South Korea

March 6, 2009
Busan, South Korea

It had been a long time since Queen Victoria spent two consecutive days in port; in fact, it was even a rarity to transit from one port to another spending just one day at sea in the interim, but after spending March 5 berthed in Nagasaki, the ship docked the following day in Busan, South Korea. I had no idea what to expect as I was very unfamiliar with Korean history and culture (despite living with a South Korean violinist for nearly two years prior to joining the ship), so I decided to do a tour and just go with the flow.I wanted to see all I could of Korea and not get lost, so I chose to do a full-day tour that actually took me outside of Busan to the city of Gweong-Ju. Located about an hour and a half away from Busan, Gweong-Ju was the capital city during the Silla dynasty, a major ruling force in Korea from circa 57 B.C. until circa 935 A.D. It was filled with historical landmarks, but our first stop on the tour was a museum.The National Museum in Gweong-Ju was filled with different artifacts dating back to before Christ and all the way through the Silla rule in Korea, but the first thing we were taken to was the Divine Bell of King Songdok, a massive bronze bell cast in the late 9th Century A.D. that weighs nearly 19 tons. It was one of a select few items that had been placed outside to grace the grassy area surrounding the two museum buildings, and was beautifully designed. From the bell, we made our way into the first building which contained many different artifacts including crafts and utensils were found. There were some spearheads and arrowheads dating back to the Bronze Age as well as cups, bowls, plates, and other forms of pottery. Everything seemed to be quite well-preserved, and they also had some ancient jewelry on display.

I found the second building I entered to be much more interesting as it was filled with rooms dedicated to Buddhist sculptures and statues. I continued to explore my fascination with Buddhism and enjoyed looking around. Inside, I also found a scale model of what Gweong-Ju used to look like before invaders destroyed it centuries ago. It was a massive empire! After spending time at the museum, we made our way to Tumuli Park, home to many royal tombs. The “gravesite” was nothing like anything I had ever encountered in that each tomb consisted of a large mound of grass standing approximately 20-30 feet high. While it did not look like much to me, one guest suggested that this was the equivalent to visiting the pyramids in Egypt. I have been to the pyramids in Egypt, and these mounds of grass were NOT the pyramids. We were able to go inside one of the tombs and have a look at what it would look like inside (all original items were in a museum and were replaced by replicas). It was interesting to get inside, but once again, I’ve been inside a pyramid, and this is NOT the same.

At this point, it was time to head to a nearby hotel for a large buffet luncheon. The meal consisted of a mix of Western and Asian cuisine, and it was a great meal. There was a Korean dance performance going on whilst we ate; I consumed a few plates and then it was time to head for our last stop before returning to Busan: Bulguksa Temple.

Though it has been rebuilt in the late 20th Century, the original Bulguksa temple was constructed in the middle of the 8th Century. This was my second visit to a Buddhist temple and I enjoyed the opportunity to walk around inside some of the various buildings. It was here that for the first time in my life, I saw a swastika painted on the side of a building, and it was not there to represent the Nazi regime. My tour guide told me that the swastika signifies the continuous teachings of Buddha and was a symbol of peace. I was hesitant at first to photograph the image, but decided it would be okay

Photography was prohibited inside all buildings, but I was able to snap a few quick shots unbeknownst to those inside. The most interesting building I visited was the Moo-sol-jon, or “No-Word Hall”. Ironically, the Moo-sol-jon was not a hall for silence, but conversely, a lecture hall. It is dubbed a no-word hall because the true essence of Buddha’s teachings or the “depth of Truth” is not expressible through spoken language. I visited some more of the halls before heading back to the bus and returning to the ship.

My visit to Korea was filled with many pleasant surprises, but I would not be surprised if I never returned. It was a great day, but I enjoyed Japan loads more and I was more excited about seeing the other ports on Queen Victoria’s itinerary including Bangkok, Phuket, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.