enjoy tour

In our last South Korea Travel Blog post, we shared our experience of our first day touring Gyeongju. After an evening spent dining at another great Korean BBQ house, washed down with plenty of soju, we were up fairly early to visit some other cultural treasures from the Silla period. The ‘Bulguksa Temple’ is the must see attraction for many tourists. This site was the busiest we visited in Gyeongju, mainly due to its prestigious UNESCO World Heritage status, but you still find quiet moments to appreciate the architecture. The temple is a fairly large complex of shrines and pagodas, which for many visitors involves a spiritual pilgrimage. The temple was majorly restored in 1973, and although done fairly sympathetically, I feel a different approach would have been adopted should restoration take place today. Constructed on a flat surface on a high embankment, supported by stilts, the site contains two eye catching towers. The first is the Three Storied Stone Pagoda of Bulguksa, which was undergoing renovation and viewed from behind glass at the time of our visit. The other impressive tower is known as the pagoda of many treasures, Dabotap Pagoda of Bulguksa. The bridges at the temple are said to connect to the Buddhist world. It is easy to spend a couple of hours here appreciating the views, buildings, bridges and serene gardens. The Silla History and Science Museum appeared to concentrate on the intriguing construction of the Seokguram Grotto, as well as zodiac and astronomical matters. There was limited English interpretation and we gave this a very quick and cursory view. Escaping from our tour group, we spent our time meandering around the Folk Art Village. The name suggests some tacky ill-conceived tourist trap. Far from it, the village is very tranquil, we marvelled at the peace and calm of the place as we wandered around the houses and shops. You can see local craftsman, as they’ve done for hundreds of years producing ceramic works of art. See more...http://flashpackatforty.com