After some early morning confusion about bus stations, and about an hour and a half on the subway, we made it to the bus for Gyungju. Gyungju is an ancient Korean city, where there are actually some historical sites still intact. Korean history is often quite sad. Virtually everything they built in the past has been destroyed; sometimes, over and over again. Whether it was the Mongolians, Chinese, Japanese, or even fellow Koreans, the southern half of the peninsula has not seen periods of peace that last more than a generation or two. I've learned from some research and the word of some Koreans, that virtually all of their temples have been rebuilt at least once. All old architecture, as in homes or other buildings, has been destroyed multiple times. One of the most tragic things I've come to learn about their history concerns wildlife. There isn't any. I've noticed this many times on our hikes, as there aren't any squirrels, rabbits, or deer that I've seen. Apparently there are some, but they are few and far between. There used to be bears and even a Korean Tigers no more than 70 years ago. The Japanese slaughtered all the bears and the few remaining Korean Tigers, during their occupation from 1910-1940. It is very sad and unfortunate, but on a happier note, South Korea has managed to preserve some of their sites, and rebuild the rest.
Only an hour bus ride away, Gyungju lies in the middle of a valley surrounded by mountains. Autumn is in full swing and the trees were brilliant mix of reds, yellows, and oranges.
A short walk from the bus station and we entered ancient burial grounds of Korean royalty. Hundreds, if not thousands of years of kings and queens are buried under massive green mounds, nearly 50 ft. tall. The park was littered with dozens of mounds. Some of the mounds were connected, symbolizing a king and queen laid to rest together. It was a very pleasant and serene setting for royal burial. I very much appreciate the natural and humble aspect of burying ones royalty under massive mounds of soil. They will peacefully stand forever, but are not as ostentatious as the pyramids built over decades.
After strolling the parks for a while, we decided to catch a taxi into the mountains. First we visited the Seokguram grotto at the top of a mountain over looking the ocean to the East. There was a small temple complex with some statues and then a small building built into the side of the mountain. Once inside, you see a room carved out of the mountain! It was unbelievable. It is apparently some of the oldest Buddhist art in Korea. It is also some of the most beautiful statues/sculptures I have ever seen. They did not allow pictures, so we cannot share....But! You should come visit and we'll take you there!
After the Seokguram grotto, we took a nice easy path, about 2.2 km, down the mountain. This was beyond beautiful. We walked for about thirty minutes under a never-ending canopy of reds, yellows, and oranges gracefully falling from the trees. There isn't much of a fall in Texas, and I've never had the pleasure of experiencing all of it in Ohio. But wow! This was one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen.
At the bottom of the mountain, we came to Bulgulksa Temple. This is one of the oldest and most popular temples in all of Korea. It was originally built in 731 AD, and was destroyed and rebuilt many times. The original foundation has remained intact, and the current structure was rebuilt in the 1970s.
Amazing sculptures and architecture littered the entire complex. This is the third temple we've had the pleasure of seeing and it was still breath-taking.
We left the temple just as the sun was beginning to go down. After some Ssam-Bap, a kind of vegetarian style Korean BBQ. We caught a bus headed for home, in Busan.
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