So the Baekje kingdom in the west was the rival to the Silla kingdom in the east (whose capital Gyeongju I went to last weekend). The Baekje had two capitals Buyeo and Gongju at different times. By the 7th centure the Silla kingdom in the east united with the Baekje beginning the unified Silla rule and ending the Baekje dynasty. There is now a month long festival in the two Baekje cities Buyeo and Gongju to celebrate the Baekje heritage in collaboration with Chin...

this week is exams again and classes are cancelled for two days. the teachers all went on a hiking trip to mount palgonson just outside chilgok. first we all had what could be described as a company christmas lunch. we all went to this chalet in the mountains and had bibimbab(rice). then they did presentations and awards. they used me in this charades game and i had to guess five words they were miming out. afterwards we went hiking in mount palgonsan. they forgo...

so i have my first birthday in korea and the teachers decide to give me a 'surprise'. at lunch i was told by one of the teachers there was going to be a 'presentation' for my bday in the english room at 1.20. good job he told me as i was going to do some typing in the teachers room. then two teachers asked me what time they should come to my presentation? good job i knew what they were talking about. then they all come and give me a cake and some gifts which was ...

so today headed down to the national museum of korea. again this was free so worth checking out again when i'm not rushed. they had sections on other asian cultures, ceramics, pottery, bronzeware, bhuddist statues and paintings. the highlight for me was the section on the three korean kingdoms (silla, baekje, goryeo) and the unified silla kingdom. they had royal artefacts including what could be the crown jewels and gold crowns. and more stuff on hwaseoung fortre...

so this morning was a bright clear sunny day and the weather had finally turned for the better. breakfast was a fish noodle soup and i had to tell my landlady that would be enough for today. i noticed a lookout point on the mountain from the bus so i walked over to get a clear city view shot of all the skyscrapers and the seoul tower. then took the long train ride to suwon again with vendors peddling shaving machines to magic wipes!video : mountaintop panaroma ht...