Anapji

Anapji (안압지) is an artificial pond in Gyeongju (경주) that used to be a part of the palace complex during the Silla dynasty. It was constructed under the order of King Munmu in 674 AD. In 1975, restoration began on the site and was completed in 1975. Anapji is now a big tourist destination in Gyeongju and a popular place for couples to go at night.

At night, the pond itself is quite impressive. The reconstructed buildings and pond are well lit, making it a photographer’s dream. Littered around the pond are signs in Korean and English describing the different artifacts that have been found at the pond as well as describing Silla dynasty palace life.

At the center of the pond, there is a large pavilion that acts as a mini-museum and contains several artifacts found in the pond. In the middle of the mini-museum is model of the entire pond complex during the Silla dynasty.

With benches placed throughout the pond, it makes it a comfortable 30-45 minute walk to see the entire complex.

It serves as great romantic place to slowly walk around with significant other, though the majority of visitors are families with children.

The pond is open during the day as well as during the night. Anapji is more famous for its night views than for its day views. I went at night, and it was a truly beautiful sight. I can only imagine walking around this pond during the fall when the leaves are changing colors.

Admission is a cheap; 1,500 won for both day and night. It’s within walking distance of downtown Gyeongju (about a 20-30 minute walk). You can also get to the pond by cab or bus. However, I recommend walking so that you can walk through the lotus pond, see Korea’s ancient astronomy tower, and walk through the kings’ tombs.

If you enjoy photography, history, or just beautiful view, visit the Anapji pond in Gyeongju. 

Bulguksa

Located just outside of the city Gyeongju (경주), Bulguksa Temple (불국사) is the largest Buddhist temple in South Korea, and one of the few to survive the Japanese occupation. It is classified by the South Korean Government as the “Scenic and Historic site no. 1.” While the first small temple was built in the year 528, the temple that we see today was built in year 751 under King Gyeongdeok (경덕). This makes it one of the oldest surviving Buddhist temples in Korea.  

My friend and I had the opportunity to visit the temple on Buddha’s birthday, one of the biggest Buddhist celebrations of the year. Because of the importance of the date, the temple was quite crowded. We came relatively early in the day and were able to avoid much of the crowds.

Leading up to the temple is along path, climbing up the mountain. On the path are local vendors, selling food, trinkets, and souvenirs. The trinkets and souvenirs are what you see at every temple with the exception of some vendors selling Bulguksa themed trinkets. One of the vendors at the top of the hill sold some delicious mook (묵).

The temple itself was covered in paper lanterns, with each lantern attached a prayer; a prayer for health, for a loved one, for a prosperous year. Seeing all the lanterns strung out throughout the temple made for a beautiful and colorful sight. You could buy the lanterns at the temple and put your own prayer on them. The lanterns started at the price of 7,000 won and went up in price depending on the level of detail and intricacy of the lantern.

Bulguksa’s stone pagodas were a sight to behold, especially being draped in the colorful lanterns. People fought over trying to get the best shot of being in front of these historic beauties. As of right now, one of the stone pagodas is going through restoration and will be open again sometime next year. 

The temple itself had many prayer rooms for people to go to, each room offering a different thing to pray for (health, food, prosperity, etc.). In each of these rooms was a small Buddha, with a large Buddha in the main prayer room. It is considered disrespectful to photograph Buddha and those praying to him. Each prayer room has a sign forbidding camera use.

Since neither my friend nor I are Buddhist, we instead walked around the temple and observed. The entirety of the temple in quite beautiful, and nestled at the base of a mountain, it offers some pretty spectacular view, especially at the entrance of the temple.

 

Since we visited on Buddha’s birthday, entrance to the temple was free. However, on other days, there is a nominal 2,000 won entrance fee. You can get to Bulguksa by bus for 2,000 won (which is a little less than an hour ride), or take a cab for around 35,000 won.