Sleeping on a futon is rubbish. Especially when this is your pillow:
Gyeongju was a little more lively today. For a start it had stopped raining, so there were more people outside. There was a local street market so we had a look around after breakfast. This one was more rudimentary than we have seen elsewhere. In many cases the “stalls” were old women squatting on the footpath with home grown produce. Gyeongju seems less developed than Busan or Seogwipo, at least in the area we are staying.
Most of the day was spent touring some of the main sites. Gyeongju is referred to as an open air museum, and it is a fair description. There are (quite ancient) tombs, temples, walls and shrines scattered throughout the city.
Our stopping points were:
1. The tomb of King Taejong Muyeol, credited with laying the foundation for unifying Korea in the seventh century.
2. The heavenly horse tomb. This was a royal tomb but they don’t know who was buried here. It has been excavated and you can go inside (but not take pictures). Interesting to see the construction techniques. Under the soil it is mostly carefully layered stones (to prevent tomb robbery).
3. Anapji Pond. Site of a royal palace, where 30, 000 artifacts were found when they drained the pond a few years ago.
4. Cheomseongdae astronomical observatory. Seventh century observatory and regarded as the Korean Stonehenge. I found this especially interesting. Also the location of our lunch and some rather large ice creams.
5. Seokguram. A Buddhist grotto atop a mountain. Seventh century also.
Spectacular views. Unfortunately not allowed to take pictures inside but a very large Buddha carved into the rock. There was also a big bell you could ring with a donation.
6. Bulguksa Temple. Just a little way down the mountain from Seokguram this dates from a similar time. Extensive temple grounds.
Rounded off the day with noodles. No pictures of food today.
kimchitraveller 