Weekend Trip to Gyeongju

This weekend I went on an IAESTE arranged trip to Gyeonju. Gyeongju is situated on the south-east coast of the Korean peninsula. It’s known as the museum without walls due to the sheer amount of old stuff there is within the city. Korea’s history, like many Asian countries, consists of different dynasties and rulers. In the first millennium, the Korea (and parts of what is now China) were ruled by the three consecutive Kingdoms: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. Of these, the Silla kingdom is probably the most important, as it was the first to unify all areas of the peninsula. Gyeongju was the capital city of Silla.

We arrived on Friday evening and checked into our motel, went for a few drinks, had a little wander around the dong and got an earlyish night.

On Saturday morning we began our sight seeing. First stop, the beach. But not any beach, oh no. This beach has some rocks about 200m away from the coast which is a tomb, the tomb of King Munmu.

The Tomb of King Munmu

Then we headed back into the city to do a tour of the Gyeonju National Museum. There was so much stuff to see here. The tour guide who showed us around only took us to a small selection. We did get to sample some tea though, and saw some fascinating Buddhist art, as well as some ancient Korean bling. However, the highlight of the museum was the Emille Bell. This is essentially a giant bell, from a temple, which when struck lightly can be heard 3km away. I’m not sure how true this is though, as we weren’t allowed try.

Emille Bell

After the museum, we went across the road to the site of a royal palace and a beautiful lotus pond, Anapji. The pond was reconstructed in 1974-5, and many relics were found, most of which are now in the museum. At this time of year though, the pond is stunning, with lotus flowers in bloom as far as the eye can see.

Anapji Pond

Next, the oldest observatory in Asia, Cheomseongdae Observatory. This simple structure is constructed from 12 stones around the base (one for every month), 30 stones high (one for every day in a month) and has a total of 366 stones altogether (almost one for every day of the year).

Cheomseongdae Observatory

Close to this were more tombs, the Noseo-dong tombs, this time formed as mounds in the earth made of stone, and covered in soil and grass.There were loads of these peppered around the city – it’s quite an odd site to see.

Noseo-dong Tombs

We finished the day at a resort park, where we hired mini quad bikes and motorcycles, and rode around like kids. Fun!

On Sunday, we went to see two of Korea’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the temple at Bulguk-sa and the Seokguram Grotto. Both of these places were stunning, honestly some of the most tranquil places I’ve been to.