Ancient City of Gyeongju

Buddha residing in the Seoukgulam Grotto.

Friday night, I met up with my friend Kelly and the Adventure Korea group yet again for another trip...this one was a 6-hour bus ride south to Gyeongju, the former capital of the Silla Dynasty. We left around midnight and arrived just in time for sunrise at the Seoukgulam Grotto on Mt. Tohamsan. This grotto was built into a cave on the side of a mountain in 751 A.D., housing an amazing granite Buddha. Flanking the Buddha are eight guardian demons, two Vajurapanis (guardian gods of the temple) and four other mean-looking guardians.

Guardians to the Bulguksa Temple.

After leaving the grotto, we then went to the Bulguksa Temple. This place was absolutely amazing. Supposedly, this place was also built in 751 A.D...guess that was a big year for builders. Bulguksa Temple, also located on Mt. Tohamsan, consists of four main buildings, ancient pagodas, and a Buddhist prayer tower. The best part for me about this area was the beauty and tranquility. South Korea is an extremely over-populated country, but there were very few visitors to the temple that morning. It was so peaceful to stroll alone along the paths and over the ancient bridges, absorbing the fresh air and the fantastic views of the vibrant leaves and the amazing temples. I almost ruined the moment when I was coerced into tasting bondaegi...I believe in trying everything once, but let me tell you, boiled silkworms should be avoided at all costs!!!

Ancient Stone Pagoda.

Tearing ourselves away from the intoxication of Bulguksa, we left for a more active part of our day: climbing Namsan Mountain. This hike lasted about 2 hours, winding us along a beaten path through the quiet trees of South Korea. Every 20 minutes or so we would come upon a clearing, whereupon we found ourselves face-to-face with various seated stone Buddha statues, shrines, and ancient carvings in the face of the rocky mountain. Nestled in the trees atop our hike was a small temple where modern-day Buddhists could be heard uttering their chants.


Buddha carving on a rock face at the top of Namsan Mountain.

After hiking back down the mountain, we reboarded the bus headed for for a tour through Gyeongju city. We first arrived at Banwolseong Fortress and the Anapji Pond. This place once served as the royal palace of Silla, and part of the fortress wall and palace ruins still remain. After the forest, we checked out the huge ancient burial mounds of past kings, queens, and other Silla Dynasty royalty at Tumuli Park.


A double burial mound...one for the man and one for his lady.

From Tumuli Park, we went to Cheomseongdae, a very unimpressive tower that Koreans boast as the "oldest existing astronomical observatory in the Orient" that always "makes a great impression on the tourist." Call me crazy, but a little one-story stack of stones didn't quite have me in tears. Nonetheless, I must credit the place for its ability to survive earthquakes, typhoons, and wars for many, many centuries. The last leg of our long day was a visit to the Gyeongju National Museum. At this point, I was so extremely exhausted that after a quick browse through the archaelogical section, I was happy to climb back onto the bus.

Cheomseongdae Observatory

We finally arrived at our hostel around 6:00 pm, met up for galbi (Korean BBQ), met some local Koreans, sang a bit of karaoke, and called it a night. Saturday morning, I awoke to another crisp day and a missing voice. I had been feeling a cold coming on all week long, and my lack of sleep Friday night and Saturday's intense schedule (not to mention my stellar performance in the singing room) had me at rock bottom. However, I sucked it up and toughed out another day of hiking, this time at the Mt. Juwangsan National Park. This was another beautiful mountain full of amazing rock formations, waterfalls, and of course, Buddhist temples and shrines. Four hours and 15 throat lozenges later, we were back on board...I was so glad to be heading home, but I got a rude awakening upon finding that we had one last stop..."the famous" Jusanji Lake. Whoopie...a lake. FINALLY, at 5:30 pm, we were on the road for Seoul, arriving home around 11:30pm. Unfortunately, in my exhaustion and illness-induced delirium, I left my backpack on the subway train...along with 2 cameras, coats, clothes, etc. Let's pray the Koreans are more honest than Americans and I can get it back!

A path through the monasteries at Bulguksa.