Bulguk Temple & Seokguram Grotto. Gyeongju Day 2

After spending the night at a Jjimjilbang on the shores of Bomun Lake in Gyeongju's resort area. It was time to head off to the ancient Buddhist Temple of Bulguksa and it's accompanying grotto.

The backside of Cheomseongdae Jjimjilbang. No soothing bathing pools here, but they did have these huge tumuli-like saunas. I don't think I've ever before been in anything quite so hot. I barely lasted 10 seconds - and I've been to the Sahara in August!

The view of Bomun Lake from the front. I swear Jjimjilbangs always have the best views! This one also had something I've never seen before - designated sleeping rooms! One for men, one for women and one mixed. Unfortunately, even women snore. Family run, this place also had delicious food.

Founded in 528 AD, Bulguksa (불국사) was built at the time when Buddhism was first adopted as the state religion of the Silla Dynasty. Like many other such temples, it was destroyed during the Japanese invasions of 1953, remaining in disrepair until the 1970s. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

One of the two Stone Pagodas from the unified Silla Period. This one is much more ornate than many from the period. A single stone line, the only one of four that remains, is perched at the top of the steps. 

A collection of shoes outside the lecture hall where monks come to learn everyday. 

A stone prayer among many.

The remains of a hall.

I just loved the colours of this!

A heavily worn lucky bronze pig. The boar is one of the animals believed by Korean tradition to represent  longevity.

A view of "Four Bridges". Two flights of steps leading from the earthly world to that of the Buddha. They are national treasures and, so, cannot be climbed.

An ancient flag post. Flags announcing festivals, events and  Temple news were hung vertically from a rod which would have connected the two stones at the top. (You can see the slot in the leftmost pillar.)

I always claim that I'm going to refrain from climbing mountains and yet somehow that never seems to come to pass. A pavilion at the Seokguram Grotto Parking Lot, most of the way up Mount Toham. Buses were available, but they only leave once an hour. As I'd just missed one, I opted to make the 30-45 minute, 3km hike instead :).

The view from the Pavillion

Patrons can pay 1000won to visit the pavilion and ring the bell for peace. It was an offer I obviously couldn't resist. Much more fun than actually ringing the bell however, was placing your hand on it and feeling the vibrations go through your whole body as someone else rang it.

Seokguram Grotto (석굴암) is a hermitage that is home to a giant stone Buddha and attendant guardians housed in a temple that is built into the mountain. Unfortunately, in order to protect the site, there are no photos allowed and a pane of glass (which can be difficult to see through due to reflections of light from outside) separates visitors from the statue. Still, it was worth seeing (I went through twice). And the location offered some stunning views of the East Sea.

Attempting to capture the roof and rocky mound of the grotto.

After enjoying the sights of and from the grotto, it was time for me to head back into town. Unfortunately, I found that I had, once again, just missed a bus. I figured I was left with two options: 1) hike back down, and 2) continue upwards for the 1.7km to the top. Naturally, I chose the latter.

The view from the top.

Once back in the city, I found I had about an hour to spare before my bus ride back to Gwangju. So naturally, I chose to spend it eating Gyeongju Bbang (경주빵 - literally, Gyeongju Bread), a type of barley based sweet bread filled with sweetened red bean paste - far more delicious than it sounds - and relaxing among the tumuli in the free Noseo-ri and Nodong-ri parks.

er... rather, on the tumuli...
(Archaeological Disclaimer: warning, this is most definitely NOT allowed.)

A mother and son. Seeing them up here is what prompted me to join. So glad I did.

A sad departure. The little boy didn't want to come down. I know exactly how he felt!

Cycling through Fields of Gold: a Visit to the Ancient Silla Capital of Gyeongju Day 1

A few weekends ago, I took advantage of the fact that all of my friends would be out of town or otherwise busy and snuck out to explore the ancient Silla capital of Gyeongju (경주) on my own. While I wouldn't have minded company, it was probably better that I had no one else with me - it allowed me to engage in some hard core archaeophilia without doing so at the expense of anyone else!

