Blue Skies from Bulguksa to Daegu

My last day in the Gyeongju area was nearly perfect -- a naked blue sky, not a cloud in sight, and plenty of time to take in a day-trip to nearby Bulguksa Temple and Seokgoram Grotto. After a leisurely morning at the hostel, I packed my bags and took them down to reception to be stored after I checked out. I was leaving for Daegu later tonight, another hour west by express bus from Gyeongju. After a quick stop at the bus terminal to buy my onward ticket, I crossed the road and waited for local bus #11 to arrive.

The bus stop was filling quickly with Korean day-trippers heading to Bomun Lake for a day of water slides and carnival rides, and I was happy to get a seat as the last couple dozen to board were left with standing room only. Although only 16 km from Gyeongju, the ride to Bulguksa took the better part of an hour, as the bus careened along local roads, stopping every few minutes for a stoplight or to swallow a new passenger in its vinyl-padded bucket seats.

Finally, we arrived at the entrance to Bulguksa and within a moment or two, I had entered the temple grounds. I have been to a number of palaces and temples over the nearly two months that I have been in Korea, and while all have been impressive and beautiful in their own way, this temple in particular seemed to have some special magnificence.

It could have been the two stone pagodas standing majestically within the courtyard of the temple's main complex. Or perhaps it was the stairway carved in thick, gray stone, leading to the temple's main hall. It was upon this stairway of 33 steps, representing the 33 heavenly worlds of Buddha (or stages of enlightenment), that nobility during the Silla period would step.

But I tend to think that what set Bulguksa apart was the simple ambience of towering trees, meandering trails, and happy-go-lucky families lining their children up for photos among lilies and beside temple facades. All of the giggles and chatter and smiles seemed to breathe an easy air into this historically spiritual hotspot. And it was contagious. I found myself enjoying the sea of people coming and going as the scenery itself.

Then it was time to make the upward climb from Bulguksa to Seokgoram Grotto, another UNESCO Heritage site, where ancient carvings of Buddha and many other dieties have been preserved since the 70o's. The hike itself, apart from the oppressive humidity, led along a shaded rock-strewn path, climbing upwards into the mountainside. Unfortunately, I don't have much to say about the grotto. I felt disappointed with its size, and with the fact that the statues themselves are all carefully protected between a thick wall of plexiglass. The W4,000 entrance fee seemed a bit exorbitant considering the lackluster attraction. (Or, maybe I've just been spoiled with so many stellar finds around Gyeongju and Namsan mountain.)

Back at the car park, I began a series of bus rides to take me back the way I came: first to Bulguksa, then to Gyeongju, where I collected my bag and picked up a plate of kimbab for dinner, and finally on to Daegu, Korea's third largest city and the last of my bases from which to explore during my week of backpacking south-east Korea.

At 9:30 PM, I met my CouchSurfing host, Bron, in downtown Daegu, and began our walk back to his flat just a stone's throw from the Sinchon River, which runs north-south along the eastern fringes of the heart of the city. An hour later, I was showered and comfortably splayed out in his two-seater leather sofa, my home for the next two nights. I had been eyeing a book sitting on his bookcase, a novel I had months ago written onto my "Books to Read" list, yet had never gotten around to buying. Khaled Husseini's "A Thousand Splendid Suns" was calling my name, and after getting the go-ahead from Bron, I pulled it off the shelf and began picking through its pages.

Sleep hit late for me that night, probably more the consequence of my new reading material than anything else. Finally, around 1 AM, I cut the lights, closed my eyes, and drifted off to sleep. For the next seven hours, it was just me, the leather couch, and one pesky mosquito to keep me company...