Gyeongju excursion, part one

As mentioned a few posts ago, we went to Gyeongju in Gyeongsangbuk-do on Friday. My Lady Friend wanted to visit this city last year, but we never made the three- or four-hour journey.

Now that we live near the south coast, however, Gyeongju is just an hour and a half away. We got a head start on the Chuseok holiday traffic and arrived around 9 p.m.

The next morning, we took the local bus to Bulguksa, a Silla-period Buddhist temple complex on the side of Mount Toham [see earlier photos]. From there, we walked a couple of miles to Seokguram, a restored grotto that contains a masterfully carved stone buddha and an array of protector deities.

On Sunday, we visited the royal tombs just south of downtown, Cheomseongdae Observatory (publicized as the oldest structure of its kind in East Asia), and Gyeongju National Museum. We also went to check out the World Culture Expo, but they were chargin' $15.50 to get in... a bit of sticker shock after going to all of the other sites and paying no more than $4 (the National Museum was a $1.50, which is typical for Korea).

Anyhow, let's go to the photos:







1080px version


Gyeongju, part two