In the City of Gyeong-Ju, Gyongsangbuk-do

From the Bulreyong Valley we headed south to the city of Gyeong-Ju. We arrived late in the evening and found ourselves a cheap hotel. Upon entering our room we discovered a sink full of lettuce. I guess the owner of the hotel uses that room to wash his vegetables in? After some laughter, the manager removed his lettuce, and we bedded down for the night. Some time in the early morning Rob discovered a cockroach breathing his last breath in the bathroom. It was indeed a quality hotel. After a restful night, we headed out to see the "amayjing" sights of Gyeong-ju.

Pay attention kids, here is a history lesson! Did you know that Gyeong-ju was once the capital city of the Shilla Dynasty? It became the capital around 57 BCE. It was the capital city for nearly 1000 years. Nowadays, Gyeong-ju is famous for the many massive tombs of ancient kings and other royal people. I guess that's life- King one day, tourist attraction the next. These grass covered tombs are called "Tumuli".

We made our way to Tumuli Park and the adjoining Wolseong Park. We parked our car and for a few chunners rented a couple of bikes to see the park in style and grace. Here we saw many things such as Asia's oldest astrological observatory, an ancient ice house, as well as some giant grass covered hills aka ancient tombs. As we were riding around we found Anapji Pond, which was filled to the brim with blooming lotus plants. This pond, as well as some buildings that royalty lived in, was built by King Munmu. Apparently, in 935 CE, the buildings came under attack and were burned to the ground. The residents of the buildings threw many of their treasures into the pond and surrounding moat. These treasures were not discovered until 1975 when the pond was drained for reconstruction. That would be such an amazing find! What a surprising glimpse into history.

After a nice hour long bike ride we dropped the bikes off and headed to a very famous temple called Bulguksa. This temple was very pretty, but for whatever reason, tiredness... I dunno, it just didn't seem to be all that impressive at the time. I've recently acquired a great book about Korean temple motifs, and I now regret not spending a bit more time there. What was impressive to me, at the time, was the Seokguram Grotto. Seokguram Grotto is a giant stone sculpture of Buddha located high up in the mountain behind Bulguksa. It's not just a giant stone sculpture, it's a giant stone sculpture set in a granite rotunda with amazing carvings surrounding him. This grotto was built in 700 CE. I can't even imagine the effort it would have taken to carry all that granite up the mountain. Unfortunately everyone and their Ajumma were there, so we all had to shuffle along in a line to see the Buddha for a few seconds. Ah well, it was still stunning!

Gyeong-ju is also famous for a dish called Ssam Bap. Sometime during the day (it's all a little hazy now) we decided to try this dish out. This meal consists of a wide variety of fresh and steamed leafy greens, fermented vegetables and a plate of fried fish. Much like other Korean meals, but without any gochu (hot chili pepper). Traditionally, gochu was not used in food and it is a relatively recent spice in Korean history*. We also ordered a large bowl of Dong Dong Ju, a delicious fermented rice drink. The taste is a little yeasty and maybe a little sour... well I can't really describe it, but take my word for it - it's masshida!

From the Grotto, we headed towards the East Sea to find a place to camp for the night. We decided that it would be a good idea to head towards the Sea Tomb of King Munmu, hoping that we could find a camp site along the way...

More about the sea tomb of King Munmu later.... pictures SOON!(I hope...Rob?!:-))



*Korean food is famous for being covered in gochu jang (hot chili pepper paste). It is one of the main condiments that makes many Korean foods bright red and very spicy. Chilis were first introduced in Korea in the 16th century and gochu-jang made from dried red-chilli powder has been in the pantry of every single Korean household ever since. Got some tough bitter mountain root? Cover it in gochu jang! MMMMMM! No one will notice the flavor when their taste buds are burned off!