Actually I didn't really enjoy it much; it was particularly interesting to see the differences in culture but the same differences are the problem. I didn't like the same things as the Koreans like... the food was not good to me, the popular tourist sites were all temples on mountains "zero interest to me" (castles are intriguing to me, but temples are not).

Technologically Korea is ahead of the Western world, but culturally I think it's quite behind it's in the 1960's compared to the UK. (attitudes towards marriage women etc). The same for attitudes towards enviroment. Cultural values are changing fast. I welcome reforms, but I hope that Korea doesn't lose the good parts of it's culture. For me it was disappointing to see it's 99% materialist and over commercial, no sign of the advanced alternative culture I was looking for. It seems to me that Korean society functions on GUILT, people do things cos they don't want to be embarressed, wheras western society functions on logic and greed.

unphoto imagine : Any Korean National Park A mountain with temples, loads of restaurants and tacky souvenir stalls and but rarely peaceful as it's thousands of visitors

WWOOFing was a very good way to see the country. Otherwise unless you speak Korean it would have been difficult to experience the culture. (for me the countryside was too quiet, everyone is old, but then in the city the crowds are stifling.) I don't think it matters what farm you pick the families are all very kind.

Apart from museums there wasn't much to see; other countries have more interesting natural and historical places. But someone who likes to get drunk a lot and eat spicey food would love it. Like Japan cos it's so fundamentally different from western culture and people rarely speak English and there are so many totally bizarre customs; it's absolutely fascinating. For the same reasons I wouldn't like to stay there too long. One of the Craziest and Kindest countries perhaps ?
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