National Museum of Korea

When I was in Seoul, I made a point to visit the National Museum of Korea because among its collection is a statue of the Pensive Maitreya Bodhisattva which is a national treasure.

The museum is quite impressive. It is quite well curated -- there is plenty of information about the collection in English. I spent some time on the exhibits related to Korean history. After a while, I decided there was too much to take in and I went looking for the what I came here to see.

It took me a while to find it as it was in a special enclosure. The statue was much bigger than I had expected.

This is the statue of the Pensive Maitreya Bodhisattva. National Treasure No 78 

While the artwork of this statue is quite impressive, I didn't find it particularly beautiful. There is suppose to be another statue which I thought was more beautiful (National Treasure 83), but I didn't see it. I am not sure if it was on exhibit at all, or I might have missed it.

However I did find a very impressive statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha. I spent quite some time admiring it as I thought it was very beautiful.

A very impressive and beautiful statue of Sakyamuni Buddha

Besides Korea's own artifacts, the museum also has some acquired from the rest of the world. The Indian section has some interesting exhibits as well.

I thought this is a dancing girl. But this is actually a depicting of the birth of a being in Pure Land. According to some scriptures, beings are born from lotus flowers in the Pure Land.

A Gandhara statue of Maitreya with clear Greek influences.

Hiking through Namsan in Gyeongju

While I was checking out on what to do in Gyeongju, I came across Namsan. What caught my interest was that it appeared to have quite a number of Buddhist statues in the area.

I was going to do the trek on my own, but then I came across a brochure advertising a free English guided tour while at the Tourist Information booth next to the Express Bus Terminal. So I wrote to the email address listed on the brochure and registered myself for the tour since I was going to be in Gyeongju on a Sunday. The tour is available every Sunday except for the winter months.

I was at the meeting point early. Perhaps because it was a Sunday, they were many locals gathering there. They were all suited up in trekking gear. Some had walking sticks and a few had big backpacks. It looked like they were prepared for some serious hiking. I stood out like a sore thumb because I was there only one there in T-shirts and bermudas -- that is, until another 5 Americans joined me for the tour.

Souvenir given for joining the guided tour

The meeting point was Namsan's Information Booth which is run by the Research Institute of Mt Namsan. I picked up an English map there. I was also given a pack of post cards and a button badge as souvenir. The guide for the day was a volunteer called Joey who spoke reasonable English.

We started at Sambulsa temple, which was a small little temple hosting three statues that were found in the vicinity. The guide had some interesting tit-bit to share. She brought us to the back of the temple and asked us what do we see... A phallus? Well, women prayed to the Buddha in hope of begetting a son, hence the Buddha statue was also a phallic symbol. Hmm.... I wasn't sure if I could believe that. But the point is, you won't get such interesting information about what you see along the way if you do not have a guide. So if you can join the guided tour, I would really recommend it. It's free anyway. It is funded by the city government and the guides are volunteers.

Sambulsa (三佛寺, it means Three Buddhas Temple). The statues were found in the surrounding area and put together here. They are made in different era and have different styles (but seriously, you probably can't tell if no one tells you!)

This is the center Buddha statue from the back. It does look like a phallus...

Some abandoned statues at the back of Sambulsa

After that, we passed by many burial mounds. The mountain was a favourite burial ground because it was deemed to be an holy mountain.

Pumpkins put out by the farmers for sale

Then we came to a beautiful pine forest. This is a famous pine forest for photographers, because some famous photographers had taken some very beautiful pictures here, particularly, pictures of the forested in misty mornings. It was a clear day that day, so it didn't looked that good. But among the postcards that was given to me, there was one of the forest in a misty morning and it was really beautiful.

Beautiful pine forest

The photographs of this forest shrouded in early morning fog is really beautiful.

Along the way, there were quite a number of Buddha statues and carvings. Some of these may not be easy to find if there is no guide. A few were quite beautiful, but some were quite crude.

Carving of Buddha on the wall. It is not very clear and the art work is rather rough. But the interesting is the mudra (the hand gesture) of the Buddha image -- it is unique and no one quite knows what it symbolizes.

A beautiful stone seated Buddha. Note that this is made in the same style as the Buddha as that famous one in Seokguram Grotto.

Many brochures of Namsan featured a large seated Buddha carved on a cliff wall overlooking the valley. Unfortunately, they had just closed off that area due to rock falls. That was a disappointment because that looked like one of the most spectacular sight in the mountains, in terms of the large Buddha carving and the view overlooking the valley.

