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| ▒ Course Description |
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Day 1: Travel from Seoul to Golgulsa Temple in
Gyeongju – Temple Stay and Seonmudo Experience at Golgulsa
Temple
Day 2: Temple Stay and Seonmudo Experience
at Golgulsa Temple
Day 3: Temple Stay and Seonmudo
Experience at Golgulsa Temple– Visit to Site of Gameunsa
Temple & Underwater Tomb of King Munmu
Day 4:
Visit to Bulguksa Temple & Seokguram Grotto – Gyeongju
National Museum - Anapji - Banwolseong - Gyerim – Cheomseongdae
– Kuro Ssambab Restaurant (Lunch) & Daereungwon,
Travel from Gyeongju to Seoul
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| This tour consists of a 3-day, 2-night visit to Golgulsa Temple
to experience Seonmudo, a traditional Buddhist martial art that
originated in India 2,600 years ago, plus a 2-day, 1-night visit
to ancient cultural and historic sites in Gyeongju. The city of
Gyeongju is an internationally acclaimed cultural and historic area
with numerous examples of ancient architecture designated as World
Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, such as Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram
Grotto. |
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▒ Photos and Overview of Course & Links
for More Information
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| Gyeongju
4-day/3-night Tour - Day 1 |
◈ Travel from Seoul to
Golgulsa Temple in Gyeongju |
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| Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal |
9 am
At the Seoul Express Bus Terminal, which connects
with Subway Lines 3 and 7, we caught the 9 o ’clock
bus (Bus fare is 24,200 won / Ride takes 4 hours 15
minutes) and arrived in Gyeongju at 13:15. Outside the
Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal (small and old, but cozy)
we found a tourist information center and the building
housing Cheonma Gwangwang, operating the Gyeongju City
Tour Bus.
The Tourist Information Center staff can
provide useful tourist information in Japanese, English,
and Chinese. Be sure to pick up some of the various
maps and tourist information leaflets available in English. |
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We took bus 100 (bus fare is 2,000 won) for the
40-minute ride to Andong Samgeori (Andong Intersection),
the location of the bus station serving Golgulsa Temple.
Bus stop announcements are in Korean only, so if you
don’t speak Korean, tell the driver you are going to
Golgulsa Temple, and he will tell you where to get off.
You can either show him a note saying “골굴사”, which
is Golgulsa Temple in Korean, or say “Golgulsa”. |
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| < List of Tourist Information Centers
in Gyeongju > |
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1.Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal +82-54-772-9289
(English, Japanese, Chinese) / Location: in front of
Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal
2.Gyeongju Railway
Station +82-54-772-3843 (English, Japanese, Chinese)
/ Location: in front of Gyeongju Railway Station
3.Bulguksa Temple +82-54-746-4747 (English, Japanese,
Chinese) / Location: in front of Bulguksa Temple parking
lot
4.Gyeongbuk Tourism Promotion Center +82-54-745-0753
(English, Japanese, Chinese) / Location: next to the
Wellich Chosun Hotel in Bomun Lake Resort Complex
< Common information >
Operating
hours: 08:30~18:00
No closing days
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Take bus 100 or 150 at the bus station across from the
Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal. The ride takes about
40 minutes and the fare is 2,000 won. From Andong Intersection,
you have to walk for about 20 minutes to Golgulsa Temple.
Just follow the signs for the temple, and you won’t
miss it.
→ Click here
for map of Golgulsa Temple |
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◈ Temple Stay and Seonmudo
Experience at Golgulsa Temple (Day 1) |
3 pm
As requested by Golgulsa Temple,
we arrived at 3 pm and were assigned to our rooms. Small
rooms are fine for two or three persons and larger rooms
for larger groups. There are clean, spacious shower facilities
and a restroom on each floor, and there were no complaint
from any of the guests.
Once the rooms were assigned,
it was time for ullyeok, the temple monk’s daily chores.
Since the stay is meant to replicate everyday monastic life,
everyone had to take part in the chores. But the work was
not so laborious as to disturb the main practice itself.
