10 Mar 10

Restaurant Review #9: Baru (바루) Vegetarian Restaurant

Baru Vegetarian Restaurant, Gyeongju

Baru Vegetarian Restaurant, Gyeongju

Being a vegetarian in Korea can be rough. I, myself, am an omnivore, but I’ve got enough vegetarian friends here that I can sympathize. There just aren’t a lot of vegetarian options in Korea.  Like with a lot of countries who’ve recently come out of poverty, vegetarianism seems counter intuitive to most Koreans.   Since you can actually afford to eat meat 3 meals a day, why shouldn’t you?  It doesn’t help that a lot of Koreans don’t really consider fish or seafood to be meat.  You might’ve ordered that jjigae (찌개), or stew, with out meat, only to find a fish head floating in it when it gets to your table.

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0 Comments Posted in Buddhist culture, Restaurants, Tips for tourists by Sherwin
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7 Mar 10

Daeboreum (대보름) Full Moon Bonfire Festival

Daeboreum Full Moon Bonfire Festival, Gyeongju

Daeboreum Full Moon Bonfire Festival, Gyeongju

After living in Spain for two years, I’ve come to love any festival involving fire. Maybe it’s my inner pyromaniac, or the fact that burning things is generally illegal in my country. It seems the Spanish can’t have a festival without fireworks, bonfires, or setting something or other on fire… and the Spanish have a LOT of festivals

The Koreans on the other hand save up their pyromania over the year and let it out in one big blast on Daeboreum (대보름) or literally “The Great Full Moon” Festival. Going by the lunar calendar, Daeboreum is the first full moon of the New Year, 15 days after Seollal (설날) or “Lunar New Years.” There are a lot of traditions and customs associated with Daeboreum, like climbing mountains to see the moonrise, eating ogokbap (오곡밥) or healthy 5 grain rice, or cracking nuts with your teeth to guarantee good health in the New Year (probably a big hit with the dentists).

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2 Comments Posted in Dongcheon-dong, Festivals, Hwangnam-dong, Korean culture, Tips for tourists by Sherwin
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4 Mar 10

Anapji Pond (안압지) by Night

Anapji Pond (안압지) by Night

Anapji Pond (안압지) by Night

Probably my top pick of things to do when visiting Gyeongju is to go for a walk around Anapji Pond (안압지) at night. Sure, Anapji’s worth checking out during the day, but when the sun goes down it really blings. The city’s done a great job with lighting, though some might say its a bit on the tacky side. But hey, I’m a sucker for pretty lights, so I love it. It’s great for a romantic stroll with your significant other. Or, if you’re into photography, bring your camera and a tripod and score some great night shots. I wouldn’t recommend doing both at the same time though, just ask my wife ;-)

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0 Comments Posted in Ruins & remains, Stories, legends & people, Tips for tourists by Sherwin
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25 Feb 10

Tips for Locals: Gyeongju Shopping Guide


View Gyeongju Shopping in a larger map

Since there are about 24 new foreign teachers starting this semester at my university this semester, I thought I’d take a few minutes to slap together a short shopping guide for Gyeongju’s local foreigners. It’s pouring down rain today, so please excuse me for not running out and shooting photos. I’m afraid we’ll just have to make do with Google Maps for the bling factor.  Anyhow, here are a few things most foreigners ask about when they move here:

English-Speaking Pharmacists

If you’re in need of an English-speaking pharmacist, there’s one who runs the Medipharm Dongguk Pharmacy right on Dongdae Sagori Intersection. I don’t remember her name at the moment, but she’s quite fluent in English (her husband’s foreign, I believe) and real friendly. If she’s not in when you go by, her assistant might give her a ring if it’s an emergency.

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1 Comment Posted in Uncategorized by Sherwin
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10 Feb 10

Blog News: 2 Week Vacation Break

My apologies in advance for the radio silence, but I’m going on vacation for the next two weeks.  I won’t have internet access either, so please don’t get offended if I don’t get back to your comments or questions for while.

Fear not though, I’ll be back on line by March.  Starting next month I hope to bring in other folks from the Gyeongju expat community to post on this blog as well.  If you’re interested on writing on restaurants you’ve been to, hikes you’ve done or cool sites or events around Gyeongju, please let me know.  I promise I’ll get back to you when I return from vacation.

Until then…

1 Comment Posted in Blog News by Sherwin
10 Feb 10

Restaurant Review #8: Downtown Coffee Shops

 

Bean Stock Coffee, Downtown Gyeongju

Bean Stock Coffee, Downtown Gyeongju

If you’re local, you may have noticed lately that coffee shops have been springing up downtown like mushrooms after a rain.  I’m an espresso addict who remembers the dark days when the only thing you could get here was instant hazelnut coffee, so these shops are practically manna from heaven. 

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0 Comments Posted in Downtown, Restaurants, Tips for tourists by Sherwin
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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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2 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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1 Comment 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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2 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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