Daegu is dreary

As I was leaving Seoul yesterday morning, I ran into a Kiwi guy who was rummaging about on the table trying to find a spoon so that he could eat his breakfast; cereal out of a paper cup, with another paper cup of milk on the side. I mentioned that I was heading down to Daegu and he said he’d been there for four days, visiting friends. “I was shocked” he said, “it was so grey and urbanised and just, well, unpleasant. It reminded me of big-city China. That’s why I was so shocked seeing how nice this area is. Seoul is a change for the better.” He’s right, Daegu doesn’t have an enormous amount going for it. The streets are wide, crowded and busy. Smog is everywhere and there’s very little green between the grey.

Thanks to my late night wanders around the city, I’ve seen the herbal medicine markets, strolled down rice-cake street and gorged myself on a very tasty and cheap-as-chips meal on beef-rib alley. Today it’s off into the mountains to stay at a temple. In a cave. Surprisingly enough, they call it a cave temple. I think the monks are planning to get me up at 4:30am to rake the temple garden and as a contingency plan for this, I’ve stuffed my backpack with tiny packets of coffee, which I’ll inhale if I have to. Let’s hope it’s a cave with hot water.

Posted in Travel on Thursday May 4, 2006.