Unfortunately, this is no longer accessible. It's really a pity because this looks quite impressive. It looks like some works is going on, so it may be opened again some time in the future. Note the valley in the background. The view point overlooking this statue was also fenced off, but our guide took us past the fence any way.

Near the peak, there was a Sangseon-am Hermitage, which is a small Buddhist temple. This is were you can fill up your water bottle. There was a tap, but I think it is spring water. I did fill up my bottle and I didn't get any stomach problems.

The Hermitage was quite crowded because this was a major rest stop and because it was serving free vegetarian noodles! I am not sure if they serve this every day, or every Sunday, or if it was special occasion that day. There was a long queue. As much I wanted to try it, I was afraid of holding up the group. But when the America guys in the tour joined the queue, I also joined in happily.

Free vegetarian noodles served by the Sangseon-am Hermitage. I was really grateful for the unexpected meal.

I was glad I queued for the noodles, because it was really good. It was just some soft noodles in a light broth, served with kimchi, chives and seaweed. But it was tasty and satisfying -- way better than the snack bars I had brought for lunch. The noodles were free, but I dropped 5000W in the donation box because I was so grateful for it.

The next stop was the Baduk Rock. This is a vista point that offers a good view of the valley and you can see as far as Gyeongju city. But the most interesting point here is that there is a post box up here! There are postcards in there. You can send yourself a postcard from here and the Gyeongju city will pay for the postage! My card arrived at my house 1 week after my trip. So do send yourself or your friends a postcard from here.

A postcard I sent to myself from Baduk Rock. Postage was paid for by the Gyeongju city. I had forgotten about this and was quite happy when it appeared in my mail box a few days after I got back to Singapore.

This would have been the end of the guided tour and we would turn back and head back down to where we start on the same trail we came up. But a few people needed to use the toilet. So guide brought us to the Geumobong Peak which was another 800m away (but not much climbing as most of the climbing was on the way to Baduk Rock). This is the only toilet along the trail. And this is were many of the locals stop and have picnic.

I parted ways with the tour group from here because I wanted to down via another trail that ends at  Yongjang. I wanted to see the Buddhist artifacts along that trail. But first I had to fill in a survey form about the guided tour -- which is what the Gyeongju city asked for as a "pay-back" (the tour is funded by the Gyeongju city). Of course one of my feedback was that the city should keep funding the excellent tour. :-)

Dragon fly on a stack of stones... Taken some where along the trails.

It turns out that trail from the Geumobong Peak down towards Yongjang was very different from the way we came up. It was steep and definitely a more strenuous trek.

Some parts of the trail from Geumobong Peak towards Yongjang-ri is so steep you practically have to abseil down using a rope. Luckily these sections are quite short. Going up will be a lot tougher.

First, I came across a very sandy and pebbly stretch which was quite treacherous and I slipped a few times. Then was a section that was so steep I was practically abseiling down using the rope.

You can see the valley from the mountain.

An old stone pagoda on the Yongjang part of the trail. You won't see this if you turn back and go down the same way you came up.

Another interesting Buddha statue. Note that it is seated on a rather unusual three tiered lotus pedestal.

After the steepest part of the trail, there rest of the trail was easier. It passed through a more densely forested area and some part runs along a river. However, you need to be careful about there are some false trails. It took me 2 hours to get down from the peak. (Going down the same way where we came up would take 1 hour according to the guide).

Some parts of the trail are literally at the edge of the cliffs. The sign with the falling bear is cute, but the danger is real. My stomach was queasy at some of the stretches.

A suspension bridge

Waiting for bus outside Yongjang-ri village.

I was glad I took the other trail down as there were some quite spectacular sights along this trail.

The Yongjang-ri village was quite interesting too. It is a farm village and can smell the cows. There is an interesting old church with a bell tower.

As I waited for the bus along the deserted road outside the village, I had a flashback -- it reminded of a previous trip to Taiwan, when I also stand alone at a bus stop outside a fishing village, waiting for the bus along a quiet and lonely road.

We started the trek at 9:30am and it was 2pm when I reach Yongjang-ri village. It was a tiring, but an enjoyable trek. It's a mountain that is rich in history and the scenery is nice. Apart from the exercise, it was also a good cultural experience trekking among the locals (I was a little amused as I thought they were over-dressed/geared for the trek. But this does match what I see on the Korean dramas.)

