Gyeongju, Geoje-do, Oe-do, and Haeinsa (a rather overdue update)

So we've finally realized that we don't need to spend 2 hours writing a blog, making sure every detail is perfect. That belief combined with the fact that we've done something new every weekend left no time to update. Since the beginning of April, we have been busy busy enjoying this great weather. Before we got to Korea, we vowed to go somewhere different every weekend. The first few months made that difficult because the weather was not desirable traveling weather. But since the first day of Spring, we have stuck to our vow, traveling somewhere different every weekend!

A few of the highlights are two trips to Gyeongju (the capital of the Korean peninsula during the Silla Dynasty), a tour to Geoje-do and Oe-do (two scenic islands in the South Sea), and yet another Buddhist temple, Haeinsa.

We'll start with our first trip to Gyeongju. It was the beginning of Spring, and the Cherry Blossoms were in full bloom. Here we are celebrating this happening at the Cherry Blossom Festival.


On our second trip to Gyeongju, we went to a famous temple here in Korea, Bulguksa.


This structure houses an 8ft. bell at the entrance to the Seokguram (a Buddhist grotto in the mountains).


A few weekends ago, we went on a tour of a couple islands in the South Sea of Korea. It was strictly sight-seeing, and the sights were beautiful. The next 4 shots are of this tour.


After hiking all around this beautiful island, you can sit down on the rocky coast and enjoy some fresh sushi snacks!


This island (Oe-do) is privately owned by a couple who bought it about 30 years ago and have spent those years transforming it into this magnificent garden. It felt as though we were walking in a Dr. Suess book.


Here we are with our friend who stopped us on the path to offer us some soju (korean rice wine). He also gave us his business card and told us to come visit him! Perhaps we will....
Last weekend, we made a trip to another temple complex, Haeinsa. Here, we were able to help paint the intricate designs on one of the shrines.


Not really. But we were able to watch the artists at work. They are truly talented.

Here is a photo of one of the Buddha statues in one of the shrines. You are not supposed to take close up pictures of these statues, so since this was taken at a distance, it doesn't do it justice. Actually, even the best photo would not be able to reinvent the true feeling of seeing it. Use the person's noggin' at the bottom of the photo as a size reference.


And here we are at the top of Gaya Mountain. It was a long and tiresome trek, but man was it worth it!


And that's our past few weeks in a nutshell. Sorry for the delay, but as you can see, there is much to be done in this small country, and it keeps us busy.

-Us