A Silla-style pot sits in front of one of the many ancient burial mounds of Gyeongju.

I'd previously heard mixed reviews of the city, and it may be the archaeologist in me coming out, but I absolutely loved it! Fairly small for such a famed city and located nearly on the coast, four hours east of Gwangju, Gyeongju was home to the Silla Dynasty, which lasted from 57 BC to  935 AD, and ruled a unified Korea from the 7th to 9th centuries AD (after conquering the western Baekje Kingdom in 660AD and northern Goguryeo in 668AD). Because of this, Gyeongju is, unsurprisingly, home to a great many Silla Dynasty Treasures - chief among these (in my opinion at least) are the burial mounds.

Hwangnam Daechong (황남 대총), a double tomb likely containing both a king and queen,  located in Gyeongju's Tumuli Park (대룽원 - Daerungwon).

The Tumuli are scattered all around the city, and many of these can be visited for free. The best concentration of these, however, lies within Tumuli Park (entry 1500won, open 9am-10pm). The park is located in the city centre and beautifully landscaped with atmospheric music played on speakers throughout. This is not what makes it worth visiting, rather, it's the access to Cheonmachong (천마총 - or Heavenly Horse Tomb), the only tomb in Korea that visitors are permitted to enter. Named for the design on one of the artifacts found (and now displayed) inside, the tomb likely belonged to a 6th or 7th century king. I know I may be a bit biased, but it is definitely worth it. The reconstruction of the burial as it was found, as well as the richness of the artifacts on display are wonderful. It's also worth visiting if only to get some idea of just how astonishingly big these tombs are inside!

The entry into Cheongmachong. No pictures of the inside. I was far too distracted by the actual contents and it felt a bit disrespectful to be taking any. Definitely worth a visit though!

As many of the city's main sites are located within a 3km2 area (and the not-so-main-ones within 10km2), the best way to visit them (in the spring summer and fall at least) is on foot or by bike (available for rent at the bus station for 7000won/day or south of Tumuli park for 5000/2hrs or 10,000/slightly longer day).  There really was loads to see but, rather than overwhelming you with photos of (some might say far too many) tomb mounds, farmers fields, museum displays and archaeological sites, I figured I'd only post a few.

Possibly one of the most famous sights in Gyeongju, Cheomseongdae (첨성대) is an astronomical observation tower built during the 7th century reign of Queen Seondeok and located in what is now Wolseong Park. It is lit up particularly nicely at night.

The tree covered rise in the background is all that remains of Banwolseong (반월성 - literally Half Moon Fortress) or Wolseong Palace. The hill is now home to lovely walking and cycling paths and not much else - well, except for the ice storage celler which has mysteriously survived.

The Emille Bell at the National Museum. Known as the Bell of King Seongdeok, this bronze bell weighs at least 19 tons  making it one of the biggest not only in Korea, but the world. It dates from 771 AD and legend has it that when it was first cast, it wouldn't ring - or at least not until it was melted down alongside the body of a young girl and the mixture recast. That's why, when rung, the bell makes a sound like 'emille' (pronounced like Emily), the word for mother in the Silla dialect.

Two of the Museum's workers wander the grounds. A picture of archaeological delightfulness I just couldn't pass up - I don't ever recall dressing like that :P.

The remains of a Silla necklace. Silla could easily be renamed the golden kingdom. This is nothing compared to the many pure gold crowns and other pieces of jewellery housed at the museum. There is also a wealth of pottery (including duck shaped pots!) and weaponry there from a period spanning nearly a millennia.  

For all my gaming friends: Why, yes, this is in fact an ancient oak D14! With six square and eight hexagonal sides, this dice was used by nobles in ancient Silla to play what we now call drinking games. Each side contains a command to be performed by the die caster. Check out the commands below. 

