GYEONGJU

GYEONGJU

Gyeongju is the ancient capital of the Silla Dynasty and is a very historical Korean city. I went to visit Gyeongju with my friend Walker on the weekend. 

I went through a service call Couchsurfing.org, where you can find free accommodation by staying with hosts in that city. Our Couchsurfing host was an American English teacher named Erik. He showed up around all the places to see in Gyeongju. He was an excellent host and took us to some of his favorite places in town.

Eating Paijan- a Korean egg/vegetable/seafood pancake
Pictured (l-r): Erik, Walker, Me

Late night eats - Raw beef with Asian Pears

Gyeongju is known as the museum without walls and has many tombs to honor past royalty. These tombs are done in the style of giant burial mounds

 

 

 

 Gyeongju is home to East Asia's oldest observatory: Cheomseongdae. Scientists were looking at stars from Cheomseongdae as far back at the 7th Century.

 

We cycled around Gyeongju and looked at some more historical places. I brought Gretta (my bike).

 

 

 

 

An ancient bar of kings. This was said to be a well of constantly running soju (alcohol).

 

Finally, we finished our visit with a hike to the top of a nearby mountain to overlook the ancient capital of Gyeongju

 

 

SEOKGURAM GROTTO

SEOKGURAM GROTTO

Seokguram Grotto was completed in 774.





Located outside of the ancient capital of the Silla dynasty in Gyeongju, Seokguram Grotto is a Unesco World Heritage Site.








Inside the Grotto is a carved stone Buddha. It is 3.5 meters in height and sits on a 1.34 meter tall lotus pedestal. However, it was behind glass and as tourists you are not supposed to take a picture of it.

The Buddha itself was quite beautiful. The carving was so detailed you could see the texture of its rippled cloth. It looked so lifelike that it felt like it could just open its eyes at any moment.

Unfortunately I don't have any of my own photos but here is a picture from Wikipedia:

BULGUKSA TEMPLE

BULGUKSA TEMPLE

Bulguksa Temple was built in year 774. Bulguksa translates to “The Temple of the Buddha land.” Bulguksa is outside of the historic city of Gyeongju, the ancient capitol of the Silla (pronounced Shilla) Dynasty. Gyeongju is about two hours away from Changwon by bus.

Bulguksa Temple is one of Korea’s most famous attractions and is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 Here is are some photos from Bulguksa:

COMMISSIONED GRAFFITI IN CHANGWON

COMMISSIONED GRAFFITI IN CHANGWON

I found some commissioned graffiti murals in Changwon I thought you might enjoy. This type of art has proved to be pretty rare in Changwon and much of Korea, especially of this quality. Perhaps it shows pushes to join in a with a global culture. Perhaps it it just nice to look at. Either way, enjoy.

PARYONGSAN STONE PAGODAS IN MASAN

PARYONGSAN STONE PAGODAS IN MASAN

The Parysongsan Stone Pagodas are located in the neighboring city of Masan.

I will preface this post by saying this entire blogpost and information therein is directly quoted verbatim from a placard outside the Parysongsan Stone Pagodas:

Parysongsan (lit, "Eight Dragons Mountain") is a 328-meter mountain located in Yangdeok-dong of Masan spreading towards Bongam-dong. The name of the mountain originated with the legend that eight dragons came down from heaven to the mountain. The mountain was originally called Ballyongsan ("Earthbound Dragon Mountain"), but its current name has gradually gained favor since the liberation of Korea in 1945.

The construction of Paryongsan Stone Pagodas was begun on March 23, 1993 by Yi Sam-yong, a resident of Yangdeok-dong, who was moved by pity by the tragic situation of families divided by the Korean War. Since then, he has continued to build stone pagodas to soothe the grief of divided families, praying for family reunions and Korean reunification. His ultimate aim is to build 1,000 pagodas. The story behind the stone pagodas has received extensive media coverage, turning them into a major tourist attraction in the area. Their location has now been designated as one of the Nine Scenic Views of Masan.