Posts tagged with temples

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December 12, 2009

South Korea Trip ’09: Chogyesa & Geongbokgung, Seoul

November 8, 2009. We were booked on a half-day city tour of Seoul. I used to say I’m not a fan of packaged group tour itineraries. I still do. I dislike the feeling of being limited by a schedule or a route prepared by some other person. To make things a little more unpleasant, it was raining the entire morning in Seoul.

Our first destination was a Buddhist temple in the center of Seoul called Chogyesa. The temple, although relatively new compared to other temples having been built only in 1910, plays a major role in Korean Buddhism. It was the headquarters of Korean Buddhism during the Japanese occupation. Because it is within the city center of Seoul, the temple is more accessible to tourists and devotees than other temples in Korea, although that would also mean it doesn’t offer as serene an atmosphere for genuine meditation perhaps.

Geongbokgung, Seoul Geongbokgung, Seoul Geongbokgung, Seoul Geongbokgung, Seoul Geongbokgung, Seoul Geongbokgung, Seoul

Geongbokgung is like the Forbidden City of Beijing, only smaller, but large nonetheless. It’s the grandest among the “five palaces” complex built by Korea’s Joseon Dynasty. It used to house the royal family of Korea. One of Seoul’s most famous tourist destinations, hordes of tourists were still present despite the rain. Visitors are supposed to witness an hourly changing-of-the-guards ceremony but since it was drizzling, the show was canceled. Our trip to Geongbokgung was capped by a visit to the National Folk Museum within the same complex.

Geongbokgung, Seoul Geongbokgung, Seoul Geongbokgung, Seoul Geongbokgung, Seoul Geongbokgung, Seoul Geongbokgung, Seoul
Geongbokgung, Seoul Geongbokgung, Seoul Geongbokgung, Seoul Geongbokgung, Seoul Geongbokgung, Seoul Geongbokgung, Seoul
One of the things I really dislike about packaged tour itineraries is that they always include a trip to a commercial tourist trap. In places my family has visited like Hong Kong, Beijing and Singapore and I’m sure in many other East Asian cities, these commercial tourist traps are either jewelry stores or herbal medicine shops (which includes tea stores). In Seoul, we were herded to a ginseng complex. And like all other tourist traps like it, the trip was complete with sales people talking you into buying expensive “exclusive” merchandise.

The group tour incuded lunch at a restaurant in Itaewon, still in Seoul. After having another Korean meal, we broke off from the group tour and went to another tour, this time to a Korean folk village theme park around an hour away from the city.

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November 24, 2009

South Korea Trip ’09: Gyeongju (Part 2)

November 06, 2009. The Seokguram Grotto in Gyeongju is a stone temple built and completed more than 1,200 years ago. It has been regarded by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site.

The carved stones that make up the grotto were stacked up into a dome-shaped cave bonded together by soil and clay. The grotto houses the Bonjonbul, a 3.5 meter-high statue of the Buddha, considered one of the most outstanding masterpieces in the history of the world’s religious art. There are other sculptures surrounding the giant Buddha, though I don’t recall what they represent or what story they tell. Photos aren’t allowed to be taken inside the temple, so I can’t show you anything. Some pictures are available over the internet.

Seokguram, Gyeongju, South Korea Seokguram, Gyeongju, South Korea Seokguram, Gyeongju, South Korea Seokguram, Gyeongju, South Korea Seokguram, Gyeongju, South Korea Seokguram, Gyeongju, South Korea

A few minutes from the Seokguram Grotto is Bulguksa Temple. Bulguksa is another Buddhist temple complex that houses structures and sculptures dating to more than a thousand years ago. Like Seokguram, it is also considered as a UNESCO world heritage site.

Since it was the beginning of autumn, the trees were in their colorful orange, red and yellow hues which made the landscape look more impressive.

Bulguksa, Gyeongju, South Korea Bulguksa, Gyeongju, South Korea Bulguksa, Gyeongju, South Korea IMG_3501 Bulguksa, Gyeongju, South Korea Bulguksa, Gyeongju, South Korea
Bulguksa, Gyeongju, South Korea Bulguksa, Gyeongju, South Korea Bulguksa, Gyeongju, South Korea Bulguksa, Gyeongju, South Korea Bulguksa, Gyeongju, South Korea Bulguksa, Gyeongju, South Korea

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November 23, 2009

South Korea Trip ’09: Gyeongju (Part 1)

November 06, 2009. A few hours drive north of Busan is the city of Gyeongju, once the capital of Silla, one of Korea’s ancient three-kingdoms. With a long and rich history spanning over a thousand years and more than a handful of impressive structures dating back hundreds of years, it has been designated by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage city.

Traditional Korean Restaurant in GyeongjuLeaving Busan at past 10 in the morning, we arrived in Gyeongju right in time for lunch at a traditional Korean restaurant. It was my formal introduction to Korean food and eating practices. We had a room in a courtyard style home with warm elevated flooring. We were served the entries in batches, every quarter of an hour or so. I don’t remember everything that was served, as most of them were terribly unfamiliar. It might take a longer stay in Korea for one to truly appreciate the food. Many of them were pickled, spicy vegetables, cold cuts of raw fish and other sea creatures, and some beef soup. The servings aren’t big, but since there were a lot of dishes, it was more than enough to fill us up. Formal lunches like this are meant for long afternoons with conversations among friends and colleagues.

Shilla Millenium Park, Gyeongju, South Korea Shilla Millenium Park, Gyeongju, South Korea Shilla Millenium Park, Gyeongju, South Korea Shilla Millenium Park, Gyeongju, South Korea Shilla Millenium Park, Gyeongju, South Korea Shilla Millenium Park, Gyeongju, South Korea

Silla Millenium Park in Gyeongju is a modern theme park that seeks to recreate an ancient Silla city. Since we only had an hour or so to spend in the park, we were not able to go around much. We were only able to see a show in the park’s Jang Bo-Go Performance Stage, depicting a battle between Koreans and Chinese invaders trying to occupy a Silla city. The Koreans win and thwart the invasion, of course.