Another "Pathetic excuse for an entry"

You wanna know the best way to make a vacation last?? You drag it out for a month after returning by slacking on your blog, that's how. On the third day I decided to take a trip to Bulguksa temple. Bulguksa is a UNESCO heritage site and is one of Korea's great historical treasures. First off, I had to get there. I spoke to Mr. Kwon that morning and he gave me specific directions to reach the temple by bicycle. He made it sound really easy, but, wow, it was a trek!



The ride started by going the opposite direction down the river I had crossed two days earlier. I was to take the bike path as far as I could until it ran into an overpass. Then I would take the road through the mountains, past a lake resort, and follow the signs to the temple. Normally, directions this concise backfire and I end up getting lost. Mr. Kwon knows his stuff, though, and the ride went precisely as planned. It was just a longer ride than I imagined. My rear was already sore from the long ride the day before, so the best remedy would be a long journey through hilly terrain. It paid off when I rode past places like this lake. It is a rare thing for me to find a place in Korea this clean and quiet.
This is the road I took after the lake. This hill is much steeper and longer than the picture leads to believe. It must have taken half an hour to make it up this hill. However, the great thing about laboring up a gigantic hill is the payoff of riding down it. After this climb, I coasted all the way to Bulguksa. I enjoyed my bike riding adventures in Gyeongju so much that I bought a bike as soon as I returned to Suwon. You wonder where I've been lately? I've been riding my bike everywhere and loving it.



I got to the temple and was greeted on the way in by these two gentlemen. I believe their names are Lenny and Karl. Lenny and Karl were carved over 900 years ago when the Spanish invaded Southern Korea and were defeated with the help of the Roman army. The great thing about the trip to the temple was the fact that I learned so much about history. Whereas I should have written these things down to be sure, I'm fairly certain my memory has preserved the historical accuracy (tongue is firmly in cheek). I'm sure everyone is dying to find out what the rest of the day was like and what treasures lie within the temple... but you'll have to wait until next week. In between, I'm adding a Halloween bonus (a week and a half after Halloween).