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where you will see what I treasure and cherish in simple yet wonderful life.


Showing posts with label Shilla Dynasty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shilla Dynasty. Show all posts

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Gyeongju City Tour Bus (part 5): 석굴암 Seokguram

Now we're walking up the hill towards the Seokguram: one of the must-visit Budha statues in Korea, or Gyeongju in particular. 
What a trail indeed. For those who're not that young-at-heart, discretion is advised. 
Never wear any high heels, lest you'd tire yourself down.^-^
Okay, what is it actually, this Seokguram? It's built in the 8th century..so I learned. It's actually a religious complex or let's call it a hermitage. 
Along the way..we're greeted with nothing but trees: which was a great thing..considering the fact that it's hot. so..the oxygen-filled trail was exactly what I needed. 
Yeach....we finally arrived to the top...only to find that we got to climb more stairs...
Okay more facts: Seokguram is actually a monumental statute of the Sakyamuni(?) Budha. Dubbed to be one of the masterpieces of East Asian Buddhist art. 
We're going up again, Eyra....Are you ready? 
Not long....we reached the top and approaching the exact place where the statue was placed. 
We needed to go inside the temple..to see the statue...
but...too bad...no cameras were allowed.
Of course, I got one:) *sneaky, Suray*** But..I won't upload it here... 
But, let me get it straight...this statue of Buddha was made of granite and overlooking the East sea. People flocked to see this...and though it's not that huge as I'd imagined before..and I am sure many others would have done the same......okay..I was here. 
The site was designated as the National Treasure in Korea and heavily guarded. Monitoring was strict, that's why. CCTV keeps on recording the ins and outs of the people.  
The lanterns hung on the front yard of the hermitage.  
The statue was kept inside the building up there... 
Let's wash our feet and hands...in this well. 
Should you drink this, you'll be pretty if you taste the water 'sweet'! Oh, c'mon.
But..that's just for the sake fun of it. 
and the other way around...and that's how we ended our journey there.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Gyeongju City Tour Bus (part 3): 첨성대 (Cheomseongdae)

The next spot we visited was Cheomseongdae. Wait..I lied. we did not REALLY visit this place. The tour guide told us..that we'd better just look and 'admire' the Cheomseongdae from inside the BUS. ^^ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
So, we just took the picture from the window of the bus.
Okay...it's more than 9 meter-high. The oldest astronomical observatory in Korea...wait..in Far East. Built during Shilla Dynasty. hmm, let's see what else do I know? oh..it looks like a bottle...and it's one of the technological and scientific achievement of the Shilla. 
Okay..I couldn't agree more. It's okay just to look at it from afar. After all, as the guide told us, most people wondered and blurted out " oh, it's not that tall....and not quite as what I'd expected"
But then...the tour guide told us that the height of the observatory did not matter in observing the celestial objects. Oh....!! What's then?  
Okay..bye bye....첨성대....^^

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