A map I picked up at the Information booth. I followed the tour to the peak and then we parted ways. I used this map to navigate down to Yongjang-ri village. There is Stone Medicine Buddha statue on the map, but I didn't manage to find it.

Getting there:
1. Buses 500, 505, 506, 507, 508 goes to Namsan. Pick up the "Explore Mt Namsan in Gyeongju with an English-speaking guide" brochure even if you are not joining the tour. The brochure has a map on where to take the buses from downtown Gyeongju.
2. It's just a short ride to Namsan (about 10-15 min). The fare was 1500W by cash (I paid 1500W for all bus trips in Gyeongju regardless of the distance. That appears to the be standard fare if you pay cash). You cycle there if you have a bicycle -- it's not very far from downtown Gyeongju, and there are bicycle racks for you to park your bicycle.
3. There is an information booth at the Seonamsa car park. It was just opening when I reached there at 9am. You can picked up English maps from the booth. According to my brochure, it is only opened Thurs-Sun and holidays, 9am - 5pm
4. The way up from the Seonamsan carpark is very well marked. But if you intend to come down the the trail leading to Yongjang, make sure you get a map. Be prepared for a tougher trail with steep slopes.
5. The only water point is at Sangseon-am Hermitage. Bring enough water and perhaps some food. The locals pack food and picnic at the peak.
6. Going up and down the Samneung section, i.e. from Seonamsan car park to the peak, takes about 3-4 hours, depending on how long you break in between. (The guided tour was supposed to end at 1pm back at the starting point). If you take the Yongjang section down, it will take another extra hour. But there are a few points along the way where you might linger especially by the river.

Vegetarian in Gyeongju

Apparently, there is only one vegetarian outlet in downtown Gyeongju. That should tell you how difficult it is to get vegetarian food in Korea.

Happy Cow list a few other restaurants but they are all in the outskirt and not easily accessible for a tourist. However, I did met a New Zealander who relied on Google Maps and cycled to the Baru restaurant which serves Buddhist Temple food. I didn't try to find my way there.

You can't really miss Kong Story if you came to Gyeongju by bus. It is directly opposite the Express Bus terminal. I saw it just as I was crossing the road from the bus terminal.

Kong Story is just directly opposite the Express Bus Terminal. It's a small place.

I was glad to find a vegetarian outlet. But I was disappointed when I walked in and saw the menu. I was hoping for Korean food, but Kong Story sells falafel only. Just falafel. But the disappointment quickly dissipated when I bite into the falafel. It was simply the best falafel I have had so far!

The menu. If you want a meal, there are basically only 4 choices: Pita Falafel, Tortilla Falafel, Veg Burger and Panini Toast.

The menu with the price listed

I had ordered a falafel pita bread wrap with humus. It came with 4 falafels and some shredded vegies in pita bread. I choose to add humus which costs another 1000W. Honestly, I wasn't sure if the humus made any difference. I couldn't taste it. But that might be because the taste of the falafel overwhelmed it.

I had a pita wrap and banana shake. The wrap came with 4 falafels, but the falafels were really good and I order 2 extra falafels! I came back the next day and order more falafels for snacks.

First the falafel smells really good. I am not sure what they used to make it so fragrant. But the smell really brings out your appetite. It is crispy outside, though a little dry inside. And the taste was really really good. I haven't tried too many falafels. But this time, it was so good that it really made an impression on me.

This small outlet is opened by a couple -- an Israeli and his Korean wife, just early this year. They are very friendly and speak good English. It is a very small place that really caters to take-out orders. But there are a few seats inside if you want to have your meal there, though the space is really tight.

I came back the next day in the afternoon and bought some falafels for snacks -- just falafels. At 500W each (about US$0.50, S$0.60 each), I thought they were quite cheap. (Falafels are not cheap in Singapore -- if you can find them in the first place). I ate 2 first and kept the remainder for later. The aroma filled the room and I was constantly reminded of the falafels that was still there!

When I was leaving Gyeongju for Seoul, I dropped in at 9:30am, hoping to pack a falafel wrap for my lunch. Unfortunately, they were just opening and the falafels were not ready. It was also the day they had to change the frying oil, and they could fry them on the spot for me. But the lady boss said she could make me a vegetarian burger, so I settled for it. The burger wasn't bad and the vegie patty in it was quite tasty. But it was nothing really special. I really much prefer the falafels.

Their opening hours was listed as 9am - 7pm. So if you want to have dinner there, you do need to go there early.

