Of all the things to do in Korea, my favorite is quickly becoming doing ANYTHING where there are NOT lots of people. Last year I got to see Changdeokgung Palace (first trip & second trip) in a small group. I also visited Hahoe Village on eve of one of the biggest holidays so no one [...]
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I went to Buseoksa (or Buseok Temple)… it was incredible. It is one of the most beautiful temples I’ve seen in Korea (along with Naksansa and Donghwasa) sitting in the beautiful mountains of the Northern Gyeongsang province. The history of the temple is quite impressive. It was originally built in 676 AD during the Silla Dynasty [...]
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Last year I read several blog posts about Naksan Temple, or Naksansa/낙산사 (wikipedia), and I really wanted to visit. It is one of the few temples that are on the coast (as most are on top of mountains). But, living in Andong and getting out of work at 11pm really prevented me from traveling too [...]
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As usual, I got out of work at 11pm on Friday. I went straight to bed because I had to wake up at 5am to catch the bus to Seoul. But I was nervous; I couldn’t sleep. I woke up late and missed the 6am bus. After three hours, I arrived in East Soul and, [...]
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Donghwasa is probably my favorite temple in Korea. I love everything about it. So for Buddha’s Birthday, I decided to make a last minute trip. It was very, very interesting, even if it wasn’t as awe-inspiring as the first time. They were doing construction on the enormous 33m Buddha, so that was a mess. And while [...]
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After two long days in Seoul walking more than I have ever walked in my entire life, I pulled it together enough to wait it out for the Lotus Lantern Festival Parade. I’m glad I did, because I loved it. In my former life working in politics, I attended many (MANY) parades. As a rule, [...]
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This weekend I spent some time in Seoul to check out the Lotus Lantern Festival. Buddha’s birthday is this month and there are a lot of things going on. It was very interesting in comparison to American festivals… by that I mean it was A LOT less annoying. Of course, I can never figure out [...]
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I cannot do justice to Bulguksa Temple… It was originally built it 528 A.D., but expanded (in its current form) in 751 A.D. It is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is impressive on it’s own right… (there aren’t many American UNESCO World Heritage Sites). My photos could never convey the importance of this [...]
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Near the top of Mt. Palgongsan is Donghwasa Temple. It was amazing — that’s all I can say. The original structures of Donghwasa Temple were built in 493 A.D., and it was expanded in 832 A.D. — all during the 992 year reign of the Silla Dynasty. You can read more about the temple here. [...]
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