It's been about 2 months since the trip and I have had no time to write about it so I have decided to finally get it done! I am going to keep this short and photo-based!
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| Korean Countryside |
So the next day, we took the KTX to Singyeongju (appox. 2 hours), enjoying the beautiful countryside on the way. Arriving in Gyeongju (Singyeongju is the KTX station), we were immediately taken by its beauty and serenity. Nestled among the clouds, it is a small town with breathtaking views whichever way you look. The KTX station is really quite far away from the town and from the historic sites that we wanted to visit. there is a bus that connects the KTX station to the town, but we missed it by a few minutes which meant we would have had to wait about 30-40 minutes for the next one. We decided to maximize our sightseeing time and so proceeded to bargain with the taxi drivers eager to take us to town. The amount finalized was not cheap but the cabby agreed to let all 5 of us squeeze in even though he was allowed only 4 passengers and also, he agreed to take us to all the major spots that we wanted to see and bring us back to Singyeongju in time for our train to Busan. In hindsight, booking a taxi was a very good idea considering the limited amount of time we had and owing to the fact that some of the temples are really far away in the depths of hills which are otherwise only connected by infrequent buses.
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| On the way up to the grotto |
The first place we visited was Seokguram Grotto. The Buddhist temple we had come to see was a short hike up from the parking area. This walk was welcomed by us all since we were all feeling cold in our Seoul-suited summer clothes and needed some exercise to warm up! As we climbed higher, we were mesmerized by the amazing views around us, which had bee painted even greener by the recent rains.
What we experienced inside the Seokguram Grotto cannot be expressed in words. Within the hills and in perfect harmony, sat the most peaceful statue of the Great Buddha I had ever seen.
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| View from the gotto |
The statue is carved in stone yet seems so light that I felt as if Buddha was levitating in meditation. The seated Buddha statue is protected by two sets of 12 royal guards. On the two days of the solstice every year, the sun rays coming through the dome above his head strikes the third eye and shines towards the south-east in the direction of an ancient temple in the valley which was destroyed by the Mongol invasion. It is also said that this light continues towards the tomb of King Mum-mu which is said to protect Korea from the Japanese. I couldn't help but wonder what power had kept this statue intact for so many years even though the Japanese invaders had destroyed everything just a short distance away from the grotto. The grotto is still an active Buddhist site and so photography is prohibited to maintain its sanctity. We bought picture postcards to hold on to the memory of what we had witnessed.
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| Seokguram Grotto |
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| With the Dabotap! |
Feeling spiritually refreshed, we were eager to see what else Gyeongju had in store for us! So the 5 of us (all healthy, food loving people ;)) squeezed back into our taxi and headed off to Bulguksa Temple. This is located just a short drive downhill from the Seokguram Grotto. Built in the 8th century, it is famous for its exquisite stone carvings typical of the Silla dynasty. The two stone pagodas that stand in the main courtyard, the Dabotap and Seokgatap are most famous and are national treasures. After walking through the exquisite, sprawling precincts of this ancient temple, we wandered into small courtyard which had pebbles stacked on top of each other. I had read somewhere that people made wishes in Korea by stacking stones so I was very excited to see this.
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| Stack full of wishes |
After Bulguksa Temple, we headed off to see the Anapji Pond and and the Royal tombs before lunch.
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| Our taxi declares Gyeongju is Korea...and I agree! |
Lunch was once again a sumptuous feast. Two crabs, many fishes, a whole range of other sea-life each carefully prepared with different taste. Koreans really know their food!
After lunch, our taxi took us back to Singyeongju station and after many Kamsahanmida to our driver, we caught the train to Busan. We reached Busan as the sun was setting and decided to head over directly to the Jagalchi fish market. I highly highly recommend a visit to this place! I will let the pictures do the talking here!
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| At Busan station |
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| Holding a live lobster at Jagalchi Market |
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| Fish ladies! |
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| The indoors market-each shop has its own restaurant a directly on the floor above! |
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| DINNER at Jagalchi - really fresh seafood with lots of freebies from the kind owner! |
After an eventful evening at Jagalchi, we took the train to our hotel. Since it was really close to the famous Haeundae Beach, we hung out there till pretty late before calling it a night!
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| Haeundae Beach by night |
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