And if you came back from your day trips late, I guess the best thing is to cook your own dinner. I was glad that the guest house where I stayed -- Sa Rang Chae -- had a spacious and well equipped kitchen for guests to use. I bought some grocery from a nearby supermart and cooked dinner. (And of course, it is cheaper to cook your own food).

I cooked my own dinner. Just instant noodles with bean sprouts, mushrooms, tofu and some green sprouts (I have no idea what they were, but they looked wholesome and healthy so I bought it.)

Now, when I was trekking Namsan on Sunday, it happened that the Sangseon-am Hermitage was serving vegetarian soup noodles! I was pleasantly surprised as I had prepared to eat snack bars for lunch. I am not sure if the Hermitage serves that every day or just Sundays or if it was a special occasion (it wasn't new moon nor full moon day that day). But if you are trekking Namsan, do look out for it!

There was a long queue for the noodles. They cook the noodles by batches. So the queue actually moved quite fast as each batch was served. 

It was just a simple bowl of noodles in a hot broth, served with some chives, kimchi and seaweed. But it was very tasty and satisfying. (Definitely more satisfying than a snack bar for lunch). 

The noodles were free. But I felt that a donation was appropriate. So I dropped 5000W into the donation box in front of the shrine hall.

This was the noodles served by the Sangseon-am Hermitage near the peak of Namsan. It is simple but tasty and hearty. Just some soft noodles in a light soy broth with chives, kimchi and seaweed. (Yes, chives -- apparently Korean Buddhists do not avoid chives while the Chinese Buddhists do)

Vegetarian in Seoul - Dishuifang

The Buddha Light Association or  Foguangshan is an Buddhist organisation based in Taiwan but with many branches all over the world.

In Singapore, there is also a Foguangshan Temple and there is a cafe called Dishuifang in the temple. They have a branch in Seoul too and they also opened a cafe that is also called Dishuifang. (Note: this is listed as "Di Shuei Restaurant" in Happy Cow)

After spending a morning at Bonguensha, I decided to head to Dishuifang for lunch. The temple is literally a stone throw away from the Dongguk University station. Once I step out of the station exit, I saw the sign to the temple.

You can see the sign pointing to Dishuifang once you come out of exit 2 of Dongguk Universitry. Just turn into the alley the sign points to. Unfortunately the signs are in Korean and Chinese only. The English words "Tea House" in small letters under the Chinese words "di shui fang" (滴水坊). I hope this picture helps.

The temple looked closed and I hesitated a while before I pushed through the door. There was no body around. But I saw the sign that the tea house was in the basement level. As I was about to go down the stairs a nun came out the office. She was very friendly and spoke something in Korean, before asking in English if I was here to eat. She told me the cafe was down the the stairs.

Being a Buddhist, I went into the shrine hall and paid respects to the Buddha before heading to the cafeteria. The cafeteria was quite busy the first day I was there.

I wasn't sure if the staff were Koreans or Taiwanese, so I spoke English at first and they had some problem understanding. Then they spoke to each other in Mandarin, I realized that they are from Taiwan. That solved the language problem!

They had an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet that can be had for 6000W. There was also a menu from which I can order main courses like noodles. The buffet spread looked good so I decided to have the buffet. But then I got greedy and order pot stickers too (5000W).

The food here is Taiwanese Chinese food, home-cooked style. There were 5 to 6 simple but delicious dishes. There was also soup and fruits.

Inside the restaurant. Cozy environment. The dishes are laid out on the table and you help yourself to what you like.

Mix grain rice with various dishes home-cooked style. The soup was the best. It had lots of stuff in it: barley, lotus seeds, TVP, and various Chinese herbs.

The only Korean dish was a bowl of daikon kimchi that appear to be still fermenting as it was fizzling with bubbles.

I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. The best of all the spread was really the soup. I keep going back for more. I must have had 4 or 5 bowls of the soup.

Pot stickers (10 per order) 5000W. The filling is a mixture of mock ham and cabbage and other vegies. Nothing really fantastic about the filling. But the skin is good. The underside is crispy and the top side is chewy (QQ according to the Taiwanese). It was served hot and will make a very good snack.

I was back again on the day of my departure. It was very quiet and I was the only guest there. The other table was the nun and the temple staff. So the buffet spread was also the meal for the temple staff. The dishes were all different this time. There was a stewed peanut which I overhead that it had been stewed for two days.

