Gyeongju, South Korea - An amazing day trip from Busan

South Korea.

There is a pretty special place in my heart for this country but I struggle to describe why. There are so many reasons to love Korea. The kind people. The incredible food. The history and culture... I could go on. I want to do at least a couple Steemit posts on South Korea because, well, I had to go there twice because I missed it so much after I left the first time. I spent most of my 2 times there in and around Busan, the 2nd largest city located in the southeast corner of the Korean Peninsula.

Busan is amazing in and of itself and I hope I can make more posts about it, but now I am writing about a small city about an hour north of Busan called Gyeongju.

Gyeongju was an ancient capital city to the Silla kingdom that ruled the Korean Peninsula from 57 BC to 935 AD. Nowadays the city is a historic and cultural hub that attracts many tourists, both foreign and domestic.

Bulguksa Temple

One of the most popular sites to visit is the Bulguksa Temple. Dating back to the Silla kingdom, it is a very old temple and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has been renovated dozens of times because of things like fires, wars, and earthquakes that have heavily damaged it. I think this fact alone is a testament to the resilience of the Korean people and their ability to pick themselves back up after times of hardship. Korea's past is filled with many bloody wars and tragic events.

The temple itself is beautiful and wonderfully decorated. Walking in is like taking a step back in time, besides seeing all the people dressed in modern clothes. And I pretended the fire extinguishers dated back 1200 years too.

Just look at these lanterns!

Another national treasure in Gyeongju dating back to the Silla kingdom is Donggung Palace. There is an artificial pond there and it's pretty amazing to see at night. The stone walls reflect perfectly off the surface of the pond and it is a pleasant walk around the gardens there, minus the crowds.

Donggung Palace at night

Don't leave Gyeongju without eating there. There is a regional specialty called ssambap (ssam = wrapped, bap = rice). Not only do they give you rice and your choice of a meat dish but they also give you truckload of side dishes (banchan) to go with it. This restaurant (can't remember the name) gave me and my friends about 20 different side dishes to go with our meal. I'd say it was overkill if it wasn't all so delicious.

Our ssambap meal. LOOK AT ALL THOSE SIDE DISHES!

Take your meat, rice, whatever sides and condiments you want and wrap them in the leafy vegetables or seaweed and chow down. Ssambap! This was one of the best meals I had in Korea and that's saying a lot. Korean food is AMAZING!

If you're ever in Busan, Gyeongju is a great day trip away from the bustle of the big city. There is so much more there but I could only see a few little parts of it.

Have you ever been to Gyeongju?

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