Command translations for the die above.

While there is no dearth of sights in the city centre, there were a number of less important, but interesting sounding sites further to the south at the base of Namsan (the montain to the south of the city) that I also wanted to visit. Thus, armed with my trusty steed of a girly pink bicycle (complete with front basket and streamers) and directions secured from the gate keeper at the National Museum - who assured me that it was very far for a girl to cycle at 5km away through many farmers fields - off I went.

Fields of goldenly-ripe rice! One of the reasons I wanted to see the sites of Gyeongju in the fall.

Harvesting the rice! This is a sight to be seen just about anywhere across Korea at the moment.

Rice! With an ancient Pagoda in the background. Cycling the narrow paths through the rice paddies was truly a delight (even when the sky opened up and I got rained on). The only problem was trying to watch where I was going and not veering into the fields looking around me - something that nearly happened more than once...

One of the many smaller sites, Poseokjeong (포석정 -Stone Abalone Pavilion) provides further proof (as if any was needed) that Koreans (past and present) really like their drinking games. Once an Banqueting Villa for the Silla Kings, all that remains is this this 6 meter long trench. In times past it was filled with running water and one person placed at each end. The person at the head would come up with a line of poetry and place a drink in the trench at their end. If the cup got to the other person before they came up with a suitable second line, they were required to down said drink. Sounds like a pretty solid game to me!

More fields. It's silly, I know, (and probably marks me as a city girl as well), but I somehow never clued in that ripe rice would be golden in colour. I always just envisioned it as green!

After finishing my rounds and dropping off my bike, it was time to check out Anapji (안압지) pond at sunset. Here is what I encountered on the way.

What I believe to be the Lotus Flowers Complex at Anapji.

A closer view of one of the hedge flowers.

A Heron! (or is it a stork?) There were a number of these alongside ducks in this part of the park.

The fields at dusk. 

Anapji at night. The reflections just make this look too cool!
A man-made lake first designed by King Munmu in 674 AD to reflect the shape of his kingdom after unification, the location was also the site of the breakdown of the Kingdom as it was here that King Gyeongsun later handed over power to the founder of the Goryeo Dynasty in 918 AD. 

Once a much larger complex, and called Wolji at the time, three reconstructed pavilions are all that remain. Anapji is located directly west of Banwolseong and has provided a host of archaeological treasure, most of which are housed in a special building at the National Museum. 

Golgulsa Templestay - Monks, Meditating & More!

The beautiful Pagoda at Golgulsa ( 골굴사 -  lit. Stone Buddha Temple) 20km East of Gyeongju. 

Last weekend I finally managed to do something I'd been dying to do since I got here (or, rather, since I found out a few years back from a friend that it was actually possible to do) - I went to stay with the monks in a Temple for the weekend! I'd actually looked in to doing a temple stay a few times, but the timing had never been right, especially as I knew that where I really wanted to stay was Golgulsa, a Silla Dynasty (1st-10th cent AD) temple located nearly 5 hours away from Gwangju. I lucked out this past weekend however, as I was free and our dear Gwangju Tour Guide Pedro just happened to have a trip planned! (As a note, there are a number of temples in Korea which welcome foreigners and almost all allow native Koreans to stay for some meditative cleansing. To find one for yourself, click here and click on 'English' in the top right corner.) The reason I'd chosen Golgulsa above all the other temples was because, not only are you expected to meditate, observe the monks, do community work, join a traditional Buddhist meal (called 발우공양 - Barugongyang) and wake up at 4am to partake in the 108 ceremonial bows and chanting service (more fun than you might think!) as at all temples, staying at Golgulsa also requires that you join the monks in their Sunmudo (선무도), an ancient zen Buddhist meditative martial art, training!

Did I mention that the monks also train in archery? 'Cause they do!

They grow a number of their own crops.

And have horses!

A view of their training grounds.

Hiking up the trail to the temple proper with some of my fellow Gwangju-ites.

