Gyeongju-Busan-Seoul Day 2 (Part 3) – Lunch at Sampo-Sambap restaurant

4 May 2012

The plan for the afternoon of Day 2 in Gyeongju is to do the walking tour of the city. Sights to see include the following:

Daereung-won Tumuli Park (Cheonmachong Tomb) ~ Cheomseongdae Observatory ~ Gyerim ~ Anapji (Imhae Jeonji) ~ Gyeongju National Museum ~  Seokbinggo (Stone Ice Storage) ~ Tomb of Queen Seondoek.

From Bomun Resort area, the cheapest way to get to town (about 1300 KRW per person) is by Bus #11. Easiest way is by a taxi but that would be relatively expensive (about 10,000 KRW). Besides, we wanted to try the local buses. So we took Bus #11 to the city. For more information on taking the local buses (#10 and #11) to and from Bomun Resort in Gyeongju, read here.

But first, a stop at the Tourist Information Center to gather information and maps for our hiking trip up Namsan in Day 4 of our trip. We alighted near the Gyeongju train station and walked to the Tourist Information Centre located just outside the station. The staff manning the Centre speaks a little English and provided us with the information we wanted which was:

a. information on where to take the bus to go for a hike up Mount Namsan and some maps of the hiking trail (only in Korean language)

b. directions to the Sampo Ssambap restaurant based on a printout of a blog-page from Sherwin Jones’s Gyeongju blog. Gyeongju is famous for its Ssambap meal (rice wrap with assorted lettuce and leaves) and the Sampo Ssambap restaurant looked interesting based on the blog post in the Sherwin’s blog.

From the Tourist Information Centre and armed with an updated and more detailed map, it was a walk under the surprising hot Korean spring sun to the restaurant which is located near the Daereung-won Tumuli Park. We passed by many ssam-bap restaurants near the Tumuli Park but we are fixed on going to this particular Sampo Ssambap restaurant. On the way, we also saw a few shops selling the famous Gyeongju bread. It was not easy to find this particular Sampo Ssambap restaurant. After buying a drink from a provision shop, we asked the shop keeper for directions and he pointed us the final directions to the shop.

Here are some pictures of the restaurant from the outside.

Signboard in Korean. Easy to miss. The picture shows what the Ssambap meal is all about.

Outside of the restaurant.

There is little need to look at the menu before placing any order. We just settled down on a table and the standard meal costing 10000 KRW per head is quickly laid out on a long table while we sat on the floor, traditional Korean style. I am familiar with the many side dishes provided in a typical Korean meal but the Ssambap meal is really going overboard. So many side dishes, some of which I am not sure what is made off.

To eat it, we have to use our hands to wrap the food items from the side dishes and rice with a large leaf of vegetable and drop the whole thing into our mouth. We were not too sure on the protocol.

“Monkey see, monkey do” as we stole a glance at a neighbouring table of local Koreans eating their Ssambap.

We took a video of me eating my ssambap but I am not going to post in here.

Empty restaurant after we finished our “lunch” at 3.30 PM.

We were the last customer that came for lunch and we were soon left alone in the restaurant. As described in Sherwin Jones’ blog, this restaurant is interesting not just for the food. It houses many interesting display of relics including weapons, armour, replica of Queen Seondeok’s headwear, red mailbox (like those in UK). We got permission from the owner to look around and took some photos after our lunch. Here are some photos.

Suit of armour and weapons.

Details of the armour and helmet – looked Chinese in origin.

Collection of flutes.

Helmets – ancient and modern.

Replica of Queen Seondeok’s headwear.

This place is like a museum. Interesting collection of antiques and other stuff.

Wondered whose photos are these? Probably family photos of the owners.

Overall,  the ssambap wrapped rice meal was not really that fantastic as there are other Korean food that I like better. However, I enjoyed eating in this restaurant for its friendly hosts and interesting exhibits.

Acknowledgement: Thanks to Sherwin Jones for the useful information of this restaurant in his Gyeongju blog (sherwinvjones.com)

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Gyeongju-Busan-Seoul Day 2 (Part 4) – Visit to the Daereung-won Tumuli Park, Gyerim Forest, Cheomseongdae Observatory and Seokbinggo

4 May 2012 

The Daereungwon Tumuli Park, located at the center of the city, is one of the most interesting feature of Gyeongju. Scattered all over Gyeongju city and, in particular at the Tumuli Park, are these hugh, round mounds of grass-covered earth. They are the ancient tombs of Kings, Queens and noblemen of the Silla Dynasty. At the Tumuli Park, there are 23 large tombs, including one called the Cheonmachong Tomb that are opened for visitors to enter.

After our lunch at the Sampo Ssambap restaurant, we bought a box of the famous Gyeongju bread from one of the many shops that is near the Daereungwon Tumuli Park. This would be for our supper tonight and breakfast tomorrow.

Then we headed for the Daereungwon Tumuli Park and bought our tickets to enter.

Picture above is found on the back of our ticket - showing the overview of Gyeongju and the Tumuli park.

It was amazing to walk around the park and see these ancient tombs that are so well preserved and maintained.

Heavenly Horse Tomb or Cheonmachong.

