There were so many times throughout this trip that I felt the Lord just blessing us with His favor - didn't have to, but just wanted to! For example, we did not know what time the bus was leaving from Busan to Gyeongju. However, we arrived at the bus station at 9:07 a.m. The bus departed at 9:10 a.m. We managed to get tickets and caught the bus just in time! Such a blessing...
The first place we visited in Gyeongju was the Tourist Information Center. I was surprised (yet thankful) that they were working on the holiday. Sara and I decided to be somewhat spontaneous with the day, so we didn't plan things a whole lot ahead of time (which worked out pretty well). We just went to the places recommended to us by the women at the tourist desk.
Seokguram Grotto
The first place on our list was the Seokguram Grotto. I still don't know a whole lot about it, but I think it's basically a place people go to bow to their ancestors/pray to Buddha. Although there is a strong Christian influence in Korea, Buddhism is also quite prominent. It was intriguing for Sara and I to visit and observe some Buddhist practices. Both of us feel more of a responsibility to educate ourselves more about the beliefs and practices of Buddhism.
Holds a bell in the middle
Lots of fruit...
A Buddhist woman bowing
I wonder what they do with the fruit when it starts to go bad...
I think these lanterns might be for the New Year.
Some people paid to have wishes written and tied to the lanterns.
The view of the mountains was breathtaking. My camera didn't even begin to capture the beauty...
Bulgeoksa Temple
The temple seemed somewhat similar to the Grotto.
These guys were pretty interesting.
In front of another building
These piles of stones were really intriguing to me. I kind of wish we would have had someone to explain these things to us.
A really steep set of steps leading up to a statue of Buddha.
Honestly, Sara and I were a little bored with the temple and the grotto (am I allowed to say that)? We didn't understand much of it, and it wasn't an entirely meaningful visit. We realized toward the end of our visit at the temple that we felt like we were visiting those places mostly because they were places you must see when you go to Gyeongju... So, we went and saw them. We were glad that we went to visit, but also thankful for our honest realizations and good conversations.
Daereungwon Royal Tombs
Everyone that told me about Gyeongju told me about the tombs. So, I was kind of excited to see what the tombs were like. I guess I was expecting catacombs or something. I was really surprised when I found out that the tombs consisted of large mounds of dirt:
More tombs
And a few more...
This corrected sign struck me with laughter. The "b" was left out of tombs and someone took it upon themselves to make a correction on the sign. I don't know why it was so funny to me... but it really made me laugh.
Perhaps the highlight of the tombs visit was enjoying a nice walk in the park and beholding some more beautiful landscapes:
A lovely wooded path.
Majestic mountains (and more tombs!)
The sun beginning to set...
Cheomseongdae Astronomical Observatory
A little bit about Cheomsongdae...
In front of the ancient observatory.
Anapji Pond
Of all the places we visited in Gyeongju, Anapji pond was definitely my favorite.
This place kind of reminded me of Yu Yuan Tan Park (the place Katie Cline and I visited with our friends Cat & Penguin when we were in China last year). Fond memories.
It is really beautiful when it is all lit up at night.
After hitting the main tourist spots, Sara and I headed back to Busan to grab a greasy dinner at Lotteria (Korean version of McDonalds - which I never plan to eat again) and watched a movie at the Lotte Cinema!
We haven't gone to the movies since we've been to Korea. After five months, we decided it was time, especially since Busan is somewhat famous for film festivals and such.
Our tickets - comparable in price to movie tickets in the States.
Our chosen movie: Walt Disney's Bedtime Stories starring Adam Sandler. We both enjoyed it immensely. The movie was in English with Korean subtitles. We almost felt like we were transported back to America for about 90 minutes. It was glorious.
1 comment:
The stones piled up are prayer rocks.
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