Nic Trips

Cheomseongdae (첨성대) is the oldest astronomical observatory in East Asia. It has been dated to the 7th century, during the Silla Period, whose capital was Seorabeol (now Gyeongju). Cheomseongdae means "star-gazing platform". The tower is 5.7 meters wide and 9.4 meters tall. The site of the main palace, called Banwolseong (반월성) (literally meaning "half moon fortress"), at Silla's capital in Gyeongju is currently just an archeological site. However, one part of the palace grounds was restored from 1986-1975: Donggung Palace (동궁). It was originally constructed in 674 and consisted of Imhaejeon (임해전), which was the crown prince's palace and quarters, and Anapji Pond. Though there used to be 5 pavillions built around the outskirts of the beautiful pond, only 3 were remade during the reconstruction project. The are believe to have been used for parties or gatherings headed by the kind or crown prince. Now, Anapji Pond is a favorite visiting site a...

One of the other popular sites to see in Gyeongju are the Royal Tombs of the Silla (시라) Era. Filling the area just south of Gyeongju is a park full of the dirt mounds marking the burial sites of members of the royal family. Most of the tombs are signified by stone markers, like the one pictured below. Although several of the tombs are in an open, public park, most of them reside inside the Daereungwon Tomb Complex. It has an entrance fee of a few thousand won, but the scenery inside is wonderful. The main view point of the complex is Cheonmachong (천마총). This is the tomb of an unknown king that was excavated in 1973 and rebuild with an entrance to allow viewers inside. This way people could learn more about the construction of the tombs. In the typicall Silla style, the center is consrtucted of a wooden-lined chamber that runs east to west. This chamber is then covered in a thick layer of boulders and stones before being smoothed over with a thinner layer of dirt/earth on t...

Less than an hour bus ride north of Ulsan, just southeast of Gyeongju is Bulguksa (불국사). This temple is one of the most famous of Korea. I've been here many times now, in all seasons, but the colors of fall are by far the most beautiful. Bulguksa is located on the side of Toham Mountain (토함산). According to Wikipedia... " It is a head temple of the  Jogye Order  of  Korean Buddhism  and encompasses seven  National treasures of South Korea , including  Dabotap  and Seokgatap  stone pagodas, Cheongun-gyo (Blue Cloud Bridge), and two gilt-bronze statues of Buddha. The temple is classified as  Historic and Scenic Site No. 1  by the South Korean government." Bulguksa is home to two stone towers, or stone pagodas, which stand in the main courtyard of the temple. Above is Dabotap (다보탑). The other is Seokgatab (석가탑), but it is currently being restored. Bulguksa has been restored and repaired after many damaging incidents over th...

If you can get past the yellow dust coming up from China and the heavier seasonal rains, you'll see spring is a beautiful time of year in Korea. The warm, sunny days and drizzling, cool nights provide the perfect environment for the plants to grow green and bounce back from winter. It's now that you begin to realize how many flowing plants there are in Korea. It seems as if nothing is grown (on purpose) or planted unless it produces blossoms at sometime of the year: the most common being spring. Thus my walks around the city, either for transportation or simple enjoyment, have been filled with flowery aromas and wonderful colors from the array of flowering growth. Cherry blossom trees can be seen everywhere. For the Koreans, they are both a beautiful signifier of spring and a sorrowful reminder of the Japanese (who planted them during their occupation of Korea). Taehwa River, and the many tributaries leading to it, seem to be a central point for many of the gr...

When I returned from the 6th grade field trip that Friday, my friends notified my of their sudden plan to take a trip to Gyeong-ju for 2 days that weekend. We left Saturday morning and returned Sunday night. Gyeong-ju is a very old city famous for many different traditional histories and cultural sites in Korea. The first we saw as we were walking from the bus to our hostel: tombs. These giant mound of dirt are actually tombs built for the royal family. As we were arriving, there was some sort of procession or parade going on. We still don't know what exactly was happening, but they seemed very excited to see a group of foreigners watching them and taking pictures. Ashley and I were even given 2 little Korean flags to wave with them. The town is self was packed with all sorts of things and very busy. I think the wires that ran everywhere were a sign of the age of the town, because I haven't seen those many other places in Korea, but it remin...