6 Feb 10

Hiking Route: Chilbulam Hermitage (칠불암)

Chilbulam Hermitage (칠불암)

Chilbulam Hermitage (칠불암)

 I’ve been running this blog now for almost 3 months and it’s nearly criminal I’ve not said anything yet about Mt. Namsan (남산) as I think it’s one of the coolest things about Gyeongju. Mt. Namsan’s not nearly as tall as some of the mountains around here (just under 500 meters actually) but what makes it so special is that it’s covered with over 100 stone Buddha’s and other Shilla Dynasty relics dating back about 1,500 years.  It’s also got some pretty gnarly rock formations and a fair share of Buddhist temples, which can make for some fun hikes. 

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0 Comments Posted in Namsan-dong, Statues & carvings, Temples & shrines, Tips for tourists, hiking by Sherwin
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4 Feb 10

Parable of the Ox Herder (심우도)

Parable of the Ox-herder, Okryeongam Hermitage

Parable of the Ox-herder, Okryeongam Hermitage

Okay, I admit it:  I’m a Korean temple junky.  Big or small, I get a kick out of visiting Buddhist temples over here.   Maybe It’s because they’re something excotic we don’t have back home (and no, Yogaville doesn’t count) or just that I find them very relaxing places to be.   But whatever your religious preferences,  Buddhist temples here are a pretty unique expression of Korea’s traditional culture and spiritual heritage.  

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0 Comments Posted in Buddhist culture, Stories, legends & people, Temples & shrines by Sherwin
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31 Jan 10

Restaurant Review #7: Boo Yong (부용) Chinese Restaurant

Boo Yong (부용) Chinese Restaurant

Boo Yong (부용) Chinese Restaurant

Ever since “China Cook” changed owners and slid down hill, I’ve had an aching void in my life where great Chinese food should be. As the fates would have it, last month some kind folks at work turned us on to a new Chinese joint in town: Boo Yong (부용) Chinese Restaurant. It’s just across the river in Guemjang-ri (금장리); a little bit out of the way, but well worth the effort. We’ve been there about 4 times last month and we’re slowly working our way through the menu. So far there’s not a thing on it we haven’t liked.

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0 Comments Posted in Restaurants, Tips for tourists by Sherwin
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28 Jan 10

Jasujeong Amethyst Mines (자수정 동굴)

Jasujeong Amethyst Mines (자수정 동굴)

Jasujeong Amethyst Mines (자수정 동굴)

Okay, that’s it: today I died and went to cheesy tourist kitsch heaven (or hell depending on your sense of taste).   Today we took a rainy  afternoon to check out the Jasujeong Amethyst Caves (자수정 동굴), just 30km south of here in Eonyang (언양).  I’d read online that they’re one of the schlockiest tourist sites in Korea (yeah, there are more than a few contenders for that title) and believe me, they didn’t disappoint.

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3 Comments Posted in Outside Gyeongju, Sites to see, Tips for tourists by Sherwin
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26 Jan 10

Golgulsa Temple (골굴사)

Sakyamuni Buddha, Golgulsa Temple (골굴사)

Sakyamuni Buddha, Golgulsa Temple (골굴사)

Though it’s not quite Korea’s answer to the Shaolin Monastery of China, Golgulsa Temple (골굴사) is one of the more unique temples in the Gyeongju area and it’s pretty darn cool. If you’re on your way over to King Munmu’s tomb (문무대왕릉) on the East Coast, it’s well worth taking an hour or so to stop off here and check it out.

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0 Comments Posted in Buddhist culture, East Sea, Statues & carvings, Temples & shrines, Tips for tourists by Sherwin
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22 Jan 10

Restaurant Review #6: Dweaji Sanyang (돼지사냥) Samgyeopsal

Dweaji Sanyang (돼지사냥) Samgyeopsal Restaurant

Dweaji Sanyang (돼지사냥) Samgyeopsal Restaurant

So I’ve been in Korea for a while now and honestly I’m a bit over the whole fried meat thing.  One samgyeopsol (삼겹살) joint taste like another to me anymore… but then there’s Dweaji Sanyang (돼지사냥) .  It’s downtown, just a stones through from the Daerungwon tombs and if you’re looking for a different experience with Korean barbeque, I suggest checking it out.

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2 Comments Posted in Downtown, Food & drink, Restaurants, Tips for tourists by Sherwin
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13 Jan 10

Book Review: The Portable Library of Korean Literature

“Three Days in that Autumn” by Pak Wan-seo (cover)

Okay, so maybe it is a bit ambitious to review an entire series of books for my first book review.  But if you are interested in exploring a deeper side of Korean culture than the superficial dross pumped out by Arirang TV , you should check out the Portable Library of Korean Literature , put out by Jinmoongdang Press.  

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1 Comment Posted in Book Reviews, Korean culture by Sherwin
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10 Jan 10

Underwater Tomb of King Munmu the Great (문무대왕릉)

King Munmu’s tomb (문무대왕릉)

With friends visiting for the New Year, we decided to make use of our new set of wheels and go exploring a bit.  On New Year’s day we made the 45 min. trek over the mountains to Bonggil Beach (봉길해수욕장) on the East Sea, though were a bit too late to catch the sunrise, as is the custom for a lot of folks on New Year’s morning in Korea.  It was sunny and warm (for January anyhow), so we had a lovely time bumming around on the beach by King Munmu’s tomb (문무대왕릉)  .

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5 Comments Posted in Shamanism, Stories, legends & people, Tips for tourists, Tombs by Sherwin
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5 Jan 10

More Links

It’s been a little while since I’ve updated the links, so here’s a run down of a few websites and blogs I’ve dug up in the last month or so.

If you’re new to Korea or want to learn more about Korean food, my friend Pete hooked me up with a link to TriFood.com. It’s focus is on promoting Korean food in the tri-state area of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, but it’s got a very thorough glossary of Korean Cuisine.  Not to mention, there’s a bunch of recipes worth trying out if you’re handy in the kitchen.

Speaking of Korean food, One fork, One spoon is a pretty awesome food blog by Grace Meng.  Grace covers Korean cuisine along with a fair mix of Mexican, Spanish and Argentinean.  She’s got dozens of posts including Korean recipes and restaurant reviews.  Keep an eye out for her Korean cookbook coming out soon.

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2 Comments Posted in Food & drink, Korean culture, Links, Websites by Sherwin
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2 Jan 10

Restaurant Review #5: Ha Yeon Ji (하연지) Lotus Restaurant

Ha Yeon Ji (하연지) Lotus Restaurant

As promised in my recent post Nak Cheon Won Temple (낙천원사), I got back to Ha Yeon Ji Restaurant (하연지) last Saturday with some friends, and this time I did actually  remember to bring my camera.   Ha Yeon Ji Restaurant (하연지) is part of  Nak Cheon Won Temple (낙천원사) complex , which is new, private temple that’s home to a huge golden Buddha in the front courtyard.

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2 Comments Posted in Food & drink, Gyo-dong, Restaurants, Tips for tourists by Sherwin
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