After ullyeok, it was time for a quick wash and
dinner - vegetarian, as are all temple meals. After dinner,
we participated in a ritual before a statue of Buddha, and
then began learning about Seonmudo, a program available
only at Golgulsa Temple. The session lasted for about an
hour and thirty minutes, but we were so immersed in the
beautiful dance- like movements of Seonmudo that we lost
track of time. After the training, we washed and went to
sleep. The 9:30 bedtime seemed early, but knowing we had
to get up at 4 in the morning, we were soon fast asleep.
→Click
here for more on Golgulsa Temple |
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| Morning of Day 2
and Day 3 |
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| Gibelini Baptiste |
4 am
At Golgulsa Temple, the day begins
at 4 am. Even though it was summertime, the darkness of
the early morning still enveloped us. Remembering the dreadful
penalty, we woke each other up. If you oversleep and miss
the early morning ritual, you must skip all your meals for
that day and do three thousand bows. Moreover, everyone
sharing the same room must also do without meals - a strong
incentive not to oversleep.
After a quick wash,
we offered our prayers to Buddha at 4:30 am, and then engaged
in a one-hour meditation. We sat cross- legged and immersed
ourselves in meditation. In the beginning, it was rather
difficult to sit that way, but after concentrating for a
while, the mind was clearer and the spirit composed. |
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At Golgulsa Temple, the day begins at 4 am. Even
though it was summertime, the darkness of the early morning
still enveloped us. Remembering the dreadful penalty, we
woke each other up. If you oversleep and miss the early
morning ritual, you must skip all your meals for that day
and do three thousand bows. Moreover, everyone sharing the
same room must also do without meals - a strong incentive
not to oversleep. After a quick wash, we offered our prayers
to Buddha at 4:30 am, and then engaged in a one-hour meditation.
We sat cross- legged and immersed ourselves in meditation.
In the beginning, it was rather difficult to sit that way,
but after concentrating for a while, the mind was clearer
and the spirit composed.
After the meditation,
we went out for the morning walk, which can be either inside
or outside the temple grounds. If you ever visit Golgulsa
Temple, make sure to go see the Golgul-am Maae Yeorae Jwasang,
a Buddha relief cut into a huge rock (Rock Cave Hermitage
of the Maae Yeorae Seated Buddha), designated Treasure no.
581. Due to the soft quality of the rock, however, a large
part of the lower half and bust section of the relief has
been worn away, but the part above the bust is still in
good condition. From the mountaintop where the Buddha relief
is located, we caught a bird’s-eye-view of the sea of Gampo
and the mountain ranges that wind around Golgulsa Temple.
It was one of those rare magic moments, and we could feel
our hearts open. If you visit Golgulsa Temple, don’t miss
a chance to see it. After the morning walk, we had breakfast,
and then, another Seonmudo session for about an hour and
a half, followed by the ritual offering. What we thought
would be a long time passed quickly, and soon it was time
for lunch.
We started the afternoon schedule with
the daily chores from 2 to 5:50. Then the new trainees arrived.
The rest of the day was a repetition of the previous day.
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*< 2-Day/1-Night Schedule of Golgulsa Temple Stay
and Seonmudo Experience >
- All extended stays,
i.e. 2-nights 3-days, 3-nights 4-days, or 1-month stay,
are based on a repetition of the 2-day/1-night schedule
below.
| Day
1 |
15:00 |
Room assignment and Ullyeok (cleaning and
other chores)
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| 17:50 |
Dinner |
| 19:00 |
Ritual offering
and 108 bows |
| 19:30 |
Seonmudo training
(1 hour 30 minutes) |
| 21:30 |
Bedtime |
| Day
2 |
4:00 |
Rising |
| 4:30 |
Morning ritual
offering |
| 5:00 |
Meditation and
Zen breathing |
| 6:00 |
Walk and hiking |
| 6:50 |
Breakfast |
| 8:30 |
Seonmudo training
(1 hour 30 minutes) |
| 11:00 |
Ritual offering
and 108 bows |
| 11:50 |
Lunch |
| 14:00~ |
Ullyeok (cleaning
and other chores) |
< How to participate in the Temple Stay and Seonmudo
Experience at Golgulsa Temple >
Application for
the Temple Stay and Seonmudo Experience at Golgulsa Temple
is not taken by phone or fax. You must sign in by filling
out an application form in English or Korean and send it
by e-mail. The participation fee is $40 or 44,000 won. You
can pay in cash at the temple.
