Bulguksa and Seokguram Grotto...in the rain

The popular Bulguksa, another temple on the Unesco World Heritage List, was easy to find with the bus stop announced in English. I stopped at a nearby convinience store and picked up a plastic poncho, like the ones all of the other tourists were wearing to protect against the constant rain. I trudged up the hill alongside fellow travelers, also eager to see the temple despite the rain. That was only the beginning, however.

Once inside, I joined throngs of people, most donning plastic ponchos and carrying unfurled umbrellas. I wandered the temple grounds, the charm which may have come with the rain was dashed by the crowd. It was still pretty though.

Back in the parking lot at the base of the hill, I inquired about the next bus to Seokguram Grotto. I had just missed it and the next one was in 50 minutes, so I walked across the street to find a place to have a nice hot lunch.

I had not gone far when I was flagged down by an woman and ushered into her restaurant as she repeated, "English Menu" to me. In my wet state, I submitted easily and enjoyed the dry restaurant as I waited for my soup. The soup was served in a stone pot which had been heated on the stove, so when it came to me, it continued boiling for a good 30 seconds before the bubbles subsided. It was good and hot, but so hot it was hard to finish in time for the bus. I paid quickly, dashed out of the restaurant, and jumped onto the waiting bus bound for the grotto.

The bus wound its way up the mountain, and deposited us in a large parking lot in pouring rain, thick fog obscuring the view we might have had of the surrounding mountains. I followed the crowd of people along a wide trail that took us deeper into the woods. Up a stone stairway there was a little building in the traditional style. As I got closer, I saw that it was packed with people, squished into this tiny space, pushing their way to see what there was to see.

I went inside, as there was nothing else up here on this mountain. Inside, plastic poncho slid against poncho as the crowd pushed its way through the eye of the needle. At the front, behind a huge glass wall, sat a stone statue of Buddha surrounded by sculpted walls that depicted various other deities. After my moments at the front, I gave myself to the crowd and was slowly pushed out into the cold and rain.

Completely soaked, I was ready to call it a day. With soaked feet, however, I was also ready to go shoe shopping. In the downtown market, a new pair of shoes gave me hope that my feet would again be warm.

Later that night......

A LARGE group of Americans from the conference and I descended on downtown Gyeongju. We ate a tasty Korean dinner (spicy chicken something....) then went to norebang, the Korean version of kareoke. Groups of friends can rent out small rooms and sing kareoke style to their hearts content for an hour or more. A mix of old classics and Korean pop (KPop) rounded out the night.