The Cheonmachong tomb is opened for visitors to go in and see the relics buried under the tomb. “Cheonma” literally means Heavenly Horse, based on a painting of a mounted horse discovered inside the tomb.

Photography was not allowed inside the Cheonmachong tomb, for good reasons.

Outside the Tumuli Park, there is a sign with a symbol of the heavenly horse.

After looking at the relics inside the Cheonmachong tomb, we continued on the footpath round the park By now we were feeling a little tired with all the walking. So after a short rest on the park bench, enjoying the shade of trees planted around the park, we headed for the exit. Crossing the road, we came to a open grassy park. Many local families and tourists were out and about, enjoying the Spring weather.

More tombs can be seen outside the Tumuli Park, on the path leading to the Cheongseongdae Observatory and Gyerim forest.

The place was well signposted and after a few minutes stroll, we came to the oldest observatory in Asia, the Cheomseongdae.

Cheomseongdae Observatory. Asia’s oldest observatory, used to observed stars and calculate the equinox and solstice. 362 stones were used to build Cheomseongdae and represented the 362 days in the lunar calendar.

This observatory was constructed during the reign of Queen Seondeok (AD661 to 681) so it is about 1400 years old. The observatory was fenced off and to enter, we needed to buy a ticket. It was good enough for us to just view the structure from outside the low fence. I am still wondering how this structure could help the ancient astronomers view the stars. Probably it acts to shield all stray light from the city (Gyeongju could have been brightly lit in those days)  from the eyes of the observer inside the tower.

Path leading to Gyerim Forest. On the left, there are fields of yellow flowers!

Many families and couples were venturing into the fields for a photo-shoot. So we joined in the fun.

Field of yellow flowers in Spring. The observatory in the background.

Close-up of the yellow flowers and a bee.

Gyerim Forest – literally translated as Chicken Forest.

From the Gyerim forest, it was a short walk to our next point of interest – the Seokbinggo (Stone Ice Storage).

Entrance to the underground stone ice storage.

Ventilation ducts and vents on the ice storage. This interesting stone structure demonstrates how Koreans historically stored ice underground.

After viewing the Seokbinggo, the next stop would have been the National Museum. It had been a long day and we had been doing a lot of walking. Something gave way. It was my shoes! My relatively under-used pair of shoes had suddenly been called to do a lot of work today and decided to split open at the front. So a last minute change of plan for us. 

From the Seokbinggo, I limped along the path to the main road and flagged down a taxi to take us for a impromptu shopping break. Communicating with the driver was interesting. I pointed my broken shoes to him and say “shopping”. He understood. 10 minutes later, we were in the middle of Gyeongju’s modern shopping district, with shops selling all sort of modern goods.

Gyeongju city – a place where we could transit from ancient to modern in minutes.

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Gyeongju-Busan-Seoul Day 2 (Part 5) – Visit to the Anapji Pond at Night

4 May 2012

The original Anapji Pond was built during the Silla Dynasty but was destroyed. The current Anapji Pond were reconstructed between 1975 and 1976 during an extensive restoration, based on historical records found.

During this restoration over 30,000 relics were found at the site. Many of these items are now on display at the nearby Gyeongju National Museum. I had originally planned to visit this museum earlier in the day. My trip to the museum was aborted due to my shoes giving way at a most inappropriate time.

After an impromptu shopping break to buy myself a new pair of shoes, we had dinner in downtown Gyjeongju.

Our half eaten dinner. I believe this dish is called dak-kalbi in Korean.

Our dak-kalbi dinner consists of diced chicken and seafood, gochujang (chili pepper paste) sauce,  sliced cabbage, sweet potato, scallions, onions and  korean rice cake, stir-fried together on a hot plate at our table. It goes down well with steamed rice and cold beer. Yummy! The Koreans actually poured their rice into the mixture and eat it all up.

From downtown Gyeongju, we took a short taxi to the entrance of the Anapji Pond. Entrance fee is 1000 KRW per person.

Anapji Pond is best visited at night where it is beautifully lit. I did not bring a tripod for my Nikon DLSR, so I have to improvise ways to stabilise my camera for these long exposure shots.

This pavilion houses a glass case displaying a model of what the whole Anapji Pond would looked like in ancient times. It also displayed some of the relics found during the restoration.

Beautifully lit footpath round the pond that allows for a romantic evening stroll and/or photo opportunities to shoot the beautifully lighted restored buildings.

A scene from the last few episodes Korea Drama “Athena” was shot here.

Pavilion on top of the wall on one end of the pond.

Beautiful interlocking wooden roof beams.

The reflection of the lit trees on the still pond was breath-taking.

Anapji Pond is ideal for a romantic evening out for any locals or tourists.

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Gyeongju-Busan-Seoul Day 3 (Part 1) – Go to Gwaereung Tomb with the Gyeongju City Tour Bus

5 May 2012

The best way for visiting the historical attractions of Gyeongju that are located on the outskirts of the city would be to take a Gyeongju City Bus Tour. It would take too long if we were to go by public transport. The City Tour Bus company offers several itineraries. We chose the East Sea Tour Course (18,000 KRW per person) which will bring us to these places:

Gwareung Tomb

Seokguram Grotto

Underwater Tomb of King Munmu

Gameunsa Temple Site

Gyeongju Traditional Silk Pavilion,

Golgulsa (Stone Buddha) Temple

Note: the itinerary would be subject to change by the tour operator. It is best to check the latest schedule, prices and itinerary here.

