Hanguk D-4: Of Ancient Silla Kings

17 May,2011, Gyeongju, Korea

From Jeju to Gyeongju in a Day

So far, it’s been a flash travelling blitz across Korea. From Seoul to Jeju in 3 days, and today Day 4 I am headed for Busan and then to Gyeongju. Here’s the plan: Take a bus from Seogwipo up to Jeju City. Look for the next available flight out to Busan. Take a bus out from Busan Airport to Gyeongju. When in Gyeongju, hunt for a place to stay. Spontaneous travel.

The first part was easy enough. I found the tourist bus pick-up point which led straight to Jeju City airport. The fantastic thing about travelling in Korea is that the transport network is fantastic. Every place is connected and buses leave frequently. At the airport, I found a Jeju Air flight at 1pm headed for Busan. Booked the ticket. Don’t try getting a ticket off the counter during peak season though.

The flight was short, and on reaching Busan, I thought to myself. ‘How convenient was it that there was a bus terminal just outside the airport with destinations to all the nearby cities.’ Took lunch and my 4pm bus ticket. The bus left for Gyeongju and took an hour to reach the city. Objective for today met. In summary, it is perfectly possible to hit Gyeongju from Jeju in a day, with plenty of time to spare. (considering that I wasn’t rushing from point to point – I set off late in the morning and even missed the earlier Busan to Gyeongju bus because I was ogling this hot Korean babe at the airport.)

Silla

Once upon a time (57 BCE-935 CE actually), the Korea that we know today existed as 3 separate kingdoms. The Silla kingdom, and its two rivals the Goguryeo and Baekje kingdoms. Then one day the a particularly belligerent Silla king made a decision to annex the other two, and in the process, unified the three under the Silla flag. They ruled for almost 900 years from their capital in Gyeongju, until they were conquered by the Goryeo Dynasty. In a nutshell, that was the history of Silla.

What was more exciting was that I’m now in Gyeongju, the seat of the Silla kings for hundreds of years. I got a room at the Hanjin Hostel, barely a hundred meters off the bus station. Chucked my bag and off I headed towards the city’s attractions, clearly printed out on the handwritten map given out free by the Hanjin Hostel guy. Gyeongju has been named the museum without walls, and I was starting to understand why.

Tumuli

It was evening when I reached the Tumuli Park. These mounds ahead of me are barrows, burial tombs of ancient Silla kings. In the middle of downtown Gyeongju are the Noeseo-Ri tombs and the huge tree-covered Bonghwangdae tomb. There were locals picnicking here, schoolchildren walking through, and boy playing baseball even. How odd, that these thousand year old tombs are so much a part of the locals everyday life. Further down I passed through the Tumuli Park, with yet more tumuli. There was even one, Cheonmachong (Heavenly Horse Tomb) which had been excavated and one could enter via a short tunnel into the burial chamber. Somehow, I was the only foreign traveller around the park, which was mostly empty anyway.

Anapji

Next, I strolled to the Cheomseongdae Observatory, which, built around 600 CE, is probably one of the oldest observatories around. Past more of those peculiar low rise buildings and shops. I realised I had already walked halfway across town, and dusk was approaching. Anapji Pond is just ahead, across the main road, so I decided to do that as well, and worry about finding my way back later.

Serendipitously, Anapji was a sight to behold at night. It waslighted, and all the missing tourists I could not find in town earlier starting dropping off at entrance carpark by the busloads. Anapji Pond is an artificial pond built by one of the Silla kings, King Munmu (his tumulus is on a rock in the sea!) in Gyeongju National Park. It is very much a tourist attraction, having been spruced up nicely.

 

That was enough activity for one day, I thought to myself. I flagged a bus back to town, and grabbed dinner, some instant noodles at 7-Eleven and that was Gyeongju in a (half)day.