1.Tel: +82-54-745-0246, +82-54-744-1689
2.Fax: +82-54-746-0172
(English)
3.E-mail: d-kumgang@hanmail.net(English)
4.
Download Application Form
5.Temple Stay website
(includes Golgulsa Temple):http://eng.templestay.com
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▩Interview
We conducted brief
interviews with some of the foreigners who took
part in the Golgulsa Temple Stay and Seonmudo
experience. |
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Reporter : How did you find out about
the Seonmudo experience at Golgulsa Temple? Judith
Vastenburg (Holland): (After seeing the reporter’s
name card) I read some information about the program
at the www.visitkorea.or.kr
website and signed up for it. Kimberlee Hampson
(Yun-mi Lee / Korean American): I also applied
through the www.visitkorea.or.kr
Reporter : That’s very good to know. Mr.
Baptiste, I hear that you have also been to the Shaolin
Temple in China. How long have you been there and how
long will you be here? Gibelini Baptiste (France):
I stayed in Shaolin Temple for about a year,
and have been at Golgulsa Temple for about four months
now. Reporter : Have you experienced any
inconvenience during your stay here? Gibelini
Baptiste (France): Apart from getting up at
4 in the morning, nothing is so difficult. Reporter
: You can’t have meat here. How do you feel about
the meals? Judith Vastenburg (Holland): I
am vegetarian, so I like it better here. Kimberlee
Hampson, Gibelini Baptiste, Logea Jean- François:
The food is good. I have no problem with that.
Reporter : Jean- François, I hear
you have been at Golgulsa Temple for almost a year now.
What do you expect to get from this experience? Logea
Jean- François (France) : Peace of mind.
Reporter : What is the biggest advantage
of the temple stay? Gibelini Baptiste (France)
: Learning the martial art of Seonmudo. Reporter
: I hope you will all get what you want from this
temple stay program.
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At Andong Intersection, or Girimsa bus stop where you got
off bus 100 to come to Golgulsa Temple, take bus 150 and
get off at Gameunsaji.
Fare: 1,300 won / Ride: 10 minutes |
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| Day 3, Afternoon
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◈ Temple Stay and Seonmudo
Experience at Golgulsa Temple (Day 3) - Site of Gameunsa
Temple & Underwater Tomb of King Munmu |
1 pm
After lunch, our 3-day, 2-night stay
at Golgulsa Temple ended, so we packed our bags and left
a little after 1 o’clock. We headed back the same way to
the bus stop where we had gotten off bus 100, and got on
bus 150 to Gameunsa Temple. (When going to the Gameunsa
Temple site from Golgulsa Temple, do not take bus 100.)
Gameunsa was built in the 7th century BC. Today, only two
13.4-meter high stone pagodas remain, which are designated
as National Treasure no. 112. The pagodas are admired for
their balance and their proportions. In fact they are considered
to be as refined as the Seokgatap and Dabotap pagodas at
Bulguksa Temple, which are considered the zenith of Korean
pagoda art.
The construction of Gameunsa Temple was begun by King
Munmu as a supplication to Buddha, in hopes of driving out
marauding Japanese pirates. King Munmu did not live to see
the completion of the temple, but on his death, he asked
to be buried in the East Sea near Gameunsa Temple so that
he could defend the country as the dragon guardian of the
East Sea even after his death. The burial site is called
the Underwater Tomb of King Munmu, located on Gampo Beach
about 15 minutes’ walk from Gameunsa Temple. If you prefer,
take bus 150. The 3- to 4-minute ride costs 1,300 won.
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| Gyeongju Park Tourist Hotel |
After visiting King Munmu’s underwater tomb, we took
bus 150 and moved to the Gyeongju bus terminal. Since we
were planning to visit Bulguksa Temple early the following
day, we decided to spend the night at the Gyeongju Park
Tourist Hotel, conveniently located next to the bus terminal.
The Gyeongju Park Tourist Hotel offers clean, air conditioned
rooms and shower facilities at an affordable price of 55,000
won.
After leaving our things in the room, we took a taxi
to “Sugyeong” (near Daereungwon) a restaurant famous for
glutinous barley rice meal. Glutinous rice is added to the
barley rice to make it sticky and flavorful. A complete
meal comes with seven different wild greens, such as bellflower,
dropwort, and bracken. Try mixing various herbs in the rice
with lots of dressing and sesame oil. It’s really delicious.
