경주 Gyeongju

Upon recommendation of the family, I visited 경주 for two nights and two days to travel around Korea's historical landscape. Spring has arrived in the southern part of the country, evident by the scattered blooming magnolia trees and cherry blossoms. Our first sightseeing were the Royal Tombs of the Silla Dynasty (왕릉). There was an excavated tomb in which to appreciated the elaborately decorated treasures of the tombs and the stacked granite construction that supports the mounds. 

Korea has depths of history that American history has no parallel. Kingdoms, dynasties, moving capitals, massive religious shifts, paleolithic art to bronze age weapons, and complicated relationships with all the Asian neighbors culminate in a culture that is the small nation of Korea. 

Our first long day of travelling ends at our cozy hostel. With a room to ourselves, our belongings were sprawled out just as we passed out sleeping. 

6 slices of white bread for breakfast. Complementary.

We rented bikes in downtown and trekked 14 kilometers across the countryside and up the base of a mountain to reach 불국사 (Bulguksa temple). 

The massive temple complex was strikingly peaceful and beautiful. Prayers were ongoing within the buildings and we could silently stand outside and admire the solemnness of the worshipers
 . 

Modern reconstruction infrastructures housed a good portion of the buildings. The upkeep of temples had no effect on the praying monks, but provided an interesting clutter of sacred space vs overlapping trespassing warnings.

Video of biking
Kevin and I enjoyed maximum flexibility in visiting temples, tombs, and sacred sites that were tucked away within Mt. Namsan on our way back to downtown. We rode into the middle of temple villages to see sights that regular tourists wouldn't be able to see. 

A king's tomb hidden along our bike journey.

For our last side adventure, we set out to find ancient Buddha relics within the mountain sides. Ambiguous maps and with dubious directions, Kevin and I hiked up and down in search for Buddha. 

With daylight disappearing and our bike rentals due, we finally found the ancient Buddha engravings. Alone in the valley, we had silence appreciating the marks of centuries passed. 

After more than 25 miles of combined biking and hiking today without a true lunch, we feasted on two dinners to close our exploration of 경주.