferry terminal on foot. We talked to her a bit and we said we would be taking the bus to the ferry terminal. When we arrived at the ‘terminal’ we saw her there, so we waited together for the ticket box to open. But as the clock was ticking, we thought that something was not right as the ticket office was not open. When we asked the staff, they said that our ferry was departing from the ‘international ferry terminal’ instead of the ‘coastal terminal’. Who would think that the ferry would depart from the ‘international ferry terminal’ when it was still traveling within South Korea only!!! It took us 15-20 mins to walk to the right terminal. Lucky that the ferry was just boarding, so we (all 3 of us) eventually managed to get on the boat! (We did not take any footage or pictures as we were in a rush haha)Les mer

  • Day 58:Provisional Capital Memorial Hall

    3. mars 2025, Sør-Korea

    This red brick building was constructed between 1923 and 1925 by the Japanese Government-General of Korea during the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945). It was initially designed as a hospital, but upon the relocation of the provincial capital from Jinju to Busan in 1925, it ultimately became the Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Office. During the Korean War (1950-1953),
    Busan was made the provisional capital of the Republic of Korea, and this building became the temporary home of major goverment departments. After the armistice in ,1953, the building resumed its function as the Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Office until 1983, when it became the Busan District Court and
    Prosecutor's Office. The building has served as Seokdang Museum of Dong-A
    University since 2009.

    The building, consisting of two above-ground floors, one basement, and one
    loft, features a symmetrical design with a protruding porch at the center. The
    imposing vertical windows arranged in long rows give off a grand and authoritative impression.

    The Government Building of the Provisional. Capital in Busan is considered a representative building that preserves the political and social changes of modern Korean history. Above all, it hold great significance as the political and administrative center of the Republic of Korea during the Korean War.
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  • Day 58: Tombstone Culture Village

    3. mars 2025, Sør-Korea ⋅ 🌬 6 °C

    Ami-dong Tombstone Culture Village! It was built in the place of the Japanese public cemetery in Japanese colonial era, where people who fled during the Korean War built houses using the tombstones as retaining walls and foundation stones. As a result, is was named Tombstone Culture Village.

    Now, it is a place that contains the whole process from a painful history to transforming into a beautiful cultural village.
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  • Day 59: Haeinsa

    4. mars 2025, Sør-Korea ⋅ ❄️ 1 °C

    Haeinsa was founded on the Mt. Gaya area in 802 during the Unified Silla period by two eminent masters, Sunung and Ijeong. The monastery takes its name from Haein Samadhi', a Buddhist Hwaom philosophical
    notion. Haein Samadhi means a reflection on a calm sea after struggling against wind and waves enables everything to be conscious of its true nature. Since its establishment, Haeinsa has been a fundamental Buddhist center of the Avatamsaka school in Korea. It is the oldest
    Comprehensive Practice Monastery officialized by the Jogye Order of
    Korean Buddhism.

    The reason to come to Haeinsa is for The Tripitaka Koreana. It is the world's most comprehensive and oldest intact version of Buddhist canon in Chinese script, with no
    known errors or errata. It is carved onto 81,350 wooden printing blocks, with 52,389,400 characters which are organized in 1,514 titles and 6,791 volumes, and is housed in four buildings. It is truly amazing to have seen it in-person.
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  • Day 60: Upo Wetlands Natural Reserve

    5. mars 2025, Sør-Korea ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    A very brief stop at Upo Wetland Nature Reserve. It was too cold to walk around. And it is a huge area. Originally we thought the bus would drop us off on the other side of the Wetland, but it’s not. So that’s why we will double back our walk.

    This is the largest inland wetlands area in Korea, offering four wetland areas (Upo, Mokpo, Sajipo, and Jjokjlbeol). The origin of the area near Nakdonggang River coincides with the birth of the Korean Peninsula.

    This wetlands are home to over 500 species of tracheophytes including water plants (such as Eanyale ferox, Nympbodes peltata, and Irapa japonica), 400 species of phytoplanktons, 20 species of mammals, 180 species of birds, 20 species of reptilia and amphibla, 30 species of fish and 800 species of insects. Thanks to being a
    rich habitat for plants and animals year-round, the area confers stability to diverse food chains, and many migratory birds stop over temporarily before they reach their breeding and wintering area. In the spring, the area is full of vibrancy with water plants while it boasts gorgeous landscapes thanks to water fogs (arising
    from temperature differences) and migratory birds flying through the sky along with the picturesque view
    fishing folk catching fish or snails. Thus, the area showcases the harmonious existence of humans and nature. These ecological geographical, and scenic characteristics contributed to the area becoming an
    internationallv-recognized wetlands; it became a Ramsar site in 1998 and a potential site for the UNESCO
    World Natural Heritage lists in 2011.
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  • Day 61: Gyeongju Bulguksa

    6. mars 2025, Sør-Korea ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

    The construction of this temple was begun by Prime Minister Gim Dae-seong in 751, the 10th year of King Gyeongdeok, and completed in 774, the 10th year of King Hyegong. The temple served as a center of Silla Buddhism and of prayer for the protection of the country from foreign
    invasion. The entire temple was burnt down by Japanese invaders in 1593, the 26th year of Joseon King Seonjo, because the temple was used as a base of the volunteer militia, Though the main hall and a few other principal buildings were rebuilt, it was not until 1969-73 that it was
    completely restored after thorough research, investigation and excavations of the ancient temple site.

    In 1995, along with Seokguram grotto, the temple was designated as the world cultural heritage by the UNESCO.
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  • Day 62: Ulsan Petroglyphs museum

    7. mars 2025, Sør-Korea ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    Ulsan Petroglyph Museum is the one and only petroglyph museum in Korea which was opened in May, 2008 to introduce Ulsan Bangudae Petroglyphs and Cheonjeon-ri Engraved Stones and to lead the national studies on petroglyph.

    Before walking to the actual petroglyph sites, we stopped by here to learn about petroglyph first.
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