(LENGTHY) POSTCARD POEM FROM SOUTH KOREA
South Korea? What an interesting thought.
We’d never been, so tickets were bought.
Within two weeks, aboard Asiana;
Bound for Seoul with my mate Diana.
PHOTO Bukchon Hanok guesthouse, Seoul. Yo (futon) on ondol (heated floor)
Our first four nights in Seoul we stayed,
On yo on ondol, there we laid.
The floor was hot and the yo was thin,
We realised our chances of sleep were slim.
We took a tour to the DMZee
Where North/South tensions terrified me.
We drove through mines and electrified wire,
Saw soldiers with rifles, ready to fire.
A row of white posts to mark out the border,
60 years passed and still military order.
We walked through a tunnel North Koreans had dug;
Some people purchased a souvenir mug.
We headed to Gangnam; style and Psy’s song to sing,
Saw lots of boob jobs, botox and bling.
Some markets, two palaces, a memorial for war,
Old houses and craft shops, quirky cafes and more.
PHOTO View from the base of the North Seoul Tower
Though vertigo threatened to ruin the fun,
At the top of Seoul Tower, we saw setting sun.
The city is massive, beyond comprehension,
And it really ain’t pretty, I feel I should mention.
We then hired a car from Hertz in Cheongju
Where no English was spoken so what could we do?
With ges-tic-ulating, the odd moan and curse,
We had reason to think it couldn’t get worse.
Getting out of Cheongju was tense with our map;
For then did we realise its detail was crap.
It then became clear that some red lights meant go;
As to rules of the road, we kind of went with the flow.
If you want to turn right, you can go on a red.
If the junction looks quiet, on a red go ahead.
If someone is pipping, you’d best skip the red,
And if you can’t make a left, make a u-turn instead.
We oft’ changed our route because it all took too long,
But somehow not once did we ever go wrong.
Many places we saw from our silver Hyundai
From mountains and rice fields to bridges up high.
Damyang for bamboo, Busan for fish,
Haeinsa, a temple for tranquillity bliss.
Gyeongju for tombs of long-ago kings,
Jeonju for culture and pricey hand-crafted things.
Hahoe Folk Village to step back in time,
A Confucian school that to me was sublime,
Suwon for a fortress, round which we strolled;
Lots of reminders of Korea of old.
Daegu for medicine of root, bark and berry,
To the odd town of Gunsan to catch a small ferry.
On Seonyudo Island we had lunch on the sand
And cycled around, quite oft’ with one hand.
We bathed in the nud for an hour or two
In spa water of tea, uber hot or bamboo.
We ate and we prayed with some monks who were Zen,
Then for drumming to view, got up 3 am.
Now here I should mention some places we stayed,
For most of which not huge sums were paid.
A museum, a dorm, a guesthouse, hotel,
A temple, resort and, by mistake, love motel.
I’ve saved it ‘til last, though best was it not;
The food of the country, for me was too hot.
I do not like spicy and chillies of fire
So I’m sorry to say that for me it was dire.
PHOTO Jeonju bibimbap with a selection of side dishes, some of which were more OK than most
Bibimbap, bulgogi, pickles and kimchee;
While some were ok, none did much for me.
Meat, fish, veg or other? A question oft’ posed.
Many greens were fermented; to me decomposed.
PHOTO Galbi at a canteen-style restaurant in Busan
Dried fish and shrimp shells, wobbly tofu,
Then some dishes I loved: rice, nuts and bamboo;
Galbi is beef cooked on flames at your table
That was delicious and eat I was able.
After two weeks, I had lost half a stone;
As a diet is needed, ‘bout the food I shou’nt moan.
But if you don’t like hot peppers, bat, gizzards and soy,
You’re prob’ly like me so food’ll give little joy.
About South Korea there’s much I can say,
For it’s ever so different to my everyday.
But I have no reason to go there again
And I’m sorry to say it’s not in my top ten.
But all of that said, my time there was fun,
And largely outdoors, it was good to see sun.
I saw, ate and heard things that were first times for me,
From dogs in high fashion to intestines for tea.