Journal Entry: 5/30/2009
Bulguksa Museum in Gyeongju; otherwise known as a tourist trap. We learned about the history of the temple and got to see original artifacts and statues from the archaeological dig.
Next we went to the actual Bulguksa Buddhist temple. This is the place of the Dabotap and Seokgatap stone pagodas.
Following we visited a park with a whole mess of mounds. At first I thought they were real but during the tour I found out they were tombs. The most famous is denoted as the Heavenly Horse Tomb.
Next we went to see a Buddha in a cave. This was in the mountains and faces the East Sea; thought to be used as a protection of the country from Japan Invasion and any Tsunamis or Typhoons.
Then we went to the site of Cheomseongdae. This is the oldest surviving astronomical observatory in East Asia There was a crescent on the fence surrounding the observatory. I “caught a crescent” to submit to my sorority.
In 2009 I traveled to South Korea to study abroad. I kept a diary of each day of my visit. When I returned to the United States, I created these digitized posts of my entries and the images that I took on each corresponding day. You can find all the South Korea journal entries here.
