Browsing the archives for the Namsan tag

Gyeongju Guide Books

Over the last couple of months I’ve managed to collect a few really killer guidebooks on the Gyeongju, mostly through tips from friends and browsing through the Gyeongju National Museum book store.  If you’re visiting Gyeongju, you’d be doing yourself a big favor by picking up at least one of these books and giving it [...]

0 Comments

Restaurant Review #11: Kalguksu (칼국수) on Mt. Namsan

Along with temples, ancient Buddhas, and funny-shaped boulders, Mt. Namsan (남산) has also been blessed with a fair number of kalguksu (칼국수) restaurants. If you’ve not tried it before, Kalguksu is a hot and hearty noodle soup; perfect after a hike. Kalguksu literally means “knife noodles” as the noodles are cut by hand and quite [...]

0 Comments

Top 10 Ancient Stone Buddhas (석불) of Gyeongju: Part 2 of 2

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 [...]

2 Comments

Top 10 Ancient Stone Buddhas (석불) of Gyeongju: Part 1 of 2

One of the cool things about Gyeongu is that it’s literally covered with ancient stone Buddhas from the Unified Shilla Dynasty (통일 신라), most dating back to around the 7th or 8th centuries C.E.  Very little is generally known about the sculptors who chiseled out these masterpieces way back when, though they were probably carved [...]

1 Comment

Hiking Route: 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 [...]

4 Comments