Gyeongju

Today I went on a day trip to Gyeongju. After nearly a 2hr drive, the first stop was Yangdang Folk Village. This is Korea's largest traditional housing village from the Joseon Dynasty. It was in the mountainside and surrounded by flowering gardens. It was very humid and there were so many bugs!!

Next we went and had lunch at one of the markets in Gyeongju. It was a buffet style. I'm not sure what I ate, but it was nice!

After lunch we visited a Buddhist temple called Bulguksa. Here lie 6 of Korea's national treasures (including 2 pagodas and bronze Buddha statues).

Daereungwon Tomb Complex was the next stop. It was a park in Gyeongju containing 23 tombs built during the Silla Dynasty. These tombs are large mountains, with the largest mountains representing the greatest wealth. There are a total of 155 of these tombs in Gyeongju. We were able to walk through one tomb, Chenmachong, and see replicas of what had been found and excavated from that site.

Next to the tomb complex was Hwangnidan-gil, a busy shopping street. I bought some snacks (including the 10 won coin) and a little souvenir.

Last stop of the day was Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond. It's an area with a few palace buildings and a large pond that is lit up at night. It's known for having mirrored reflections in the water.

After another long drive back into Busan, I made it back to the hostel around 10.30pm.Read more