We have a crazy schedule today, but that does not prevent Tim from his bonus morning programme and taking the final pictures of photogenic Jeonju.
After our favourite banana oatmeal breakfast we pack our bags and leave at 8:45. Our first stop are the ancient royal tombs. The Neungsan-ri Ancient Tombs were the royal tombs of the Baekje dynasty from 538 to 660 when the capital of Baekje was Sabi (now Buyeo). The oldest one is believed to be the one of King Seong.
When we get there, the site is closed, but we can see the tombs and the massive city walls on the other side of the fence. This situation calls for a drone, so Tim flies over the site and spots the extensive excavation of a big building.
Second stop is the Buyeo National Museum. The main display of the museum is a beautiful gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje, it’s quite big and a masterpiece of Korean art.
There are also stone tiles on display which are featured as the main character in a special movie that starts in the lobby exactly at the moment that we leave. So, despite the busy schedule, we embrace this perfect timing and stay to watch, and it does not disappoint. All windows are darkened, smoke appears and the 10 beamers installed on the ceiling play an engaging movie, screened all around us and in the smoke, and bringing the tiles to live. Cleo finds it a bit scary and climbs on the lap of Tim, Zeno falls asleep.
When we pretend to check if the next door Children’s Museum is open (apparently most Korean museums have a Children’s Museum too), as Cleo already spotted it from afar, but we understood that you have to make a reservation and you are only allowed in specific timeslots. However, a kind man sees Cleo’s hopeful eyes and opens the door for her. We let go of our busy schedule for a moment and let Cleo climb and slide and puzzle until the running timeslot is finished and all children leave.
Next is the Jeongnisma Temple Site museum, a close-by and interactive museum about Buddhism and the temple that once stood at this site at the centre of the capital city. Once again our timing turns out to be perfect as the English version of the 360 movie about the site starts at the moment we walk in. It’s a nice story about a girl who is sent back in time when the temple was at the peak of its existence.
We explore the remains of the temple, it was burned by the Chinese when the Beakje Kingdom came to an end in 660 CE. But the 5 story stone pagoda still remains with Chinese graffiti, working the destruction of the city.
When we’re done, we head to a boat trip over the Baekma river. We don’t know when the boat leaves and how often, but as time is on our side today, we are optimistic it will be fine. Luck remains on our side indeed as the boat departs 10 minutes after we bought the tickets. We depart for Nakhwaam, a temple and pavilion on a mountain. But Cleo and Zeno spot an ice-cream shop after the first climb, so Tim is the only one continuing the climb to the top. The pavilion at the top was built to remember the women who jumped from the rock to escape capture when the city fell.
When we return to the boat it leaves 5 minutes after our arrival so our luck holds. There is one more site at this side of the river. Gungnamji Pond, this pond was built by King Mu for his lover in 634. At the centre is a pavilion and the surrounding ponds are filled with lotus flowers. It is not the right season but some are still blooming.
We end this long day in Baekje Cultural Land, an open air museum with reconstructions of the buildings and culture of the Baekje Kingdom (18 BCE – 660 CE). We get a buggy for Zeno and put Cleo on Olga’s back. We hurry around the huge pagoda, the palace, the village and the wooden castle. When we want to leave we are advised to go to the performance area as a show is about to start. It’s a rope dancing performance, which is fun to watch. The children catch the eye of the performer and she asks a child to translate for her as she asks us where we are from and if we enjoy ourselves. Zeno gets a plastic sword and Cleo and soft rabbit.
There are kites at the entrance, although it’s already late we want to show Cleo how to fly a kite and give it to her. There is minimal wind but she runs around like crazy and the kite flies.
We had a great time in Buyeo, but we have a long drive ahead since all hotels were fully booked half a year ago already. It’s a long weekend in Korea as it’s Children’s Day on the 5th. So we sleep in Daejeon. The road is really busy and it takes us almost 2 hours to cover the 45km.
We check in at our hotel, and leave for a Vietnamese restaurant straight away. Everybody is hungry and finishes their plates, not eating Korean seems to do the trick. We go back to the hotel and get ready for bed, it was a long day with a crazy schedule, luckily our time stars were aligned and we’ve seen (and enjoyed) it all.
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