Angie and I went away for the weekend to Gyeongju. Gyeongju
is known as the “museum without walls” and was the capital of the Silla dynasty
for almost 1,000 years (57 BC – 935 AD). During Korea's many conflicts with Japan
and the North a lot of their historical sites have been damaged or destroyed.
In some cases structures have been rebuilt, this reconstruction period took
place in the 70s and 80s, meaning that the authenticity is lost slightly. In
contrast, the many sites in Gyeongju were untouched during these battles – they’re the real McCoy. It was
to be a weekend retreat away from the smog and the bustle of city life in
Seoul.
Upon arrival we walked around the Daereungwon Tomb Complex,
it was the place where all the former kings of Silla were buried many years
ago. The complex has been well preserved, and with the foliage changing colour
it was an enjoyable wander. Having said that, it is essentially a glorified
graveyard. One of the tombs has been excavated, and is open to the public were
you will see historical artefacts, and the place where the king was laid to
rest. You're in and out of this public hole in about 10 minutes – a lot
like the girls on Geordie Shore.
Our walk soon took us to the Cheomseongdae Observatory.
Cheomseongdae means 'star-gazing tower' in Korean (according to Wikipedia). Built
in 7th century, it is the oldest observatory in East Asia. It is a
reflection of how developed the people of Silla were.
Our tour of Gyeongju continued to the Anapji Pond. An
artificial pond and garden built in the 7th century. We arrived just
before sunset, and it really was beautiful. The water was still and peaceful,
and as the sun went down and the lights came on you could see a perfect
reflection of the pavilion on the water. After the sun had descended the area
became manic, all the other tourists showed up in their thousands. The last
time so many people showed up to take pictures of a pool of water was when
Michael Barrymore last had a party.
With a day of sightseeing behind us we looked for a room for
the night. That night was to become my first experience of a Korean love motel.
These motels are very popular in Korea, young adults will continue to live at
home with their parents until they are married, this inevitably leaves little
time at home for private encounters. In Gyeongju, there seemed to be very few
places available so the motel had to suffice.
We paid for the room up front, a very modest
₩40,000 (£24), this included a “welcome package” which comprised condoms and
toothbrushes - preventing pregnancy and plaque are high on every love motels’
agenda. The stairway was dark, only lit by the light from the emergency exit
signs. The third floor was brighter than the others as it was lit by a ceiling
light which had a red light shade to reinforce the cliché. We walked past a
vending machine which had sold out of condoms. Classy.
The first impressions of our room were overwhelming; it was a
mixture of astonishment, dissatisfaction, and hesitancy. The décor looked
something out of Eastern Europe in the 1960s. It looked clean but felt dirty,
and seedy. Dirty like a Law and Order: SVU crime scene, and seedy like a job
interview with Peter Stringfellow. Luckily, I left my UV light at home. I had
heard a few rumours about love motels in Korea, one was of the free dirty porn
channels. I turned on the TV only to be disappointed - 3 channels and no porn.
Another rumour I had heard was that you can ask for a dirty movie at the front
desk, I suppose that’s what the VCR player was for, but I wasn’t brave enough
to ask. It was far from glamorous but it was a place for the night.
The next day we decided to first check out the World Culture
Expo Park, the main feature being Gyeongju Tower which has a nine-story pagoda
cut out in the middle, this is homage to the Hwangnyongsa Temple pagoda which
was destroyed by the Mongolians in 1238. It was the tallest structure in the
world at the time, reaching a height of 80m.
Soon after we made our way to Bulguksa Temple, the head
temple of Korean Buddhism, and is considered by many to be the best. The
initial building of the temple started in 528, it is vast and incredibly
impressive. But with this title it has become a bit of a tourist trap. There
were hundreds, if not thousands of people there, which killed the vibe. I’m no
Buddhist monk but I was under the impression that the temples are meant to be
peaceful, tranquil places for prayer and meditation, instead Bulguksa is filled
with crowds, crying children, slow walking tour groups, tour group leaders with
PA systems, and constant queues because some twat is taking another selfie. It
says it all that the temple has a souvenir shop. I’m not saying don’t go to
Bulguksa, but I would encourage you not to go on a weekend. If Buddist temples
are your thing then go to a smaller, less popular one. There you will get a
true, authentic experience, you will get the place to yourself, and you’ll see
monks in their daily routine. You will not see this at Bulguksa.
Sunday was wrapped up with a short visit to Seokguram
Grotto, 4 miles up the mountain from Bulguksa. A giant stone Buddha has been carved from a
single rock. An impressive feat but it wasn’t something I could truly admire as
a non-Buddhist. I could only appreciate it for its artistic value, which took
all of about 2 minutes. If you’ve seen a Buddha statue before then don’t bother
going to Seokguram Grotto. There I just save you a trip.
It would have been nice to stay another day, there were some
other places I wanted to see but after a while it started to feel very similar.
Temple, field, shrine, pavilion. Temple, field, shrine, pavilion. Returning to
Seoul where there is civilisation, where restaurants aren’t empty after 9:30pm,
and you don’t have to wait 20 minutes to get a taxi was nice. Gyeongju is a
nice escape, but I am thoroughly glad to be living in a city.
