Seomun Market

Located in Daeugu, Seomun (West Gate) Market is a traditional Korean outdoor market.  It was one of the three major markets dating back to the Joseon period (1800s).  It has everything from spices, socks, kitchen wares, fish, and fabric.  We wandered through the outdoor sections, as well as the 5 stories of fabric. We shopped in the late afternoon, so the market was pretty quiet.  I am sure in the morning (and summer) it is teeming with activity.

Seomun entrance.

Looking down the street at all the vendors.

Spices anyone?

Lots of fish.

Fabric shopping in the fabric mart.



Banwolseong Fortress

Banwolseong Fortress was built during the Silla Dynasty (57 BC ~ AD 935).  Translated to mean Half moon fortress, it is located in the city of Gyeongju on the edge of the river.  There is very little left on the grounds.  An ice house, which was built in the 1700's was moved to the area, although it is believed an ice house existed in the fortress.  The earthen walls are well preserved. 

 

There is much excavation in progress at the site.  They are currently working outside the fortress to the west, which would be the village associated with the castle.  They have found evidence of a moat that surrounded the fortress, which actually moved water from pond to pond, rather than stagnant water.  It was pretty interesting.

 

The area is full of history and artifacts.  We didn't even say half of the sites in the area.  It was so interesting, I might have to go back the next time L has to go to Daegu (the nearest base to Gyeongju) for work.  I am sure the kids would be more than happy to take a road trip!

 

An x-ray image of the grounds.

Seokbinggo, the ice house inside the fortress walls.

Inside the ice house.

The fortress wall and recently excavated moat.

J with excavated stone items. 

 

Gyeongjucheomseongdae(Cheomseongdae Observatory in Gyeongju.  It is believed to be the oldest astronomical tower in Asia, built around 632 A.D.

 

Here is an interesting tidbit regarding the construction (taken from http://eguide.gj.go.kr/01_travel/ht_wolseong.jsp). "Take a closer look at the symbolic meaning of each stone of Cheomseongdae. Consisting of 27 steps except for the foundation and the upper part, there were 361.5 stones used (401 in total), which is the number of days in a year. The body piled round used 27 steps, amounting to 28 steps when the square-well-shaped stone piled up above is added. The number 27 is related to Queen Sondok who designed Cheomseongdae (Queen Sondok is the 27th ruler of Silla), while the number 28 symbolizes the number of the basic Oriental constellation, or of the 28 heavens in Buddhism. Looking from the window in the center, the 12 top and bottom steps mean 12 months and 24 seasons in the lunar calendar. Each side of the square-well-shaped stone on the top of Cheomseongdae directs accurately towards the north, south, east and west. Moreover, the window rightly heads towards the south, having light shining directly to the bottom of Cheomseongdae in the spring and autumn equinoxes while disappearing in the winter and summer solstices, enabling accurate divisions of the four seasons."

A new walking bridge under construction leading to the fortress area.

Namsan Mountain (경주 남산)

 

One day of our adventure south we took a hike on Namsan Mountain near Gyeongju.  The mountain is home to over 100 temples, 80 Buddha statues or carvings, and 60 stone pagodas from the Silla Dynasty.  We hiked to the top of one of the peaks.  We saw a few stone pagodas, a gazebo foundation, and the view.  We did not see a temple or a Buddha.  Guess we were on the wrong trail.

 

We had quite a time parking the truck in the "parking".  You drive up this dirt road and pick a spot along the side, any open space.  We didn't realize this was the parking area.  We drove up to the end of the road at the rangers station.  No space for a u-turn, so we backed down the road to the first area we could park in.  There was space for us, but it was tight.  It required about a 90 point turn.  Too bad the man in his car across from us wasn't willing to move about a foot.  Would have made parking a whole lot easier! haha!

The view from the top.

Gazebo foundation.  Each boy is a pillar.

One of the many stone pagodas.

Driving in Korea

What do you think?  Every time I see this photo it makes me laugh.  There are so many roads like this in Korea; too small for anything other than a compact.  The boys thought it was pretty funny, which is why I ended up on the road taking a photo (I really need to do that more often; take pictures of the funny stuff.  It is all part of the experience).

Our church is located on a street we would consider an alley.  The car barely makes it down the street (don't get me started about parking in the parking garage).  There are side roads this wide that are considered two lane roads.  Go figure!

This particular road was to see a burial mound.  This wasn't even the worst part.  We headed through a small neighborhood on an elevated road no wider than our car.  I am so glad Lane was driving.  At least he can see the front of the vehicle to keep it between the lines!  Thankfully there was room at the tombs for a 5 or 6 point turn.  It would have been a nightmare if we had to back out!

Jigsaw Puzzle

I took this picture on the grounds of Bulgaksa.  It's a great puzzle picture with the nice reflection.  It was a brisk fall morning, no wind.  Too bad we missed the fall colors by a week or two.  Still turned out nice, if I do say so myself.

Bulguksa

The main entrance leading into the temple.

Bulguksa is a Buddhist temple outside the town of Gyeongju.  It was originally built in 528.  The temple that now exists on the property was built in 751 A.D.  Much restoration has occurred, but there are a few original artifacts that make this a highly visited temple.

The entrance to the temple, Sokgyemun, has a double-sectioned staircase that leads to the inside of the temple compound. The stairway is 33 steps high, corresponding to the 33 steps to enlightenment. The stairs are original (750), so they have been around for quite awhile.  The staircase is actually called a bridge, as there is an archway underneath.  The stairs pictured here are Blue Cloud and White Cloud Bridges.

Dabotap

There are two pagodas on the temple site. The three-story Seokgatap Pagoda which stands at 8.2 meters is a traditional Korean-style stone pagoda with simple lines and minimal detailing.  It is the male pagoda.  Seokgatap is over 13 centuries old and was under restoration during our visit (they found a crack in a foundation stone during a routine inspection). Dabotap is 2 meters taller than Seokgatap.  It is the female pagoda; known for its highly ornate structure.