Tip: For larger groups or family, a one day tour by private van, with English speaking guide could be an option.

The bus picked us up shortly after 10 AM. The bus made its round to pick up other passengers from the other hotels in the Bomun Resort area and also guests from the Kolon Hotel located near the Bulguksa Temple. The other passengers were Koreans from out of Gyeongju and visiting historical Gyeongju. We were the only foreigners and non-Korean speaking persons on the group. The guide speaks a little English.

On the way to our first stop, I spotted this lamp post.

Need to be observant to notice that the base of the Gyeongju lamp-post is in the shape of the Cheomseongdae Observatory.

Our first stop for the day was the Gyeongju Gwareung. The guide handed us two copies of the tourist brochure explaining the significance of this place before she proceeded to deliver her explanations to the rest of the group in Korean language. We wandered off to explore the site on our own while the group obediently listened to her.

Tomb of King Wonseong. Taking the opportunity to have a solo photo near the tomb while the rest of the tour group is listening to the guide.

From the brochure, I learnt that this tomb is that of King Wonseong, 38th King of Silla and ruled from AD785 to 798. This tomb is like all the round mound tombs we saw at the Tumuli Park yesterday but it has something else. At the bottom of the tomb, there are safeguarding stones bearing the twelve Chinese zodiac animals and above it, stone rails to protect the tomb. In addition, the tomb is franked by two rows of stone guards - civilian and military, as well as stone lions. This King must have been well loved by his subjects.

Safeguarding stones bearing the twelve Chinese zodiac animals (this one showing a monkey) surrounds the base of the tomb.

The other interesting thing about this tomb is that the coffin is suspended inside  and not placed on the ground. “Gwaereung” means “hanging tomb (or coffin)”.

Stone lions and other figures guards the tomb.

Our next stop is the Seokguram Grotto, one of the key attractions in Gyeongju. I will write more about that in the next post.

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Gyeongju-Busan-Seoul Day 3 (Part 2) – visit to Seokguram Grotto with the Gyeongju City Tour

5 May 2012

The Seokguram Grotto is located on a hill above the Bulguksa Temple and this place is not too well served by public bus. The bus #12 departs every hour from Bulguksa Temple. Long wait if you missed a bus. Our City Tour Bus brought us up to the top. However, to get to the Seokguram Grotto, we need to walk quite a distance from the entrance and vehicle park. It was almost level walk. This place was crowded with many tour groups, confirming that this is a major attraction in Gyeongju. The guide gave some instructions on when to regroup and we were then on our own. We followed the mass of people on a shaded footpath, carved on the side of the hill towards the main temple site.  Little squirrels are out and about and they created some excitement for some people.

An explosion of colour greeted us when we arrived. Lord Buddha’s Birthday is on 28 May and the devotees are getting ready for a big celebration at all Buddhist temples in South Korea. The temple is decorated with colourful lanterns put up by the devotees.

Seokguram Grotto site dressed in colour. The building at the top is the entrance to the grotto, where visitors can view the majestic figure of Buddha carved in granite.

It is a photographer’s dream to see such colours amid the greenery of the mountain.

Explosion of colours! Lanterns to celebrate Budhha’s birthday on May 28.

Shadows of the lanterns made interesting patterns on the ground.

Kid putting up a lantern on a ladder, under supervision by his dad.

After a level walk to get here, we need to go up a steep flight of steps to get to the entrance of the grotto. From here, the views of the countryside was magnificent.

Breath-taking views of Gyeongju countryside from the entrance of the grotto.

Entrance to the grotto to view the Buddha. There are various figures surrounding the main granite statue of Buddha.

Picture of the granite Buddha inside (taken from brochure).

Seokguram is regarded as the best Asian Buddhist works. A large granite Buddha sits in the center of a round hall. Behind and on the sides of the hall, surrounding the Buddha, are other sculptures of figures.

According to the brochure given, there are 2 Devas, 2 Bodhisattvas, 10 standing Arhants, an eleven-headed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, 8 Guardian Gods, 4 Heavenly Guardians. A clear glass separated the visitors from the Buddha and the inside is narrow and crowded with visitors. So it was not possible to linger and appreciate the carvings in the grotto for too long. We went in twice, so as to get a second look. We actually spent more time admiring the scenery and taking pictures of the colourful lanterns outside.

Typical details on a lantern.

More colourful lanterns on the outside of the building where visitors can the inside of the grotto. No photos are allowed.

Before long, we realised that the allocated time was almost up and we needed to get back to the bus. So, it was a hurried walk-a-jog back to the entrance. There was a big bell in a pavilion near the vehicle park where visitors could ring the bell for a small fee and get some blessing of good fortune in return. We did not have time to do that. So it was up the tour bus, dressed in perspiration and right on time!

As the only foreigners in the group, we had to leave a good impression and not be late.

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