I must say 6000W for all-you-eat buffet is a real steal. While the dishes are simple, they are really good and with home-cooked goodness. However, I do find the dishes tend to be a little bit salty.

The down side is that it mainly Chinese food. So while you are in Korean, you do want to try Korean food right?

For Chinese Buddhist, the good thing is that the temple serves strict Buddhist vegetarian fare, i.e. no eggs, no garlic/onion/chives/leek. Milk products is acceptable in Chinese Buddhist vegetarianism, but not common. I was talking to someone at Dishuifang and they were tell me that the Korean Temple food may contain garlic/onion/chives/leek. So far, I have found chives in the Temple food. Haven't encountered garlic and onion yet.

They are open from 11:30am to 7pm daily except Sunday. They had started a lunch buffet earlier this year. The lunch buffet is served from 11:30 - 2pm. You can order from the menu if you come at other time. Unfortunately, they close quite early for dinner.

Vegetarian in Seoul - Loving Hut

Loving Hut is an international chain that is opened by a religious movement based in Taiwan. I am glad that it has a few outlets in Seoul.

If you are staying in downtown Seoul, the most accessible outlet is probably the Sinchon outlet. It is listed as "Loving Hut Yonsei University" on Happy Cow, because it is located near the university gate.

Take the metro green line #2 and alight at Sinchon. Take exit #2 and walk down the busy road of shops. The shop is along the main road, so it was quite easy to find.

Inside the restaurant. It's self-serve.

What I like about Loving Hut is that there is quite a variety of Korean food and there is an English menu with pictures of the food. The price is not expensive too.

The menu has English captions and pictures

Drinks and ice cream also available.

There were so many dishes I wanted to try, but my stay in Seoul was short and I only came here twice.

The first day, I had a bean paste bibimbap (Soft Tofu Gang Doenjang Bibimbap, 7000W).

It came was a bowl of bibimbap, a small sizzling pot of bean paste and a bowl of mashed tofu. I wasn't quite sure how it is supposed to be eaten. But I decided to pour the mashed tofu into the pot of bean paste and it turned out right. I am not sure if I was suppose to pour the mixture into the rice and mixed it up. I ate it separately. It's not bad, but nothing really memorable.

The main course comes with 3 small side dishes: kimchi, some greens (looks like garlic stems, but I can't really tell) and seitan. I like the kimchi. It's the type without the fermentation smell and is slightly sweet and spicy.

This is the Soft Tofu Gang Doenjang Bibimbap. 7000W. I poured the bowl of white mashed tofu into the sizzling pot of bean paste (Doenjang means fermented bean paste) and mixed it up.

I like the kimchi from Loving Hut. It's a little sweet, without the fermentation taste.

After the meal, I decided to try the vegan ice cream. The ice cream is sold by weight. 100g costs 3900W, which gives 2 small scoop. I tried the pomegranate flavour and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was really good.

Pomegranate ice cream. I really like this.

The next day, I was back for dinner again. This time I ordered the Soft Tofu Pot Stew. I had tried this dish many years again when I was in Portland Oregon. It was so memorably delicious, I had been looking for this in Singapore for many years, but just couldn't find the vegetarian version. I was so glad Loving Hut had it on the menu. (I had wanted to tried it the first day but got distracted by the Doenjang Bibimbap).

However, when it came, I was a little disappointed. First, the portion was small (I had imagined a bigger "pot"), Then it didn't look like what I had so many years ago. The soup wasn't red and the tofu was mashed. But when I tucked into it, I found that it was quite good too. Not quite the same as the original (though seriously, I can't remember how the original tasted like), but quite tasty nonetheless. I must warned that it is rather spicy (which is how I like it).

Soft Tofu Pot Stew - Spicy and good!

One of the sides was lotus root. This is sweet. It's tasty, I liked it.

I wanted to try more dishes but another main course would be too much. So I ordered a side dish of Spicy Fried Soy Meat. This turned out to be a disappointment. The texture of the "meat" was more like gluten balls than TVP meat. It wasn't spicy at all and it tasted like a regular Chinese sweet and sour meat dish.

Spicy Fried Soy Meat -- not bad, but nothing special. It is more like a regular Chinese sweet and sour dish.

Overall, I enjoyed Loving Hut. It is conveniently located. There is English and pictures on the menu to help you decide what to order. The staff also spoke English. The ambiance is nice and it is inexpensive. Given that vegetarian food is so difficult to find in South Korean, I must say it is really great to find Loving Hut here.

