Browsing the archives for the Top 10 category
It’s been a while since I’ve done any “Top 10″ and since I’ve been busy with final exams and grades, I don’t have any proper articles ready to go this week. Instead, I figured I’d post on the 10 best YouTube videos I could find about Gyeongju. Believe me, it was a lot harder than [...]
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 [...]
Downtown Gyeongju can sometimes seem a mess of cars, cluttered streets and concrete buildings. Yet tucked behind the Police Station, is the quiet oasis of the Gyeongju Cultural Center (경주문화원) with its lovely traditional architecture and serene gardens. It has a relaxed, unassuming sort of beauty and, although it’s not quite Bulguksa, it’s home to [...]
With our first blast of brisk weather and leaves starting to turn, fall is finally settling on Gyeongju. In about a week or so all the brilliant red, orange and gold autumn leaves will be at their peak, so I suggest getting out to enjoy their beauty before the dreariness of winter sets in. If [...]
Continued from Part 1….. 6. King Munmu the Great (문무왕r. 661 – 681 C.E.): King Munmu wasn’t dubbed “the Great” for nothing. A nephew of the famed general Kim Yu-shin, Munmu was the Shilla Emperor responsible for finally defeating both the Beakjae and Gogoruyeo kingdoms (with some assistance from Tang China) and uniting the Korean [...]
Okay, so maybe I’m going a bit gaga with this whole “Top 10” thing here, but it seems like a quick way to sift through a lot of information and hit a few key points in just a post or two. In keeping with a method tried and true, here’s my personal top 10 list [...]
Not to become a broken record or anything, but most tourists just bounce down to Gyeongju for a long weekend, hit up the big tourist sites, and head home Sunday night. It’s a shame really. You can barely even scratch the surface of what Gyeonju has to offer in 2 days. To finally prove what [...]
Continued from Part 1…. 5. Neoseo-ri Tombs (너서리왕릉): Once surrounded by houses, the half dozen or so tombs of Noseo-ri have been cleared of buildings and made into oasis-like park in the midst of downtown Gyeongju. Just across the street from Bonghangdae tomb, this park is a great spot for tomb watching, an afternoon picnic [...]
One of the things that make Gyeongju noticeably unique among Korean cities are all of the ancient Shilla hill tombs scattered about. Some of them are pretty darn impressive actually, as they range from one to two millennia old and most of them are at least a couple stories high. Not to mention there are [...]
Continued from Part 1: 5. The Buddha Boulder (부처바위) of Tapgol Valley (탑골): Tucked behind the quaint beauty of Oknyeongam Hermitage (옥룡암) in Tapgol (pagoda) Valley is a large rock outcropping covered with Buddhist carvings. There are dozens of cryptic images including meditating Buddhas, flying Devas, pagodas, and even winged lions! The quiet magic of [...]
