These rice-filled tarps were covering the sidewalks of the city of Gyeongju. We also saw rice drying in turning lanes of the highway and tennis courts. We stopped along the side of the road to see the rice up close since we have never seen this crop in our travels.
The top four kernels in Mark's hand are still in their husks, and that is what we found on those tarps. It took an amazing amount of rubbing to loosen that husk from the four smooth kernels of rice in the bottom of Mark's palm. It's good that there is an automated process to accomplish this husk removal for the millions of Asian that eat so much rice.
Fall is the season for harvesting rice and apples. We have been enjoying wonderfully sweet apples for the last two weeks. This day we bought more for a picnic in the park.
We also found Korean women with food stands along the walking paths. We passed by the mysterious gray substance in the left hand pan, and we have already choked down our quota of silk worm larvae so we didn't need to try it again today. We did try the chestnuts that were roasting over an open fire on the right hand side.
After peeling off the brown shell, we found a bright yellow chestnut heart, that tasted like a warm potato.
We made the trip to Gyeongju mostly to visit two of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. This is the entrance to the first--Bulguksa Temple.
When we walked inside the grounds, we came to the Blue Cloud Bridge. Denisa and Cole took the short cut through the forest so we could take a picture of the rest of our group on the bridge.
Inside the temple are two different gilt-bronze statues of Buddha. Some of us entered the temple quietly while the South Koreans around us were saying prayers.
Denisa is loving the beautiful fall foliage here in the mountains. She is also loving that Katrina likes to pose for pictures with her under those trees.
A stone pagoda stands in the courtyard on this beautiful blue sky day.
Our favorite scenery would be the three children standing in front of the temple buildings. Such beautiful scenery!
We headed to another stop, and found more women selling their wares by the side of the road. There was dried sea weed and mystery greens that were too scary to taste even for adventurous travelers.
There was a giant gong in the entrance. For just a 1000 won donation towards world peace, we could swing the giant mallet against one of the biggest bells in South Korea.
Next stop was the Seokguram Grotto, 4 kilometers to the east of the temple. Brian has given us lessons on reading Korean hangul, but two weeks just wasn't long enough for teaching two old dogs new tricks. So we still have no idea how to read the inscription on the entry gate.
There was a half kilometer hike to the grotto. Because it was all uphill to the top of the mountain, we all agreed that it felt longer. Mark's rock climbing has definitely worn off on these little Engelmans!
The grotto is on the top of the slopes of Mt. Toham, hidden amongst the fall foliage.
We stopped to eat our picnic lunch, and were mobbed by a school group of junior high South Korean students taking a field trip. They aren't interested in us adults, but they treat the children like rock stars. There was screaming and cameras flashing as soon as they spotted them.
Katrina and Camden have grown to be good American ambassadors, smiling graciously for all the photos. Cole is still a little perplexed about all this attention, and doesn't even like pictures with people that he knows.
Denisa loves the way the rafters are painted with such detail. We had to look close to see all the paint strokes it took to accomplish this detail.
The mountains overlook the Sea of Japan far below. Because Koreans don't have much affection for the country of Japan, they prefer to call it the East Sea instead.
The grotto was completed in 774, and this is the "best known cultural destination in South Korea" and a world heritage site, so we feel very fortunate to get to visit there.
No pictures were allowed of the huge granite Buddha carved into the mountain, but we could go inside the smaller temples on the grounds.
Denisa has never gotten to travel with a little girl, so she is loving the way that Katrina likes to pose for pictures. We found this tree that matches her outfit today and they are both beautiful!
There are rental wheeled vehicles for children. We're not sure what the weight limit is, but Katrina was giving taxi rides on her three wheeler.
Cole discovered that there was a button that switched his four-wheeler from slow speed up to the faster high gear. He didn't need any help, but his Dad was helping him to pop wheelies.
Rumor has it there's an old man riding on the children's toys in South Korea. We have pictorial proof that the rumor is true.
As the sun was setting, we were finishing our whirlwind tour of Gyeongju. We had just enough time to stope by the Funeral Grass Mounds at the edge of town.
At the same park we got a quick look at Cheomseongdae or the "star gazing tower." This is the oldest surviving astronomical observatory in East Asia. This tower was built in the 7th century, and is the 31st national treasure of South Korea.
With all the history in the area, we found that two boys were more interested in the giant bugs at the park. We have obviously traveled with little boys many times, so we completely understand their philosophy!
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