There is a wall of Famous Vegetarian and the Sakyamuni Buddha is listed there. This is a mistake. The historical Buddha was not a vegetarian. He ate what was offered to him, including meat.

After a good meal, I took a nice walk down the street that was buzzing with many activities and did a bit of shopping. Yes, another plus is that it is located along a busy shopping street.

Bulguksa and Seokguram Grotto

I had known of the Buddha in the Seokguram Grotto for a long time. I've seen pictures of it and it was indeed a very beautiful Buddha. I knew that if I ever go to South Korean, I would like to go see it.

Since Bulguksa was another popular temple enroute to Seokguram, it was only natural that I visited it was well.

It turned out that Bulguksa was quite a nice temple while Seokguram was a little of an anit-climax.

I had not known that Bulguksa was actually a UNESCO heritage site as well.

It is a beautiful temple complex. The temple halls are similar to other temples. What I like are the beautiful murals on the shrine walls.

Bulguksa is a UNESCO heritage site.

Main entrance of the temple. It actually means Temple of the Buddha Land

Pine tree in the temple.

Gates of the Heavenly Kings

These stairs are the distinguishing features of this temple is frequently shown in photographs on brochures.

The main shrine. The Buddha statue was not particularly impressive. I like the background murals more.

According to this plaque, there are 33 temples of pilgrimage. Bulguksa temple number 23.

Stone stupa in the backyard. Korean Buddhists like to stack stones into a stupa similar to the Tibetan practice.

A beautiful door in the temple

Another shrine hall in the temple

I was particularly taken by the image of the Avalokiteshvara in the Kuanyin Hall at the back of the temple. This is right at the back and the highest shrine hall within the temple complex. You will miss this if you do not go there. 

The shrine is very simple and uncluttered. There was only a statue of the Bodhisattva, with a pair of candles and a few offerings. While Kuanyin is mostly depicted in feminine form in China, I found both masculine and feminine forms in Korea. In Bulguksa, both the statue and the painted image are in masculine form and very stately and majestic. The statue was in the image of a slender and fit princely man. The painted image is the manifestation of the Bodhisattva with a thousand arms and eyes. 

Kuanyin Hall

The image of Avalokiteshvara (Kuanyin).

From Bulguksa, I took a bus to Seokguram temple and it was 20 min journey up a winding hill road. It is possible to trek from Bulguksa to Seokguram. Indeed, I saw many students doing that. This appears to be a popular trekking trail for there are many hostels near Bulguksa and there was bus loads of students when I was there.

The Seokguram grotto turned out to be much smaller than I expected. I can't see the exterior for it is under repairs. I had thought I had to walk into a tunnel to get into the grotto to see the Buddha statue. But it turns out that the Buddha statue is just a few meters from the entrance. It is now sealed with a glass panel to protect the statue. So you can't go into the grotto and walk around the Buddha statue nor see the wall carvings. The Buddha status is a very unique place of art nonetheless.

A giant panel showing the statue of the Buddha inside the grotto. Photography not allowed inside.

A cross section plan of the grotto.

Lanterns at the temple

The bell tower of the temple is by the car park, quite a distance away of the grotto.

You can sound the bell for a donation of 1000W. Yes, I did it too.

Start of autumn...

Bulguksa and Seokguram temple are important destinations for those who go to Gyeongju. Both are UNESCO heritage sites with a rich history as well as cultural, religious and artistic importance. It is worth a day trip.

Logistics:

1. Take bus 10 or 11 to Bulguksa.

2. There is a tourist information booth and you can ask them about the bus to Seokguram and get brochures about the temples. The staff speaks English. I suggest visiting Bulguksa first before heading to Seokguram.

3. To get to Seokguram, take bus 12 from the bus stop that is directly opposite the tourist information booth. The bus leaves on the 40th minute of every hour. It takes 20 minutes to reach there.

4. The bus back to Bulguksa from Seokguram leaves on the hour. One hour is really more than enough as there isn't very much to see at Seokguram.

5. To get back to Gyeongju town, take the bus from the bus stop when you get off when you come to Bulguksa from Gyeongju. The bus is a loop service. If you are not sure, check with the information booth.

6. The bus is a loop service and the return route is different which confused me at first. Bus 10 stops by the Gyeongju National museum on the way back to Gyeongju and many people got off there to visit the museum. From the museum you can take bus back to town, or walk to the Anapji Pond or the Cheomseongdae, They are actually not too far away.

If you pay by cash, all bus trips were 1500W.