Before reading: Keep in mind that if you want to view all of my pictures, you need to click on the link to the right of this post called "Photobucket."
On Friday, my friend Brian and I headed 2 hours north of Busan to the city of Gyeongju. I have been in Busan for a month and half and had yet to leave the city so we decided it was about time to see what else Korea had to offer. Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Silla. The Silla Kingdom arose around 57 B.C. and lasted until around 935 A.D. It was the longest sustaining dynasty in Asian history and a lot of the archaeological sites still remain today.
The hostel where we stayed was interesting to say the least.
We got up Saturday morning and took a bus 45 minutes to the Bulguksa Temple. Bulguksa was constructed under King Gyeongdeok in 751 A.D. In 1592 the wooden structures of the temple were burned by Japanese invaders but were rebuilt in 1604. In 1995, Bulguksa was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List (there are 878 sites with this distinction around the world). Bulguksa was the third Buddhist Temple I have visited in Korea and was by far the most impressive. The only downside to visiting it on a Saturday in April is the thousands of other people that are viewing it with you.
There was an art class being conducted at the temple. There were around 20 kids drawing different sections of the temple and they all wanted me to see their drawings and to practice their English.
After the temple we loaded onto another bus and headed to the Seokguram Grotto. Seokguram is a hermitage and is considered part of the Bulguksa Temple. Seokguram Grotto was built between 742-774 A.D. and houses one of the best Buddhist sculptures in the world. The grotto sits about 800 meters above sea level and provides a great view of the Sea of Japan. Since the grotto is so highly visited it can only be viewed from behind glass and photographs are not allowed. While I was viewing the grotto, a group of Buddhist monks came in and started chanting and bowing in unison. Most of them, including the women had shaved heads so I fit right in. It was a unbelievable experience standing in one of the most sacred Buddhist shrines listening to the monks.
View of the grotto from the path below.
The stone Buddha inside the grotto. I got this picture from the Internet since I was not able to take any.
We also visited the Gyeongju National Museum on Saturday which is considered the best history museum in Korea. Most of the exhibits featured artifacts that were unearthed from the Silla Kingdom days. It was your typical museum and after seeing about 400 clay pots we were ready to call it a day.
On Sunday we headed to the city's center to check out the royal tomb complex, Chomseongdae and Anapji Pond. The tomb complex consists of around 20 something giant mounds of earth that house a King of the silla period as well as his entire family and their royal belongings. Some of these tombs have been excavated and comprise most of the artifacts that we saw in the museum.
Chomseongdae is the oldest surviving astronomical observatory in Asia and is one of the oldest scientific installations in the world. It was built around 632 A.D. and is still in pretty good condition. The site of it won't wow you by any means but it's amazing to think that this little structure has survived so many years.
Our final stop on the marathon history tour tour was to Anapji Pond. Anapji is a man made pond that is in the center of the palace complex of ancient Silla. It was constructed in 674 by King Munmu.
All in all it was a great weekend and definitely nice to escape the city and learn a little about Korean history. On an unrelated note, I can now read and write Korean. I am working now on extended my vocabulary so that I can understand what I am reading. I have become pretty proficient at everyday expressions and can get around fairly easily using a few key phrases I have picked up over the past few weeks.
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