Browsing the archives for the Stories, legends & people category

4 Mar 10

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 [...]

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

Parable of the Ox Herder (심우도)

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 [...]

1 Comment Posted in Buddhist culture, Stories, legends & people, Temples & shrines by Sherwin
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10 Jan 10

Underwater Tomb of King Munmu the Great (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 [...]

6 Comments Posted in Shamanism, Stories, legends & people, Tips for tourists, Tombs by Sherwin
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30 Dec 09

The Legend of Asadal (아사달) and Asanyeo (아산여)

If you’ve had the pleasure of visiting Bulguksa temple (불국사), you’ve probably admired the twin masterpieces of Seokgatap (석가탑) and Dabotap (다보탑) pagodas in the main courtyard (if you haven’t yet, Dabotap is on the face side of the 10 won coin).  What you may not have known is that there is a tragic legend [...]

0 Comments Posted in Bulguk-dong, Statues & carvings, Stories, legends & people by Sherwin
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13 Dec 09

Ancestral Home of the Choe Clan (최씨고탁)

Just 5 minutes around the corner from Cheomseondae Observatory is the historical neighborhood of Hwangnam-dong.  Tucked between the tombs and the river, Hwangnam-dong is a small neighborhood but it’s got a number of interesting places worth checking out.   It’s getting a face lift at the moment since they’re turning the entire place into a folk [...]

0 Comments Posted in Gyo-dong, Sites to see, Stories, legends & people, Tips for tourists by Sherwin
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7 Dec 09

Links: The Hwarang (화랑) Warriors of the Shilla Dynasty

 
I was going to include this with my new links  post a few days back, but it was so cool I figured it need a posting of it’s own.   Last week I stumbled onto the official website of the Hwarang Do martial arts organization .  If you’ve read anything about the history of the Shilla [...]

3 Comments Posted in Stories, legends & people, Websites by Sherwin
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25 Nov 09

St. Wonhyo’s Awakening

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) .   [...]

3 Comments Posted in Stories, legends & people by Sherwin
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11 Nov 09

Cycling Route: The Geumcheokri Tombs (금척리 고분군)

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 [...]

5 Comments Posted in Cycling Routes, Geumcheok-ri, Stories, legends & people, Tips for tourists, Tombs by Sherwin
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