Browsing the blog archives for November, 2009
If you’re in the neighborhood of Seonggeon-dong for dinner and not really in the mood for the same old samgyeopsal (삼겹살) (grilled pork), try out Hwanjanggun (황장군) sometime. This place has been a favorite of ours years. Yeah, I know I throw that word “favorite” around a lot, but we go here about once a [...]
Sure, in Gyeongju Mt. Namsan (남산) has the lion’s share of ancient Shilla (신라) statues and carvings, so it’s well worth taking the time to explore if you can. But the truth is, most of the surrounding mountains have atl east one ancient Buddha that’s pretty cool. Plus the other mountains aren’t crawling with hiking clubs [...]
The are a lot of great stories and legends from the Shilla dynasty. Most have to do with places around Gyeongju, so I’m hoping to retell a few of them here. Bunhwangsa temple was the home of one of the most famous Korean Buddhist saints of all time, Venerable monk Wonhyo (617 – 686 CE) . [...]
Right around the corner from the train station is a curious piece of recent Gyeongju history (recent being it’s only a couple hundred years old rather than 1,500). Over the last year or two the city’s been taking pains to restore the old Chosun era city walls and battlements of Gyeongju Eupseong (East fortress).
If you’re at all like me and like you’re history with a bit of quirkiness, you might want to check out the ancient stone bathtub of Bomunsa Temple. The ancient stone bathtub of Bomunsa is… well, a big stone bathtub… um, in the middle of a rice field… um, yeah.
I’m going to make a point of getting some restaurant reviews posted up here every so often, for the sake of both visitors and locals. That said, my first pick to review is already a bit hit with the local crowd: Sangalae (선갈래) dakgalbi (닭갈비) restaurant. Sangalae is smack in the heart of Seonggeondong (성건동), [...]
Ok, so even though it’s over 6 months away, I’ve got to say something about my favorite Korean holiday: Buddha’s Birthday (Seoktanil). On the night of Buddha’s Birthday, most major temples hold a lantern parade. I’ve had the pleasure of catching it at several Buddhist temples over the years and I have to say it’s one of the coolest things I’ve experienced here in Korea.
As for restaurants, samgyeopsal (Korean BBQ) is huge here along with dakgabli (spicy chicken stir-fry) and any other Korean cuisine that’s grilled, cheap and goes well with drinking. The variety is descent though and includes a few foreign joints too. If you’re not in the mood for Korean, you can try Japanese (Izakaya, Robadayaki, etc.), Chinese (Chin Chin, China Cook), Italian (Gratzi & the new Gratzi Hoff) and Vietnamese (Oranee).
If you are out cycling or even walking around the park complex with Cheomseongdae Observatory and Gyerim Forest, I highly recommend taking a few hours to explore the neighborhood just to the south west, called Gyo-dong. Just minutes from ground zero of tourism in Gyeongju are some real gems of traditional culture that not many [...]
One of the most distinctive things about Gyeongju are the ancient Shilla (신라) tombs scattered around town. Yeah, they’re pretty cool, but there are literally hundreds of them around here. After a couple a’ years, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ‘em all. At least that’s what I’d been thinking until I finally got out [...]
