Gyeongju Part 2: Hiking Namsan

Hiking Namsan Mountain: What not to do!

On our second day in Gyeongju we set off courageously for our first solo hike. In theory we should have been able to catch the number 11 bus outside of the Express Bus Terminal... however, obviously it was nowhere to be seen (the first of many failures of the day). So to avoid getting lost we jumped into a taxi only to be confronted by a puzzled taxi driver wanting to know where exactly in Namsan we wanted to go (apparently Namsan is quite big. Who knew!). A very good question, which as the clueless waygooks that we are, we could not answer. After frantically trying to work out the map (all in Korean, which was helpful) we decided to head to Seoculji Pond which seemed to be the closest thing to the mountain. However, after stepping out of the taxi which promptly drove off into the distance, we realised that we were pretty much in the middle of nowhere with no means of getting back to the City but our own two feet. And so, lacking any other choice, we set off up the deserted hiking trail. 

Seoculli Pond. It's pretty but it's not worth the distance we traveled to come out and see it. Especially in contrast to the splendor of Anapji pond which we had visited the day before.

From the pond to Geumbong peak (the second highest) the distance was about 5km, so pretty short in comparison to other hikes. With this in mind I decided to fore-go the usual hiking essentials (backpack, proper hiking pants, etc) and went dressed in jeans and carrying a handbag -_-. This, of course, was not one of my brightest ideas as we soon discovered that although the trail wasn't very long, it was still very steep and physically demanding. That said trundling  along with my bag whacking me in the side and my jeans chaffing my thighs was worth it in terms of scenery and the fact that the trail was almost completely deserted (apart from two bemused men staring at my ridiculous attire). A refreshing change to the popular and over-crowded hiking trails which are usually to be found in Korea. Some of the things we saw along the hike were the 3 tier pagoda:





and this gorgeous viewing point which was a great place to take pictures.

After reaching the top we consulted the map which gave us the option of intermediate, advanced or professional trails to come down by. And so obviously with my handbag still battering against my leg with every step we opted for the intermediate trail... or so we thought. Twenty minutes into the decline, again completely deserted, we realised there was no possible way that an intermediate trail would be so steep and grueling (it was pretty much verticle).... we had accidentally taken the professional trail which was off-limits to your average hiker, especially those prancing around in jeans with a handbag dangling off their shoulder. Our worries were confirmed when we came across numerous signs proclaiming that the trail was too dangerous and prohibiting access. At this point we would have had to scale a rock face to get back up to where we started, so we had no choice but to wolf down a twix (our only source of sustenance) and press on like the warriors we are.  We completed the hike in about 5 hours, emerging onto the road as newly 'professional' hikers in dire need of a shower and a bottle of soju to ease the pain.

In conclusion, the morals of the story are:

1) If you're gunna go hiking you probably shouldn't take your handbag.

2) You should probably decide where you wanna go before you get in a taxi so you don't end up telling them to drive you into the middle of nowhere.

3) If in doubt about which trail to take follow the Koreans. They seem to know best (at least when it comes to hiking).

Click here for info on how to get to Namsan, including how to not accidentally kill yourself by getting lost on a professional trail 

Alternatively, if you want to throw caution to the wind and fancy yourself as a bit of a daredevil you could do what we did and go there completely unprepared and uninformed. It worked out alright for us!

Gyeongju Part 1: Anapji and Dreamer Guesthouse

Another long weekend, another item ticked off of my 'Korean Bucket List'. This time I decided to visit Gyeongju (경주) , the historical capital of Korea, for the weekend of Lunar New Year, or as the Korean's call it Seollal (설날). Gyeongju is one of Korea's most famous tourist spots due to it's historical significance as the first capital of the Korean Peninsula (kind of like the Korean version of York, for the English people reading this.)

Couldn't agree more Mario!

Transport and Budget Accommodation

As can be expected on busy national holidays, the buses for the first day of Seollal sold out quickly and I was forced to travel down to Gyeongju on the Wednesday evening. After a horrendous 7 hour journey (almost double what it usually takes) I finally arrived at the bus terminal at 2am, weary and aching for my bed. I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to get a taxi due to the lateness of the hour, however the bus terminal was bustling with taxi drivers waiting for customers. For people who have not pre-booked accommodation, the bus terminal is surrounded by dozens of Motels, all with the lights on (this means they have rooms available), so cheap rooms are easy to find (You can expect to pay from 40,000won for this kind of room). However, as I was travelling solo and on a budget, I opted for the jimjilbang (Korean Spa) option. The name of the jimjilbang I stayed in was 스카이스포렉스 (I just showed the name to the taxi driver). Having been to numerous jimjilbangs before, I can say that this one is nothing special, having only a few small bath tubs and a rather dated interior. However, the complimentary pj's and towels were clean (extra charge of 500won for a blanket), the room was clean and warm, and it is the closest jimjilbang to the bus terminal (only 5,000won in a taxi). So if you can stand to sleep on the floor for one night, with the sound of Korean ajummas snoring (and sometimes farting) to lull you to sleep, this is by far the cheapest and most economical option at only 8,000won per night.