You will also be served side dishes like roasted saury,
bean paste soup, and Korean omelet roll. Housed in an old
hanok, or Korean traditional house, the restaurant has a
unique ambience. After dinner, we took a cab and came back
to the hotel.
→Click
here for more on the Site of Gameunsa Temple
→Click
here for more on the Underwater Tomb of King Munmu |
* < Sugyeong
Restaurant >
Tel: +82-54-772-3369 (Korean)
Operating hours: 7:30~22:00
Price of glutinous rice
set meal: 6,000 won
Location: near Daereungwon
< Gyeongju Park Tourist Hotel >
Tel:
+82-54-742-8804 (Korean)
Room rates: Twin room 55,000
won (Mon.~Fri.) / 61,000 won (Sat., Sun.) – Rates may change
during high season. / Breakfast is not included.
<
Transportation expenses >
*Bus 150 (Underwater
Tomb of King Munmu à Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal)
/ 60 minutes / 2,800 won
*Gyeongju Park Tourist Hotel
<-> Sugyeong restaurant roundtrip taxi fare: 3,000 won |
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| Take bus 10 or 11 at the bus stop across Gyeongju Express
Bus Terminal, and get off at Bulguksa Temple bus stop /
Fare: 1,300 won / Ride: 40 minutes |
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| Day 4 |
◈ Bulguksa Temple & Seokguram
Grotto |
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| Bulguksa Temple |
Seokguram Grotte |
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8 am
Because there are many local and foreign
tourists visiting Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto,
it is best to start early in the morning. Designated as
a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage, Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram
Grotto are must-sees when sightseeing in Gyeongju.
Seokguram Grotto sits atop a mountain accessible by shuttle
from Bulguksa Temple (15-minute ride on shuttle bus 12).
There is a bus every 40 minutes from 8:40 to 16:40, with
the last bus leaving at 17:20. Catch the bus in front of
the tourist information center located in the parking lot
of Bulguksa Temple. It is best to decide as soon as you
arrive at Bulguksa whether you will see the temple or the
grotto first, since there is only one bus every hour. It
takes about an hour and a half to two hours to visit both
the temple and the grotto.
→ Click
here for more on Bulguksa Temple
→ Click
here for more on Seokguram Grotto
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| Take Bus 10 at the bus station in front of Bulguksa Temple
and get off in front of Gyeongju National Museum (Fare:
1,300 won / Ride: 30 minutes / 8 minute interval). |
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◈Gyeongju National Museum -
Anapji - Banwolseong - Gyerim – Cheomseongdae |
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11 am
Gyeongju National Museum (sightseeing
90 minutes) – 5-minute walk – Anapji Pond (sightseeing 10minutes)-
3-minute walk – Banwolseong Castle Site (Experience and
sightseeing 20 minutes)- 1-minute walk – Gyerim (sightseeing
10 minutes)- 5-minute walk – Cheomseongdae (sightseeing
5 minutes)- 10-minute walk - Daereungwon (sightseeing 40
minutes)
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All the tourist sites mentioned above are close to each
other and also close to downtown Gyeongju. For more information
and photos, click on the names of each tourist site. Together
with Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto, these destinations
are must-sees for anyone visiting Gyeongju.
First,
we visited the Gyeongju National Museum, which preserves
the thousand-year history of the Silla Dynasty (BC 57∼AD
935). Then, we saw Anapji Pond, which represents the typical
garden architecture of the Silla period. We also experienced
archery, horse-riding, and traditional games at Banwolseong,
an ancient crescent-shaped mud fortress. Afterwards, we
passed by Gyerim forest, the birthplace of Silla Dynasty
kings, and visited the Cheomseongdae Observatory, the oldest
in Asia.
It was a fantastic walking tour, but after
two hours of sightseeing, we felt quite hungry. Since it
was time for lunch, we headed to a restaurant famous for
wrapped rice near Daereungwon.
