S and I have spent the last 2 days in Gyeon-ju, where the Silla dynasty ruled over the country during the 5th through 10th century, with this town serving as its capital at that time. The whole area is full of old temples, forests, burial mounds (grassy hills under which Silla kings from over a century ago are buried), buddha statues built on hilltops to protect the community and even the oldest astronomical observatory in East Asia.
Above is the Bulgaksa Temple that S and I visited yesterday, The temple was first built in the mid-6th century, with reconstructions occurring up until 30 years ago to return it to its original state. It is a World Heritage Site.
Today I went on a 4 hour hike through Mount Namsan. I started at Samneung Royal Tombs and, as I climbed up the mountain to its 468m peak, I saw maginificent buddha sculptures carved into the mountainsides, pagodas, and buddha carvings in the rocks. The view from the peak was breathtaking and there were some really steep descents that required the assistance of a rope to get down the mountain. Along the way, I was offered a snack and water from a kind group of Koreans and picked up a buddy hiker named SeeSee from Hong Kong. She was a translator for a law firm there, so her English was great. She gave me tips about traveling in China and was nice company for the last third of the trip.
At the end of our hike, I was very parched, as I hardly had any water during my hike, and a woman in town offered SeeSee and me purified cold water from the nearby spring. It is kind gestures like this one I will never forget. Below are some photos from my hike.
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