Dreamer Guesthouse, Gyeongju

Thankfully the next day, my friend Lucy and I had pre-booked a bed in a lovely little guesthouse called 'Dreamer Guesthouse', which we found through Agoda.
On arriving at the Guesthouse we received a warm and friendly welcome from the receptionist, who showed us around the rooms, which were brightly and modernly decorated with many additional girly little touches. We opted to stay in the 8 bed female dorm. Each bed had the following features: curtains, personal reading lamp, bookshelf, slippers and the hugest, fluffiest blanket we have ever seen (We had serious blanket envy!). We particularly liked these features as they provided a level of privacy that we wouldn't usually expect in a shared dorm room. Definitely a step up from the wooden block that passes for a pillow at the jimjilbang. However, the winning feature for us was the foot spa and nail bar which the guests have free reign over. Not really a necessary feature, and I'm sure the boys won't be impressed by this at all, but we loved it and it added a little unexpected  touch of luxury to our stay.

Foot spa at Dreamer Guesthouse

Nail bar at Dreamer Guesthouse

 Follow the link for pictures of the gorgeous interior, and additional info on the types of rooms available:

Dreamer Guesthoust, Gyeongju. Agoda.

Breakfast at the Guesthouse was basic self service but the owners have tried to accommodate both Korean and Western guests, which I thought was very thoughtful of them. Korean style breakfast consisted of noodle soup, and Western style consisted of eggs, toast, jam, butter and filter or mix coffee. It was great value for money, and superior to most hostel breakfasts, however my only complaint (and a very small one at that) would be there was no milk for the filter coffee and no juice :(
An additional bonus is that the Guesthouse is conveniently situated close to both bus terminals which makes getting to all the sights extremely easy.

A bit of History: Korea's first ever Queen!

Gyeongju is packed full of historical sights and museums having once been the capital city of the Shilla Dynasty which rules two thirds of the Korean Peninsula from 57 BC to 935 AD. So if you enjoy geeking out as much as I do then there are plenty of historical bits and pieces for you to drool over.
 My all-time favourite fact of the trip being that during this period women were of surprisingly high status (something that would change drastically in Korea's later history) and Gyeongju is the proud home of Korea's first Queen: the almighty Queen Seondeok. Queen Seondeok not only survived  many male attempts to discredit her claim to the throne (due to her being a women, the shame.)  but also built many great temples, pagodas and buildings including Cheomseongdae,  the oldest surviving Star-gazing observatory in East Asia, and Korea's 31st national treasure.  In fact, her reign was SO successful that she improved the already high status of women in  Silla society, and  led the way for two more female regents after her death. And to think the Spice Girls thought they invented 'Girl Power'...

Cheomseongdae is the oldest surviving star-gazing observatory in East Asia.

Me posing awkwardly (as always) next to the observatory.

Queen Seondeok also has an extremely successful Korean drama based on her life. I'm not sure how historically correct it is, but if you love a good period-drama as much as I do, this might be up your street.


To read about it CLICK HERE

To watch it online CLICK HERE


Anapji Pond at Sunset
By far the most impressive of the sights in my opinion was the Anapji Pond. After our initial confusion due to the fact that it is referred to everywhere as 'Anapji', but the sign for some reason says something entirely different, we managed to time our arrival at the pond perfectly, just as the sun was going down. I'm sure that the pond is still beautiful by daylight, but by night it is absolutely stunning.

No caption necessary.

Proudly sporting my audio tour headset there! 8-)

Anapji pond was originally built as part of the Wolseung Fortress (which no longer stands) during the reign of King Munmu in 674BC. In true kingly style, Munmu ordered the pond to be built in the shape of the Korean peninsula so that he could feel like he was lording it over his whole kingdom at once (He was probably feeling a bit demasculinised after all those female monarchs, bless). In it's heyday the grounds were filled with exotic plants and rare animals and it could hold as many as 1000 people, including envoys and diplomats from all around the world, within it's walls. 
For the geeks among us, an audio tour head set is available in multiple languages for the small free of 1000 won. Although we felt very conspicuous wearing our nerdy headsets (we were the only ones, haha), it was worth it to hear in detail about the history and the various artifacts that were excavated from pond in the 1970's. Among the artifacts, my absolute favourite were the multi-sided drinking dice. The party guests would roll the dice to receive some kind of forfeit or dare. An Ancient Korean version of 'Ring of Fire' shall we say.
 It seems Korea has a long and on-going tradition of drinking games (my kind of country!), which is in keeping with my next blog post which will include a modern (and much more fun) twist on the Korean traditional board game of Yunnori. 
And that concludes this post.

For directions and more info about Anapji CLICK HERE

For a great blog about Anapji and other sights in Gyeongju CLICK HERE