Browsing the archives for the Outside Gyeongju category
Back in the U.S., the Korean War is often referred to as the “Forgotten War.” It might be said then in S. Korea that it’s a war the people would like to forget, but can’t. Looking around at all the high rise buildings, cell phone shops and internet cafes, it is difficult to imagine that [...]
The official start of fall is less than a week away, meaning it’s time again for some of the best weather in Korea and its accompanying frenzy of festivals. Here in Gyeongju we can look forward to a few old favorites plus some changes and special events. First off, both vegetarians and Buddhist culture aficionados [...]
This is probably a bit random, but it’s been ages since I’ve posted any videos here. On the evening of the opening and closing Saturday of the Andong Mask Dance Festival, Hahoe Folk Village hosts a traditional firework performance. They string ropes from the village, across the river, to the top of the cliff. The [...]
Taking advantage of a break in the cold weather, the other weekend I piled into the car with some friends and took off to explore the mountains south of Gyeongju (not to mention my wife was putting the finishing touches on her Master’s thesis and needed me out of the house). I’d managed to score [...]
It seems like local events have a way of sneaking up on me around here. I try my best, but I have a way of hearing about them right before, or worse, just after they happen. As my New Year’s resolution is to get a head of things for a change, here’s a list of [...]
To ring in the New Year I thought I’d share some video I shot at last year’s Andong Mask Dance Festival. On its last Sunday the festival hosts a traditional folk game from Andong called Chajeon Nori (차전놀이) which literally means “Combat Carriage Game.” It sometimes goes by the more impressive moniker “Juggernaut Battle Game” [...]
For most westerners, New Years Eve means late night parties with friends or family (and usually booze) where we count down the seconds to midnight and ring in the New Year with cheering and fanfare. Korea has a different, if no less alcoholic, way of ringing in the New Year. Every December 31st thousands of [...]
Inspired by the “Weird America” books back home, I’ve decided to start a series of posts on some of the quirky, cheesy or just plain strange tourist attractions that abound around here. I could begin the with the wish-granting stone of Cheonwonsa Temple (천원사), or the legendary Vagina Valley of Mt. Obongsan (오봉산), but I [...]
Every Korean knows that Fall brings the best weather to the peninsula. It’s not stifling hot nor freezing cold and you aren’t plagued with the pollen and yellow dust brought by Spring. And thanks to all this great weather, every city and town in Korea has to host some sort of festival. Most of them [...]
If you’ve ever taken the bus from Gyeongju to Daegu, you might’ve caught a fleeting glimpse of a giant golden Buddha off in the mountains to the north. No, this isn’t some apparition induced by sleep deprivation or soju poisoning. This huge Buddha actually overlooks Manbulsa (만불사), or literally “Temple of Ten-thousand Buddhas,” nestled at [...]