Sunmudo demonstration. These are done daily and are free for any and all visitors (though donations are welcome).
Notice the sign. Even temples are not immune to politics. It claims Dokdo Island (ownership disputed with Japan) as Korean.

So awesome.

Training: Bear-walking down a steep slope.

The trainees noticed my camera.

And decided to impress!

 While the fact that Golgulsa is the home of Sunmudo was certainly a draw, another was the beauty and history of the temple itself.

You can see one of the shrines through the holes in the rock.

The stone Buddha, carved in the 6th century when Buddhism was still just making it's mark on Korea .

After being taught some archery and observing the Sunmudo demonstration, it was time to join the monks in a delicious vegetarian meal before being taught about their customs and practices and joining in their evening chanting service and sunmudo training.

Practising our moves

After that, it was swiftly to bed - ondol style of course - in order to be up for the morning's service.

I, unfortunately, have no pictures of the morning's chanting or meditation - both seated and walking - services. Something  felt wrong about having a camera at those. Please enjoy the view of the sun peeking out after our breakfast though!

While I have no pictures from breakfast, it was definitely an integral aspect of the stay. Buddhists believe that when you die, you must consume all of the food that you took in life, but did not eat. Because of this, alongside the Buddhist emphasis on harmony with, rather than consumption of, the world, Buddhist monks do all in their power to not waste food. Barugongyang is the ceremonial epitome of this.  It is an incredibly ritualized meal at which nothing is wasted. Even the hot water used to clean the bowls (of which each monk has their own set) is drunk. The meal is also eaten in silence so that participants can truly contemplate and be grateful for the nutrition that their body is receiving. I feel like it's almost impossible to convey it, you'll definitely have to try it for yourselves!

The monks' quarters.

A beautiful blue day (it was not even 9 am at this point) and a view of the rocky outcropping that is home to the shrines and the stone Buddha.

The morning view.

After breakfast, we had the option of joining another chanting service, or exploring some of the near-by Buddhist sites. Being me, I chose to explore.

Fall pumpkins sit outside one of the buildings at  Girim Temple (기림사) on the slopes of Mt Hamwol (The same mountain which houses Golgulsa). 

Initially built in 643AD, but later renovated twice at the turn of the 20th century after being burnt down,  Girimsa is a wonderfully colourful temple.

The oldest section. All but the base and lowest tiers of this pagoda are original.

The guardians of the gate. 

The underwater tomb of King Munmu ( 문무왕) 661-681AD.
King Munmu was the 30th King of Silla, and the one responsible  for unifying the three kingdoms (Silla, Baekjae and Goguryeo). He left specific instructions for his remains to be cremated and buried in the East Sea when he died so that he might become a great Dragon and protect his people from Japanese invasions.

Meditating by the sea.

Playing in the surf (very un-zen, I know ;)).

One of the two stone pagodas that are all that remain of King Munmu's Gameum Temple (감은사). The archaeologist in me was like a giggling child exploring the temple layout. Underground space intentionally left so that King Munmu might visit after death in his dragon form. 

Once we felt sufficiently toured, we rushed (also very un-zen) back to the temple in order to catch the special Sunday edition of the Sunmudo demostration.

Sunday edition - Complete with cymbals.  (such a struggle not to type symbols there, though I assure you, the latter were present too!

This was also phenomenal. Perhaps most astonishing however, was their choice of music.
Pachelbel Canon anyone? 

Posing with the master!

Easily one of my favourite experiences thus far, this stay was so totally worth it! Another aspect that I truly loved but did not photograph was our tea time with the monks during which they were open to any questions or discussion. I will say though that only having the one night (especially on a weekend, when training occurs only once a day, and not twice) was not sufficient. I definitely recommend staying for 2 nights (or more?). There were some at the temple who had been there training for nearly a year! May you all feel peace & tranquility this Chuseok weekend, I'm off to bed before I head off hiking this weekend!