Huge bell at the temple.  Wish I had a picture of the plaque to tell you about it.

 

There are many bronze Buddha statues on the premises.  They are in the different temple halls, but it is forbidden to take pictures of them or the insides of the temple halls.

 

Near the temple entrance.

Detail work.  Crazy!

Squid

Koreans love squid.  We have seen fried squid, dried squid, on a stick squid.  During our trip to the coast we were able to catch the vendors drying their squid.  Once they catch the squid the slice it open, spread it flat, and clean it up.  Then they are hung from lines right on the beach (like the photo above).  They hang there to dry before they are bundled up and shipped to the various cities.  You can even attend a squid festival in the fall (which appears to be the squid drying season)  Look at all that squid!


Squid dries in the sun
Koreans eat them yum yum
At the fish market.
              J1


Squids are awesome
Squids are super fast
Squids are super cool
They are everywhere.
             J4

Tombs and Burial Mounds

There are burial mounds all over South Korea.  They are tourist spots, some where you pay an entrance fee.  Others are on the hillsides along the roads and quiet valleys. We saw many on our drive south.  They are everywhere.  Here is a sampling of what we have seen.

A rare square royal burial mound.

Smaller royal burial mounds.

Larger royal burial mounds, these are as tall as the trees.

 

 

 

We visited the Underwater burial mound of King Munmu.  King Munmu (600s BC) unified the three kingdoms and became the 30th ruler of the Silla Kingdom. The king gave specific instructions to be buried in the East Sea after his death so that he would become a dragon and protect Silla from Japanese intruders. The rocky island has a pool at the center.  The bottom of the pool is a granite slab. Legend has it that the remains of King Munmu’s cremated body are buried under this rock.   Others say the ashes were scattered at sea rather than placed under the granite.  I guess we will never know!  Korean's flock to this burial location.

Underwataer tomb.  Pretty impressive.

Sunrise Square

Around the Peninsula from Pohong is Sunrise Square in Homigot. It is the eastern most part of South Korea.  There is a lighthouse and museum, tourist gift shop, restaurants, and lots of fish.

 

Sunrise Square

 

We saw the Hands of Harmony, a massive bronze sculpture of a hand stretching up from the water in a small cove.  There is a matching hand of equal proportion stretches up from dry land on the other side of Homigot Sunrise Square.

The hand in the water is the attraction, particularly at sunrise. This particular cove's claim to fame is that it is the farthest point east in Korea (also referred to as the Tiger's Tail) so the sun rises here first on the Land of the Morning Calm.

 

Here the boys are with the Hand of Harmony.

Pohong Lighthouse

From Korean Tourist Organization: The Homigot Lighthouse was built using bricks in a modern architectural style. This octagonal, six-story building is 26.4 meters high. The entrance and windows feature gable decorations, which is a popular Greek Revival style. The ceiling is dome-shaped and the octagonal plane gets wider towards the bottom. The light of the lighthouse can reach as far as 35 kilometers away.

Because the building was built using bricks only and no reinforcing rods, it is recognized for its use of outstanding architectural technique. The ceiling on each floor is sculpted in the shape of pear blossoms, a symbol of the Joseon royalty. This adds to the lighthouse’s considerable value as a cultural asset.

Frying up some squid on the beach. A tasty treat.

View from the pier.

Fish.  Fish.  Fish.

The view from the Sunrise tower.

Songdo Beach (송도해수욕장)

Part of our trip took us to Pohong.  The city is on the eastern side of South Korea, located on the coast.  It is home to POSCO, one of the world's largest steel companies, which sits prominently on the bay.  The beach we visited, Songdo, was next door to POSCO.  We hoped to take a tour, but foreigners require a week advance reservation.

Songdo beach is a great little beach, which is apparently extremely popular in the summer.  It was a ghost town the day we visited.  It has a wide boulevard running behind the sea wall.  There are many restaurants lining the street.  They were almost all closed for the season.

Jakob with the bay behind.

James walking along the breakers at the beach.

 

The  shell collection on the jetty.

There is POSCO behind James.

Korean Folk Village - Yangdong

Okay, there are a lot of these folk villages around.  You could tour endlessly, seriously.  Some are museum-ish, like the Andong Folk Village.  Nothing is happening.  No one lives there, the houses were brought to the site to create a village.  It is a visual of Korean housing during the 1800's. 

Then there are others like, 경주 양동마을  (Gyeongju Yangdong Village), which is a living, breathing, working village.  The village is inhabited by Koreans, many of the same family line (lee and Son), to this day.  Some of the houses have been restored.  Others are just the way they have been for centuries.  The families still come together for celebrations and festivals.

Gyeongju Yangdong Village is situated on Mt. Soelchang and in the four valleys it creates, which is in the shape of 勿, which is something significant, but I am drawing a total blank right now!

The village is the biggest village composed of two main families from the Chosun Dynasty. The hundreds years old tile-roofed houses (upper class), thatched roof houses (lower class), and low stone walls make it a lovely place to visit.   It is on the UNESCO world heritage sites list.  I would say our best village visit yet.

Roof thatch made of rice straw.

Thatching in progress.

Some of the fall color.

A door near Seobaekdong, one of the original family homes, where they were holding prayer.

I took a picture of the sign in the visitors center regarding this tree (I need to do this more often, as it is usually the best source of information).  The sign said the juniper tree is 7m tall, but 12 meters wide.  It is estimated to be over 600 years old; planted when the village founder Son So built the family home, Seobaekdong, in 1459.

Under the tree.  There are many supports for the branches.

 

Looking across one of the four valleys of the village.