Browsing the archives for the Seokkuram tag
This post is coming a little too late for the summer, but I’m posting it anyhow for those who might be interested in doing some camping this fall or are already kicking around ideas for their next vacation. For years I’ve heard that there there’s a campground at the Mt. Tohamsan at the Recreational Forest [...]
As part of another project I’ve got in the works at the moment, I put together a brief timeline of the history of Gyeongju which I’m posting it here with some photos. I hope that clearly and concisely portrays the dramatic thousand year rise and fall of the Shilla Dynasty and is subsequent rediscovery and [...]
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 [...]
After months of slaving away at the computer, my wife finally completed the monumental task of writing her Master’s thesis the other week. We decided to celebrate by heading up into the mountains east of Gyeognju for a little family “r and r” at Ja-yeon Pension (자연 향기). Living in Gyeongju, it’s rare that I [...]
It’s finally beginning to feel a bit like spring around Gyeongju, which means we’re just days away from that magical season when the cherry trees begin to bud and then blossom. Entire streets in Gyeongju turn into marshmallow wonderlands and romantic couples stroll through flurries of pink petals. I already posted last spring on some [...]
Continued from Part 1… Avalokitesvara: The Bodhisattva of Mercy One of the key differences that evolved between Mahayana (Northern School) and Theravada (Southern School) Buddhism is the former’s belief in Bodhisattvas, or “Bosal” (보살) in Korean. These are highly enlightened beings who have vowed to postpone their final enlightenment until all sentient beings on earth [...]
Looking at the history of Gyeongju, it’s hard to underestimate the importance of Buddhism to the ancient Shilla Dynasty. The acceptance of Buddhism by the Shilla in the 5th century C.E. brought an increased cultural exchange with China. This coincided with the military rise of the Shilla Empire which ushered in the “Golden Age” of [...]
I was online this afternoon checking out local pensions for Chuseok when it dawned on me that I’ve been seriously delinquent in updating the “Links” section of this blog over the summer. In fact, for a blog that targets tourists, I hadn’t really posted that many websites for hotels and what not around Gyeongju. After [...]
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 [...]
Perched on the ridge of Mt. Tohamsan (토함산) , looking East over the Churyeong (추령) Pass is one of the best kept secrets of Gyeongju: the Beak Nyeon Cha Jip (백년찻집) or “100 Years Tea House”. Whether you’re a dedicated tea aficionado or you need a break on the trip over to the East Sea [...]
