I was blessed once again this semester because my suite was picked to go on the field trips! We visited two cities that I have been waiting to see for a while. The first we went to Pohang city where POSCO (a large Korean steel company) largest factory is located. I did my presentation in Korean Business Global Strategies class on this company in first semester. It was really neat to see just how large this company is first hand. Of course the property is gated off and we can't actually go inside, but you can still see the grandness from just across the water way.
This is a battle ship in Pohang, I don't quite remember what the significance was...whoops
Next we made our way to Gyeong Ju, the high light of our trip! I've been wanting to visit this city since first semester when my friend Christina told me how beautiful it is! This was a former capital so one of the famous places to go to is the park with all the tombs. Traditional Korean tombs look like mounds of grass, the larger the mound the more important you were.
We made some traditional Korean items while here. Since Gyeong Ju has a nice breeze, Patrick who happened to have made a kite decided to fly it.
It was actually pretty funny because a little boy had to teach these guys how to get the kite in the air in the first place...ahahaha
My friend here is eating 번데기 Beondaegi - a pupa...I can't say I'm a fan, but you can definitely give it a try if the opportunity arises.
Gyeong Ju has quite a few sites that are really famous and are "must sees" if you ever make a trip down (and you should if you have time). Along with the tombs, at the same site you can also visit 첩성데: Cheomseongdae is an astrological observatory used back in the day for the Koreans to look at the stars and predict the weather.
경주빵 - Which translates to Gyeong Ju bread, even though it's not really bread it's more like a pastry. It reminds me of a moon cake but the outside layer of dough is a lot thinner and softer. It's not too thick, maybe 1/2 a centimeter and then the inside is a solid filling of red bean! I loved it, but if you are not a fan of pressed red bean, or red bean at all this might not be something you should try. This is the famous snack to buy while in town though!!!
There are also two very famous temples in Gyeong Ju for you to visit, 불국사 Bulguksa and 석굴암 Seokguram. The photo below is from Seokguram. Here there is a statue of Buddha carved inside a cave. It's quite pretty! Also to see the Buddha you have to go through a mini hike. This temple is also up on top of the mountain, so the view is really pretty!!!
Our trip was only for the weekend, but it was so much fun! I am so blessed to be able to go on one of these cultural field trips all 3 semesters!!! Even though the field trip proposal can be a pain because everyone will do it at the last minute. Actually going on the field trip is really fun! Plus it's school sponsored, so what a great way to explore Korea without having to spend money!!!
I'd also like to thank Jason Kwang Ho because this is his hometown so his parents also bought us a lot of food and snacks as a welcoming gesture.
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