Gyeongju (경주) - Remnants of the Silla Kingdom's Capital Part 2

After we filled our stomachs with naengmyeon and copious amounts of ice water, it was time for us to embark on our walking tour of the historic areas downtown, which were all conveniently connected to one another.

Our first stop was Tumuli Park (Daereungwon Tomb Complex 대릉원 - 천마총) which contains more than 20 tombs, many of which are the burial sites of the ancient kings, queens, and officials of the Silla Period. One of the tombs, Cheonmachong or the Heavenly Horse Tomb, you can even enter inside. Unfortunately it was closed for renovation during our visit. Now, there is supposed to be an entrance fee into the park, but we never came across one. The front gates were open and people were freely entering, so... we just went in? The park was a very surreal place to be, as people strolled around the giant burial mounds and had a nice day in the park. The fact that we were walking casually through an ancient burial ground was astounding to me. Imagining what it must've been like back then exercised my imagination. Just the thought of it filled me with wonder. The tombs tower above you, smoothly shaped and a vibrant green, filling you with a sense of their significance. The tombs are occasionally opened for archaeological purposes, and many ancient artifacts have been recovered such pottery, warrior and horse armor, jewelry, jade, crystal, ancient royal crowns, and much more. Many of the artifacts are displayed now at the Gyeongju Museum nearby, which we visited later that day.

The above video was taken from a display at the Gyeongju Museum, and shows how one of the tomb structures was built. All of the tombs were built in a similar manner, but there are subtle differences in some of the structures depending on who it was for and whether it was a single or double (King and Queen) tomb.


Walking along, the tombs gradually come to an end, and here you will find Cheomseongdae Observatory (첨성대). Known to be the oldest astronomical observatory in East Asia, it was built during the Silla period between 632-647. It was used to determine the weather and observe the stars, equinoxes, and solstices. The square hole seen just over half way up the structure is actually the entrance (you would need to hang a ladder from it) and an observer could from there ascend to the top. Overall there are 27 levels of stone, and 362 stones total (one for each day in the lunar year). It is an impressive structure.

After visiting the observatory tower, we headed to the Gyeongju National Museum. It was a welcome escape from the heat and humidity, with blasts of freezing air welcoming you the moment the doors swung open. The museum included several buildings and the array of artifacts that were found in the area was quite comprehensive. Among the items found were many works of pottery, numerous lotus roof tiles, earrings, jade, necklaces, belt loops, royal crowns and accessories, figurines and Buddha statues, as well as many other objects. Honestly the amount of artifacts that have been recovered is quite large. Its impressive. However, I didn't photograph inside the museum itself.

Finally, our last stop for the day were the remnants of Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond. 'Wolji' means 'a pond that reflects the moon'. The area surrounding the palace was very beautiful, with lotus flowers in pink and white blooming everywhere. Getting a close up photo without getting wet was difficult. 

Most of the palace itself has long been gone, but the pond, which is man made, still holds on. Here you can see a few of the remaining buildings bordering the pond, as well as some of the artifacts that were retrieved from it. There have been hundreds to thousands of items retrieved from the pond including everything from common daily items to items more attributed to the royalty that once lived there. Even the remnants of an old pleasure boat were found at the bottom of the pond. I can just imagine potential Silla royalty taking a relaxing paddle around the pond many years ago. It is so awesome to think about. The night view here is stunning, and we saw many people setting up early to get the best photos once the sun set. We wanted to stick around to see what the area looked like once the lights came on after dark, but we were far too tired to stay. So, I settled to get my photos at dusk and I am still pleased with how they turned out.

Overall we only saw a fraction of what Gyeongju has to offer in terms of historical sites. There are many more palaces, pagodas, temples, and other sites to see. If we would've had time, I would've liked to have hiked Namsan Mountain. Considered the sacred mountain of Silla, there are 100 temples, 80 stone carved Buddhas and 60 pagodas scattering the mountain slopes and lining the mountain itself. There are also several royal tombs located along the bottom of the mountain. It sure would've been a sight to behold.

I also would've liked to try the Gyeongju bread, which must be famous considering how many stores were selling it all over the place. My intent was to pick some up and try it Sunday morning before departing, but I ended up not having the time.

Gyeongju truly lives up to its reputation as a museum without walls. It is a fascinating place. I wouldn't have minded living there (except maybe for the fact that it was SO hot).

Gyeongju (경주) - Remnants of the Silla Kingdom's Capital Part 1

Ever since I heard that Gyeongju was South Korea's 'museum without walls' and a city with vast historical assets from the time of the Silla Kingdom, I have wanted to travel there. Finally, on my last full weekend living in Southern region of the country, I made the trip there with a friend of mine. Gyeongju does not disappoint. With 52 designated cultural assets recognized by UNESCO, consisting of palaces, temples, artifacts, tombs, artwork, sculptures, and pagodas, as well as many additional artifacts and sights, there is an endless amount of historical sites and artifacts to appreciate. 

Bulguksa Temple - 불국사

The main area of downtown is easy to navigate and many locations are within walking distance of one another. As we were only there for one full day, areas within walking distance were a huge plus for our trip. As such, I will walk you through our very full Saturday. 

