Our travel day to Gyeong-ju promised to be an easy one as this UNESCO listed town is only about 50 minutes away. My efforts to secure bus or train tickets kept being thwarted online, but research indicated that buses went every 15 minutes or so and after taking our time to get packed, we called an Uber to get to the Busan Central bus terminal. And 40 minutes later, we were there. Everywhere is such a long way in this town!
Thankfully, the research paid off and we had tickets for the 11am departure. All the staff at the bus terminal were super friendly and helpful, and after a short wait, our bus pulled up, we loaded our bags, and found our seats. Like Turkiye, the seating was in a 2-1 formation, so not crowded at all, and the seats were similar to the old style or domestic business class seats.
The journey was comfortable, though not particularly scenic. The countryside is very dry and being winter, the deciduous trees have no leaves. Added to this, we have been receiving alerts saying not to light fires and be careful with open flames. On arrival at the Gyeong-ju bus station, we opted to get a taxi to our hotel, especially as google maps walking directions feature doesn’t work here. At 4700 won, the taxi was a bargain and it’s always nice to be dropped at the front door.
There was a sign saying they lock the front door between 11 and 3 for cleaning, but we rang the bell and our very friendly host let us in. we stowed our luggage and got our room key, although told we couldn’t access our room until after 3. So we set off with map in hand to check out our new location.
We ended up exploring the nearby Silla kingdom tombs, and learned a bit of Korean history. Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (57 BC – 935 AD) and ruled about two-thirds of the Korean peninsula between the 7th and 9th centuries. At one stage, Gyeongju was the fourth largest city in the world and much of the archaeological sites and cultural properties remain in the city. The city is one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Korea.
Gyeongju is the main destination in South Korea for visitors interested in the cultural heritage of Silla and the architecture of Joseon. The city has 31 National Treasures, and Gyeongju National Museum houses 16,333 artifacts.[92] There are four broad categories of relics and historical sites: tumuli and their artifacts; Buddhist sites and objects; fortresses and palace sites; and ancient architecture. With 35 royal tombs and 155 tumuli (burial mounds) in central Gyeongju, the landscape is interesting to wander.
The tomb of Geumgwanchong has been developed into an accessible museum so visitors can see the construction of the tumuli, which over the early period of the Silla kingdom became larger and higher, until some of the mounds reach over 20 meters high. Adjacent to this tomb is a small information centre which explains more of the history and the construction of these tombs.
After a walk around the streets we finally found an open coffee shop and enjoyed a great coffee and strawberry juice, until it was 3pm and we could get our luggage and discover our room. Our Hostel, Bongwhang Mansion is right in the middle of the action. The staff are really friendly and helpful, and room is a good size. Looks like our four nights here will be comfortable.
With breakfast included in our room tariff, we enjoyed cereal, eggs, toast, fruit and good coffee. We are both surprised at the quality of the coffee, no matter where you get it (except Starbucks), and they usually serve it with a rich milk/cream that gives the coffee a silky texture.
After our walking yesterday, our feet were already sore, but we set off to Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond. We opted to walk as the bus was going to take about the same amount of time. Plus, what better way to discover a town? Colin navigated with the cut-down version of google maps, and it wasn’t long before we were wending our way around the pond. Again, the dryness distracted from the aesthetics of the site, and there is not much of the palace as, with so many historical wooden sites, they have either been destroyed or burned down. One of the reconstructed buildings houses a fabulous model of what archaeologists think the complex would have been like.
From here, we made our way back towards our new home, meandering through tumuli and the Cheomseongdae Observatory, which was constructed during the reign of Queen Seondeok in the 7th century AD. It is lovely seeing young people dressing up in the traditional Hanbok, wandering this historical area.
With all the walking, it was time to find a café, and we continued our exploration, making our way through Daereungwon Doldam-gli, a park which also houses the royal tomb of King Michu. Walking through the West gate had us in the heart of tourist land and we dodged our way along the street, eventually ending up at Shallow café. We ordered coffee, but they were out of bagels; perhaps that was why they delivered our lattes with a small serve of butter sticks. These turned out to be delicious, buttery sweets that complemented our coffees perfectly, and recharged us for the next leg of our wanderings.
Rested, neither of us was particularly hungry, and, embarrassing as it was, we hit the nearby McDonalds for burgers. Colin has been craving a burger for a while now, and I guiltily admit that it was nice to eat something familiar. We doubled down on the guilt-eat by stopping in at Baskin Robbins for ice-cream. It has been four weeks since we left Australia – I think we can be forgiven.
Our hostel, or mini hotel as it calls itself, gets rave reviews and the occupancy level would reflect its popularity. The breakfast room has been full to bursting in our experience, and the location and service has been exceptional. I think most visitors stay just one night and if it is always this full, then it is a great value gold mine.