Korean Job Discussion Forums

[muntmaru]

I'm going to Gyeongju at Chuseok.
What are your 3 favorite sites in Gyeongju?

[just because]

Bulguksa
Bomun lake
The grass tombs

Also highly recommend you hire a bike and ride to Bulguksa and around the lake,great fun.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Sokguram Grotto.

Also, go to Nangsan. Easy to get to, but very secluded. One of the only Queen's tombs in town.

I really wanted to go to Namsan (the one in Gyongju) but ran out of time.

[sid]

Obviously Bulkuksa. But to be honest Sokguram grotto was a bit of a disappointment after the uphill climb from Bulkuksa (it was a hot day).

If you are walking around the landmarks near town (tombs, observatory) take a slight detour via Anabji pond.

Yangdong folk village (a bus ride North of town) is another nice place to walk around.

[jaebea]

When I went in the heart of winter 2003/2004, I visited most of the popular sites.

It's funny how the last time I went, I hated the place, couldn't stand it. This time around, I had a perfectly fun time, and it was great to learn all the interesting bits and pieces. Helped that Dad was there with me, and was a history teacher way back when.

The main places have been mentioned. Bulguksa and Seokkuram.

Bulguksa alone is worth the trip, but you're probably wasting a lot of time if you just go here! :)

Seokkuram was a great walk, but honestly disappointing. You're about a million miles away from the actual thing, and we spent more time walking to the actual monument than staying there.

Anapji Pond was my fave during both trips. Not quite sure why, but when you walk through, and see where all the pillars and buildings used to be, it's pretty fun to visualise where everything was and try to imagine things how they used to be. There's a scale model of the "original" and the pond is quite pleasant.

Once you're at Anapji, it's a pretty close journey to the other major sites around the area.

An interesting place often overlooked is the Seokbinggo (the Ice Room). It's an oldschool refrigerator that was built a long, long time ago to store ice for the nobility. Even in the heat of summer, you can feel the cold from this construction.. pretty damn impressive. Close to the CheomSeongDae observatory, grab an icecream and walk between the two sites, and it's a pleasant walk. :)

Few more sites worth mentioning. There's a little park which has the Cheonmachong (Flying Horse Chariot) tomb, with other similar mounds. Going at this time of the year would be awesome, since the heat in summer was unpleasant, and the grass was rather dead when I went in winter... :)

Poseokjung is the site of the old royal villa. Not much there besides a few nice gardens and so forth, but an interesting construct remains today. There's a little canal, about 10m long, and the story goes that old kings would float their glasses of wine along the canal while they entertained themselves. The extravagance of wealth hasn't changed much has it? :)

Finally, the Gyeongju National Museum has a wide range of prehistoric and classical museum pieces, including some royal jewelry that had been excavated from nearby tombs.

Enjoy!

jae.

[captain kirk]

Sokkuram grotto, Pulguksa (they're close together).
The third is between Anapji pond and the museum, but they're both together anyway.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Taxi from Pulguksa to Sokguram is man won. Walk down.

[tommynomad]

Or you could take your time, enjoy the walk (which I thought was beautiful, and I hate hiking like few others) and be awestruck by the Buddha at the top.

[Yangkho]

Namsan is a must.

Been to Gyeongju three times. The second and third times, I was only at Namsan.

Looks like an average Korean mountain, but it's dotted with relics. Tombs, pagodas, mysterious rock carvings, remains of a fortress on top.

Don't know what it is. Just had a great time there. You certainly feel a lot of history up there.

[AndersonKrause111]

I'm actually leaving for Gyeongju this afternoon. I am moving to Changwon to start working Oct. 1, so I figured I might as well check out Gyeongju while I've got time to spare.

[Zed]

There's a large Buddha carved in a cliff a bit of a bus ride from there but if you're there for 3 days you should easily have the time. Catch a bus to a temple called Girimsa and it's along the access road to it. It's called Golguram I think. There will be lots of people everywhere you go there at Chuseok so you'll get to see all the city women come out and climb the cliff up to the Buddha in their high-heels. Amusing.

[AndersonKrause111]

Is it going to be easy to get off the bus and fine a room for a few nights? I'm a little worried, what with the holiday and all. Basically, I'll have my bags and a female friend with me , and neither of us have ever been there. Is it going to be easy to find a room?

[chronicpride]

should be ok....worst case scenario is that you stay at a minbak at a jacked up rate.

[AndersonKrause111]

How much would the worst case scenario 'jacked up rate' be, if you had to guess?

[chronicpride]

50-60, at high end. There are enough 30,000 won yeogwons in that town, though.