For starters, we stayed at the Momojein Guest House. I am sure that most of the accommodations in Gyeongju are wonderful, but I thought that this was one of the nicer guesthouses I've personally stayed in. The rooms were neat and clean, breakfast was included (eggs, toast, and juice), and its the only traditional style guesthouse I've stayed in. When I say traditional I mean that the house is built around a central courtyard, which all the rooms open up to. So, you should go outside the room to go to the living room, bathroom, or kitchen for instance. It was a new experience. I will say, during the summer the spiders in Korea can get intense with their web building, and they are huge. When we went in the courtyard or alley leading to the place, we had to keep our eyes out for webs. One last plus of this place was that they had a dog, so if you're dog deprived, their Labrador is cute.

Leaving bright and early, we headed to Bulguksa Temple (불국사) first, as it was the furthest away (buses 10/11 will get you there from downtown). It is a short walk to the temple, and a small price to enter. Despite it being early morning it was still pushing 90 degrees F out already. Being one of the hottest areas of the country, water and ice cream were our first stops. 

The temple truly was gorgeous, fairly large and active. There were groups of people worshiping inside the many different rooms as well as many tours shuffling about. Wandering the many corridors and steep steps was an adventure. We congregated around the temple fountain with many others, drinking the cool spring water, while questioning how sanitary it was (we didn't care). Oh how much I wanted to just 'accidentally' fall into the fountain and cool off, but...that would be super disrespectful in a temple. On our way out we gave in to the heat and purchased broader hats that could cover our head/face/shoulders and protect it front the sun. The hat felt giant on me, and looked a bit silly considering it isn't generally my style, but it worked and I was thankful for that. 

The valley of stacked stones (with the occasional beaded bracelet and coin)

After finishing at the temple, we headed to Seokguram Grotto (석굴암), which was nearby. We had some trouble finding the entrance to it, and had to ask an ahjumma who was setting up a food stand. She was our savior. Online I had read the entrance to the hiking trail there was at the temple. That isn't technically accurate. You should leave the temple and go back to the main street, and walk approximately 5 minutes up the road to the hiking trail entrance. It is supposed to take about a hour to hike up the mountain to the grotto (much longer with my condition/weather). Now, where the old lady saved us is, she told us to go to the bus stop and take bus 12. THERE WAS A BUS. I hadn't known that. The ahjumma saved us over an hour walk up a mountain in nearly 100 degree weather. She probably saved our lives. I could've hugged her. The bus takes you all the way up the mountain in 20 minutes, and then its about a modest 15 minute walk to the grotto from there. Much more manageable. 

The grotto is located inside this building/earthen hill behind it. Pictures are not allowed inside in order to preserve it (but if you search it on google, you'll see many photos of what it looks like). I found it amusing that despite it being such an old area, that the trail is still conveniently arranged to end at the gift shop. Haha!

This is my dragonfly buddy that was outside the grotto.

I will never get enough of the lanterns. 

After finishing up at the mountain we headed back to town for much needed food. We stopped at Pyeongyang Naengmyeon. Cold noodles are a perfect lunch on a sweltering day and Pyeongyang style is probably the most delicious cold noodles dish that I've ever eaten. It had a pile of buckwheat noodles with an iced broth, slices of beef, vegetables, and pears all mixed together. Not to mention it was a well balanced meal for only 9,000 won. I want to eat it again.

This concludes part 1 of my time in Gyeongju. Part 2 will soon follow. It was too much to include in one post!

쇠고기무국 요리했다 ~ I cooked Korean beef-radish soup!

I finally decided to try making one of my school lunch favorites at home. 

쇠고기무국! 

(Beef Radish Soup)

Step 1: Prep your ingredients

Prepping the ingredients you need is quite simple: 

1. Thinly slice a shiitake mushroom - I used various mushrooms.
2. Wash and cube 2 C worth of Korean radish 
3. Cut green onions at a slant - It's supposed to be the bigger kind, but small is all I had. It still gave the same taste.
4. Thaw and have a 1/2 C worth of beef chunks ready to go - I used maybe a 3/4 C of beef.
5. Have your minced garlic, soup soy sauce, and sesame oil set aside. 
6. Prepare 3 Cups of rice water. - This is the cloudy water that remains after rinsing your rice.

Start Cooking

First, turn the stove on medium heat and place 2 teaspoons worth of sesame oil in your pot. Once it is hot, toss your meat in and brown the sides.

The radish cubes come next, add them to your pot and stir them around for a few seconds until they are slightly clear. 

Next, you should add your three cups of rice water to the pot, stir, and simmer it all covered for about 10 minutes or until the radishes become soft. 

After checking that the radishes are soft, you should add your seasonings to the pot. This includes a 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic (or more to taste) and 3 teaspoons of the dark soup soy sauce. Give it a good stir. 

You may need to skim some of the foam off the top of the soup to yield a clearer broth. 

The final step is to throw your mushrooms and onions into the pot and to boil everything together for approximately 2 minutes. That's it! Super simple! 

Once your soup is done cooking, you can add pepper to taste and eat it along with rice and any other side dishes you feel like having. 

As for myself, I chose to have my soup with a side of rice, kimchi, braised black beans, and tofu (all of which I bought from the mart near my school). It was a super tasty and satisfying dinner that didn't take me forever to make. If you make extra like I did, it also tastes even better the following day ~~

Yay for my cooking adventures! 😁

All thanks go to the forever useful website Future Dish, whose beef-radish soup recipe is the one I followed to make my dinner tonight. Delicious, simple, and easy to follow directions make for the best recipes in my opinion, and the step by step video reassures me that I am doing it right.