Six Buddhist Monks walk into a Hilton…

 We booked a group tour around Gyeongju for today.  The ancient history of this former capitol left a trail of UNESCO World Heritage sites and a cultural legacy that required both explanation and transportation.  Our van arrived and it was just the 3 of us on the tour.  Bonus!

Our tour guide was a young 30ish guy who had spent 4 years of high school in Colorado Springs before returning home.  He swore liberally, liked a good joke with Japan as the butt, and was pretty laid back about letting us dictate the pace based on our interests.  Thumbs up.

Most of the many sites we saw were 7th century and 8th century, preserved for a very long time.  The first one, a Buddhist grotto on a mountaintop was nearly ruined by the Japanese during their most recent occupancy.  The Japanese apparently tried to preserve it by covering it with concrete on all sites.  Instead of saving it, moisture was trapped inside and accelerated the deterioration.  Now it must be sealed off from the public except for very slim circumstances, allowing the Government to maintain proper humidity.  

Another UNESCO World Heritage Template

In town, dotting the landscape were these large round mounds that were burial ground of ancient Korean kings.  They had never been robbed or excavated until the 60’s and 70’s, mostly because doing so would have been structurally very challenging.  When they excavated, they learned a lot about ancient Kings.  Only one tumulus was open to the public to enter.  They don’t know the name of this king, but his saddle had mud flaps with a flying horse on it.  That flying horse is now a symbol of the area all over.  They named the king “flying horse” after those mud flaps.

The inside of the tumulus contained exact replicas of the items they found in the in-tact tomb.  The actual artifacts were in the National Museum just down the street.  

This is an ancient astrological observatory, the shape of which is extremely well-known to Koreans.  

Our guide took us to lunch in town, and we ate “lucky noodles” and Gimbap.  All of it was delicious but for me the broth was a standout.  If it wouldn’t have caused an international embarrassment, I would have drunk the broth as my lunch.  It was neither sweet nor sour, salty nor bland.  Only the slightest bit spicy, the broth was the most savory rich flavor.  Forget the noodles, how do I get a recipe for this broth?

We encountered a curiously-named treat that was somewhere between a waffle and cookie with a cream filling.  Bravo, we found a delicious dessert finally.

We had a Korean version of a steakhouse dinner tonight, and we loved it!  

This tourist town is choc full of ice cream and coffee joints.  When Jane saw this one, Frozen Bride, they couldn’t help but want to try it.  Jane got a frog ice cream and Joel got an owl.

After dinner, we roamed all around town and there is entertaining cuteness in every direction.   All of the buildings in this town have a traditional Korean roof and are built in that style, mandatory per city laws.  Even mini-marts, gas stations, and car-washes have to comply.  It does make for a charming town.

We stopped to get some caricatures made and thought the results were hilarious. 

Back at our hotel, a group of Buddhist monks were checking in.  Now that’s something you don’t see every day in San Antonio.

After an intense day of climbing and walking, we’re ready for bed.  History day complete.