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< Banwolseong Archery Experience >
Age 13 and over -3,000 won / Age 12 and below -2,000 won
< Banwolseong Horse-riding Experience >
Age 13 and over: 5,000 won / Age 12 and below -2,000 won
< Banwolseong Traditional Games Experience >
Age 4 and over: 1,000 won |
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| From the entrance of Daereungwon, turn right and walk for
about 2 minutes. |
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◈ Kuro Ssambab Restaurant
(Lunch) & Daereungwon |
1:30 pm
Kuro restaurant specializes in
wrapped rice served with twenty different side dishes at
a large table. The side dishes are made with vegetables
and ingredients that vary with the seasons and are mainly
fresh, enticing for health-conscious guests.
There
are parrots and many other birds in the restaurant, giving
it a unique ambience. Displays such as Korean dolls also
add a special touch.
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After lunch, we went to visit Daereungwon, the
burial ground of royal families and nobility who governed
during the Silla Dynasty. The site possesses a mystical
ambience, with huge grave mounds rising from the landscape.
A visit takes about 40 minutes. The admission to Daereungwon
is 1,500 won (for ages 19 - 64).
→Click
here for more on Daereungwon |
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< More about Kuro Ssambab Restaurant >
Wrapped rice set meal (single menu): 8,000 won
Tel:
+82-54-749-0600 (Korean)
Address: 106-3, Hwangnam-dong,
Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbukdo
Website: www.webtown.org/kuro/
(Korean)
Operating from 11 am and 9 pm Closed on Chuseok
and New Year holidays |
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| There is a bus that runs between Daereungwon and Gyeongju
Express Bus Terminal. But the local people told us that
the bus had many stops in between. So we took a cab. It
turned out that the distance was so short that it costs
us only 1,500 won for basic fare. There is an express bus
running from Gyeongju to Seoul Express Bus Terminal every
thirty minutes from 6 am to 6:30 pm. We took a deluxe express
bus at 4 pm. The fare is 24,200 won. |
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▩< Total Expenses
Incurred _ As of August 2005 >
Express bus, Seoul
→ Gyeongju: 24,200 won
Bus, Gyeongju express bus terminal
→ Golgulsa Temple: 2,000 won
Day 1 lunch: All-natural
grape juice 350ml – 1,600 won / Sandwich – 1,600 won
3-day/2-night Temple Stay at Golgulsa Temple: 88,000 won
Bus, Golgulsa Temple → Gameunsaji: 1,300 won
Taxi,
Underwater Tomb of King Munmu → Gyeongju bus terminal:
2,800 won
One box of 10 Hwangnam bread: 5,000 won /
Milk 500 won
Sugyeong restaurant glutinous barley rice
meal: 6,000 won
Taxi, roundtrip, Gyeongju Park Tourist
Hotel <-> Sugyeong restaurant: 3,000 won
Gyeongju Park
Tourist Hotel accommodation: 55,000 won
Bus, Gyeongju
express bus terminal → Bulguksa Temple: 1,300 won
Roundtrip
shuttle bus, Bulguksa Temple <-> Seokguram Grotto: 1,300
won * 2 = 2,600 won
Bus, Bulguksa Temple → Gyeongju
National Museum: 1,300 won
Admission to Bulguksa Temple:
4,000 won
Admission to Seokguram Grotto: 4,000 won
Admission to Cheomseongdae: 500 won (Ages 19-64)
Admission
to Gyerim: 500 won (Ages 19-64)
Admission to Anapji:
1,000 won (Ages 19-64)
Admission to Gyeongju National
Museum: 400 won (Ages 24-64)
Archery at Banwolseong:
3,000 won
Kuro wrapped rice meal: 8,000 won
Admission
to Daereungwon: 1,500 won (Ages 19-64)
Taxi, Daereungwon
→ Gyeongju express bus terminal: 1,500 won
Express
bus, Gyeongju → Seoul: 24,200 won
Total : 243,000
won |
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< TRAVEL TIPS >
1. One of the famous specialties of Gyeongju is hwangnam bread,
which can be purchased at the express bus terminal, Gyeongju railway
station, or the Hwangnam bakery near Daereungwon. Each bread costs 500
won.
2. The base fare for taxis in Gyeongju is 1,500 won. In
Seoul, it is 1,900 won and in Busan, 1,800 won. Taxi fares vary in different
regions in Korea. |
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| < Tourist Map of Downtown Gyeongju > |
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Guides
