John & Sun-Ling Wander the Earth: Gyeongju: Daytrip to the North; Nightwalk to the South.

Our last day in Gyeongju we set out north on the local bus to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Oksan Seowon Confucian Academy and Yangdong Folk Village, both on the same bus route. We were not sure what to expect from the folk village. Would it be authentic or tacky, laid back or in-your-face?

And on return the Gyeongju we planned to walk back to the historic district to see the various sites lit up at night.

First, on the bus to Oksan Seowon.

On the bus to Oksan Seowan - Gyeongju, South Korea

A seowon is both a Confucian school and an ancestor shrine. The Oksan Seowan is typically small, situated in a beautiful rural setting, and founded by a Confucian Sage. Atypically it is still in use as a Confucian school with new adjacent buildings, and descendants of the founding sage live in a compound nearby that he built in the 1500's. Our first stop was the academy.

Most of the buildings have been rebuilt after suffering one calamity or another. In the old days, teachers lived there year round (I think) and pupils lived there either for weeks or months as they pursue their studies. It's not a monastery.

This locked ;-( building is for performing ancestor rites.

Photo of a building with traditional ondol ie underfloor heating; check out the two "furnace" openings.

There are some hiking trails nearby but we only walked across this bridge in front of the Seowan to get to the home of the founding sage.

This is part of the small village around the sage's residence where descendants still live today. In fact one politely shooed us away when we entered a family area. ;-)

Entrance gate to the sage's house which is mostly open to the public and free.

The sage built his residence with a room + balcony that overlooks the stream.

Bus ride to Yangdong Folk Village.

Yangdong Folk Village - Gyeongju, South Korea

Yangdong Folk Village, about 40 minutes bus ride north of Gyeonju, turned out to be wonderful and we ending up taking a later return bus then originally planned. Yangdong was great for strolling. We got a map at the entrance from Visitor Information and had a fun time tracking down all the "major" residences while wandering up and down the very scenic small valleys. The village was "preserved" but also obviously lived in with the occasional car, satellite dish, or fire hydrant popping up. However that did not take away in the least from the feeling that on was walking through an old village with thatched roofs, batches of big storage jars all around, some buildings hiding behind high walls.

Temples and royal palaces are painted bright colors, these residences are not.

Grass roofs on many of the buildings.

Lots of stone jars for kimchi and other....

Village is along several valleys.

One of the "landmark" residences where there was once 100 buildings in the compound.

Once back in town we had some dinner and then headed out to see the lights at Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, 30 to 40 minute walk.

Beautiful sunset along the way.

We get to the palace just as the lights come on. It's packed at the "best" viewing spots but everyone is in a good mood and taking turns getting the shots they want.