And further south the camera goes, Gyeongju, ancient capital of the Shilla Kingdom…

Coloured umbrellas along the markets streets of Gyeongju

Tumuli Gongwon, Park with 23 Tombs/Tumili of the Shilla monarchs 

Rice Fields at sunset

Polaris Tourist Pension in Gyeongju

Our place for two days at the Polaris Tourist Pension in Gyeongju

The start of our Namsan Park mountain climb

Namsan

Namsan

Time to climb, it wasn’t all this easy

Breaking through

Chilbulam Temple were we were offered a free lunch by the beautiful Buddhist monk

Chilbumlam Buddha on Namsan Mountain

Climbing Namsan

Topside of Namsan

Another Buddha in the rock

And another Buddha 

The view from above

Another beautiful Buddha

Cute warnings are everywhere

Rocks and trees and nature forever

Temple at base camp

Street Art 

The park under night light

An ancient astrological observatory constructed between AD 632 and 646 

Divine dining at Dolsolmaeul

The gardens of the Gyeongju National Museum

The Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond from 674 CE

Wolji Pond

The Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond from 674 CE

Temple guards at Bulkuk Temple 

Bulkuk Temple 

Bulkuk Temple

Bulkuk Temple 

Bulkuk Temple

Lanterns at Bulkuk Temple 

Bulkuk Temple 

Bulkuk Temple 

Bulkuk Temple 

Bulkuk Temple 

More Bulkuk Temple Guards, Gyeongju

The Bell

The climb to the covered Buddha at Seokguram.

Next Stop Busan…

All words and photographs by Damien B. Donnelly