Ruraler

I have not even done Seoul justice and I've already passed that great city.  So, clearly these posts will not go in Seventy5Days chronolgy. When my time emasses again, I will do up Seoul and I realize I must do a trains post, and a food post (yes. Fabulous X 10 to the Nth). Also, I had my first hitchy SNAFU and solved it. Or was it my second? I am living in awe and wonder. There is no time to dwell on the dark side. 

A woman at the info booth for the Daereungwon Tomb Complex said I was beautiful, but I think she meant funky, and anyway, for the first time in decades, I believed it.  I feel whole. I felt a depth of sorrow walking into the complex. Flute music is playing.

Entry fee was 2000Won, so about 2bux. It is a vasty acreage, and posted descriptions politely explain the exploitation of the tombs, much of which occurred early during the Japanese occupation (1880's to 1940's).  There has been extensive archaeological work.  This is very old stuff, back to days when live sacrifice was part of burial (gulp), but that ended LongLongAgo. One tomb has a great dioramic exhibition showing tombs, relics, early excavations and more.  Very well done.

I felt it in there, and the Cherry blossoms were opening, as I walked along!  The blossoms are the size of a small t-cup, so they might NOT be cherries, but 'tis the season. These blossoms are succulent, like magnolia. and golden white.  (EDIT: They are magnolia blossoms. They are native and wild here, and I am witness ♡.) The vast multi acre complex is an arboretum of interesting willows and pines and other spectacular trees (Saweaf Zelkova),  some very large and old. It was quiet, not very many people, although at the far end, there was a bus load of cruise shippers huddling.
After a slow 45minute walk through, including the in-tomb exhibit, I left the complex and knew my way back to my rooms, so started ambling through the streets.  It is strikingly lovely; paved, decorated with sculpture, a wonderful variety of enterprises, and the infrastructure is above. There is only room for one  vehicle, and pedestrians on the inside roads.

Then, wow! another fully interpreted set of tomb mounds.  This one is meditative, free, park like.  I walk through it then down random streets and next,  I find a long (3 blocks?) stone wall that I know is at the end of the street of my motel.  This is new works; not ancient. It ressurection of the original city wall, with an exhibition of the original stones that have been uncovered.
My morning walk accomplished a lot.  Bank Machine - Check. Train Ticket to Busan - Check. Setup tomorrow's GyeongJu tours with my friend from Busan - Check.  Rebook different AirBNB on Jeju because they cancelled on me ystrdy (b*st*rds) - Check.
The farmers that I saw everywhere on the KTX ride from Seoul (see future post) are on the main drags of GyeongJu City, under umbrellas, hucksting luscious vegetables, fruits, fishes - and yes, drygoods.  There is also a t-shaped covered market, about 5 blocks long, 2 minutes from here. Sure, they have grocery stores too, but their market culture puts our farmers' markets to shame.  But we gotta start somewhere.
In case I did not make this clear, I have come to GyeongJu City because it is the ancient capital of the ancient Korea. Silla Wiki.  Think, of the middle eastern or European monuments we tourists flock to - Stone Henge, Pyramids of Giza, Acropolis etc.  Well, I flocked here.  The city that has grown around these unexplained ancient sites is lovely.  Not hectic. And I have two more days.
~~n Post#21 Day19/75