Sunday, October 7, 2012

The hike up the Museum

A not to be missed place in South Korea is Gyeongju which is located at the South Eastern part of Korea. It is the ancient capital of the Shilla Dynasty- which successfully ruled and defended Korea to prosperity. Gyeongju is a very popular destination during all seasons and can be reached in 5hrs from Seoul by buses and by regular trains by 4 hrs. The express trains with their speed of 333kmph and on the dot accuracy, reach the city in 2 hours flat.

It was a cool, ear popping journey through tunnels after tunnels into the mountains to Gyeongju. We decided to tackle the Open Air Museum of Mount Namsan to start our exploration of this beautiful city. The mountain itself is a historical relic owing to the number of Buddha statues and carvings on it and is a wonderful but rugged climb.

Mount Namsan, the open air museum in Gyeongju, Korea

The base of the mountain is filled with fruit trees laden with ripe fruits which was so pleasant for the eye and the nose! Sweet red and orange persimmons were just strutting their stuff and alluring us with their looks but incidentally, there seemed to be nobody else even interested in those yummy fruits and most of it were lying on the ground squashed!

Persimmon tree in Korea
Persimmon tree

Persimmon fruits in golden yellow in Korea
Juicy, golden, yellow Persimmon fruit
Apple trees laden with fruit in Gyeongju, Korea
Apple trees laden with fruit
 The other trees at the base of the mountain were kind of weird and were growing crooked competing for sunlight but formed a good subject for a snap.
Weird looking trees at the base of the mountain
Pine trees growing crooked looking eerie and weird
Crooked trees at the base of the mountain in Korea
Trees grow crooked competing for sunlight
Tomb mounds at the Namsan Mountain
Tomb mounds of Royalty
We had just walked around the base to the trail leading to the top when my elder one was phasing out into his iphone and i had to start my lecture on how this family time was important and how we should all be a part of it and enjoy it. His answer was straight forward and instant. "I get bored when I don't have an aim. Tell me what we are aiming for and i will not be distracted". Mmmmpf. Kids these days are far too goal oriented and extremely articulate. Ahha! Jumps the fitness freak of a husband  and they set the Hermitage 2.25km from the bottom as the target, much to my chagrin. Me and my big mouth!

But the day was just perfect and we had all the supplies we needed for a good hike and i had no excuses left but to try it out. I am so glad to have tried it out, though the trail was very tough and rocky, the small, dwindling stream bubbling along kept us company and the surroundings were just too delightful and serene.

Headless statue of Buddha in Mount Namsan, in Gyeongju, Korea
Headless Buddha Statue

Carving of Buddha in Gyeongju, Korea
Carving of Buddha on rock

Carvings of Buddha in Korea
Three Buddha Carvings

Trickling stream on the way
The trickling stream which kept us company almost until the top.

Tough climb up the mount Namsan in Gyeongju, Korea
Tough climb even for the panther

Capturing the sounds of water
Capturing the sounds of water on the iphone to be used later for relaxation purposes (*rolling eyes*)

Serene Buddha on a lotus in Mount Namsan, Gyeongju, Korea
Tranquil Buddha seated on the Lotus, my absolute favorite of all.
Climbing upi Mount Namsan
Few places where the trail was visible

Hermitage at Mount Namsan, Gyeongju, Seoul
The first view of the Hermitage

Buddha inside the Hermitage on top of Mount Namsan in Gyeongju
Glorious Golden Buddha inside the Hermitage on Chuseok Day

View of the valley below the mountains
Pacific view of the Valley below

Rays breaking through the clouds, as seen from top of mount Namsan, Gyeongju, Korea
Rays breaking the cloud cover
Skywatch Friday
Color Connection
ABC Wednesday -M for Museum Mountain

29 comments:

  1. Lovely pics and narration! especially loved the trees with crooked trunks.. weird and unique!

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  2. what a serene and beautiful place!

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  3. What beautiful treasures you discovered on your hike. Great series of photos, especially the forest of crooked pine trees!

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  4. What a beautiful place especially the trees in the 5th and 6th pic. This is a must visit place.
    Nice photographs :)

    Regards,

    Jay
    http://road-to-sanitarium.blogspot.in/

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  5. A wonderful place to visit:)

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  6. Wow! Fantastic photography and lovely place to walk ~ love the Buddha carvings and everything ! (A Creative Harbor)

    thanks for coming by and commenting ^_^

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  7. what a lovely place! i can feel the serenity of the place through your words. i love all of the photos.

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  8. This is very nice. But when are you doing a post on Gangnam? You're the best person to do it!

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  9. Fantastic shots, loved the pine trees and the Buddha statue.

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  10. Those are some really beautiful pics , I loved the greenery around and the fresh fruits


    Bikram's

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  11. My first visit to your blog. Its a nice blog. The post is wonderful and informative, and the pictures are lovely. so refreshing.

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  12. Beautiful !!! loved all the photos !

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  13. Such a gorgeous place! I love the view!
    Visiting for color connection
    Bento Challenge

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  14. beautiful blog..nice to be here...hey, i just remembered..at a programme in dubai there were some koreans..i got my name written in korean language..they said it will bring me luck..cheers

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    1. Thats Great Ramesh! Your name can be matched almost exactly in Korean. But, there is no V, F in Korean and so, we get ridiculous outputs sometimes :)

      Sending more luck from Korea!
      Ciao from meoww :)

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  15. Thank you for the lovely virtual tour garnished with beautiful pics!

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  16. WOW! Wonderful post....the pics are awesome!

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  17. how wonderful to see these photographs...the persimmon fruit looks delicious and i love the way the sun's rays appear on that last image:)
    xxx

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  18. Fabulous photos! Never seen pine trees growing wild and rough... the place sounds rich in history and nature resource.

    I’m sure u enjoyed the hike even its tough :)

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    1. Oh, yes we did and that mountain is a museum by itself :)

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  19. Lovely shots.
    But I was taken by the "aimless" conversation; so true!
    ROG, ABC Wednesday team

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  20. I miss the mountains and everything in Korea. We did two hikes when we were there, to the Mt. Seorak and Mt. Jiri. If you have time go to Jeju Island, it's beautiful there!

    Thanks for joining Color Connection last week. Can't wait to see what color you are this week, the linky is up!

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    Replies
    1. Have not been to Jeju yet. Saving up a lot of holidays to enjoy Jeju island's beauty :)

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  21. Mesmerizing story and photos!

    Leslie
    abcw team

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  22. this post actually transformed me there...I felt I was there trekking with you. Lovely place..!!

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