Day 5: Wed 6 Sep - Gyeongju to Andon

Breakfast was at 7:30am again and we left the hotel at 9:30am. Today was 'death by temples' day. It started to rain as we got closer to our first stop which was after a drive up a very windy road to Seokguram Grotto where we saw the Main Buddha. The Grotto is an artificial stone cave, the only one in the world. The Buddha is 3.26m high, sculpted from hard granite and looks quite serene. He was quite magnificent however photography was not allowed. I did manage to get two shots from a distance so the picture does not do him justice.

Back on the bus to the Bulguksa Temple which is a number of shrines and pagodas in a complex. Construction of the Temple began in 751 and was completed in 774, and was the centre for Silla Buddhism and prayer for the protection of the country. In 1593, the temple was destroyed by fire by the Japanese; it was totally restored 1969-1973.  A number of important cultural properties are located here, including the Three-story Stone and the Dabotap Pagodas, two bridges, and two Buddha – Amitabha Buddha enshrined in the Geungnakjeon hall, and the Vairocana Buddha enshrined in the Birojeon hall.  The Temple was designated a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1995.

Breakfast room at Hyundai Hotel

Us and the temple bell at Seokguram



Sylvain ringing the bell

Gyeongju National Park

In front of Seokguram Grotto

Colourful lanterns at the Grotto

Drinking water fountain at the Grotto

Main Buddha of Seokguram Grotto

Selfies with the four very imposing guardians of Bulguksa Temple

Bulguksa Temple courtyard

Bulguksa

Sakyamuni Buddha in the Daeungjeon Hall at Bulguksa

Us in front of Daeungjeon Hall

Outside Gwaneumjeon Hall

Avalokitesvara Bodhisttva in Gwaneumjeon Hall

Build your own or just add a stone and make a wish

Amitabha Buddha in Gwaneumjeon Hall

Golden bronze money pig at Bulguks

Our tour bus

Ooops, missed Jane!

Lunch was eaten at an Italian-Korean fusion type cafe. We ordered a Gorgonzola pizza, a creamy pasta dish, and a bun type thing that turned out to be a sweet dish. Bellies full, we got back in the bus to visit Daereungwon Tomb Park. This is basically a park with lots of (30) earth mounds of differing sizes, containing tombs of kings and court officials of the early Silla Kingdom. The biggest tomb measures 80m E-W, 120m N-S and 23m in height. There is also a mound containing the Royal Tomb of King Michu and has not been investigated. The tomb we were allowed to enter was Cheonmachong Tomb (aka Heavenly Horse Tomb), which is 47m in diameter and 12.7m high.  In this tomb, there were a number of recovered artefacts on display; some of them were replicas with the originals being held in the Gyeongju National Museum. Probably the most spectacular item recovered was the large gold crown. The tomb displayed a replica but we did get to see the original as we did visit the Museum.

Royal tomb of King Michu in Daereungwon Tomb Park

Daereungwon Tomb Park

Our second last stop of the day was at the Cheomseongdae Observatory, the oldest astronomical (632~647) observatory in East Asia. I have to as that it did not look that spectacular, but allegedly gives a sense of balance, harmonizing straight lines with curves. We moved on soon after taking the obligatory photograph.

Cheomseongdae  astronomical observatory - looks a lot more speccy at night

We had all had enough by this stage, however, we still had the Gyeongju National Museum to do, one of Korea’s largest and most prestigious museums. Jessica, our guide asked us if we wanted to do the whole thing or just the gold crown and I'm sure you can guess what our answers were! To get to the gold crown, however, we had to traipse through many other exhibits. The crown is quite large and very blingy. It is 32.4cm H with a diameter of 20cm. We left after seeing the crown.

Gold Crown from Cheonmachong Tomb

Back in the bus for the second last time for the two-hour drive to the restaurant - another traditional Korean affair, sitting on chairs this time. There was just too much fish for my liking so Jessica ordered another beef dish for Regis and I. A quick pit stop at the convenience store for beer and water and we were back on the bus headed for the hotel (Andong Richell Hotel) which was not too far away.  We were checked in by 8:30pm and back downstairs for a night cap soon after.

Yangban Sang - our restaurant
Dinner

My room - #801 Richell Hotel

View from my balcony




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