Gyeongju , South Korea

Beautiful Gyeonju – Part 1 (Autumn October)

Gyeongju is a city on South Korea’s southeast coast. It was the capital of the 1,000-year-long Silla dynasty, and is known for its extensive historical remains. The 8th-century Bulguksa Temple features twin stone pagodas, a series of wooden staircases and a large bronze Buddha. Nearby, Seokguram Grotto houses a towering seated Buddha and offers panoramic views of the sun rising over the Sea of Japan. – Wikipedia

Gyeongju is just an hour car ride from Busan. Mil drove up to Gyeongju and halfway we popby Ulsan to have lunch before continuning our journey. We stayed 1 night in a traditional hanok at the outskirts of Gyeongju which is slightly more countryside because i want to experience abit of countryside morning. You can book traditional hanoks stay in Gyeongju. There are almost everywhere. There are a couple of good ones which we initially wanted but they were fully booked.

The one we stayed was about KRW 35,000 per night ( sgd$40 per night) where the room can fit 4 pax. It is traditional hanok so we slept on the floor with the traditional floor bedding and blankets. The table in the room is also the traditional short ones like the one in the picture below.

Our hanok. There is also a sitting area outside your hanok like the one below where you can wrap yourself in warm thick blankets and chat over coffee in the morning and beer at night. It was VERY COLD at night. Suggest that you bring thick clothings if you are planning to go to the countryside. It was so cold in the morning.

One night for SGD40 in these traditional hanoks. Can squeeze in more than 4 pax actually cos it is spacious inside. Nothing except foldable floor beddings and a short table for you to have your meals.

You can bbq at night over this fire pit or hold a small little campfire with this pit or use their bbq grill. Really nice to bbq at night in the cold weather. Very shiok to eat sizzling hot and nicely bbq meat in the cold.

Very fresh air from the countryside. Air was so clean !

Once place to visit is the Gyeongju Gyochon Traditional Village.

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1863026

You can try many traditional foods , see many traditional hanok houses and even rent a hanbok to take pictures in this cultural village.

One thing you must have when you visit this hanok village is this Gimbap !

Gyori Gimbap

It is very famous and SOOOO yummy ! It was featured on many variety shows and voted one of the nicest Gimbap.

Queue is very long but it moves damn fast. Took us less than 5 min to reach the front.

All the Ahjummas are all busy wrapping the Gimbap. So when it is your turn , just tell them how many you want , they pack and you can either eat inside small restaurant or take away. There are ALOT of houseflies in the restaurant. So if you cannot stand it , suggest you just take away and eat outside or anywhere standing.

Super long queue

You should order their guksu (noodle soup) too ! It is damn nice !

You can try traditional handmade ice cream and rice cakes too !

Gyeongju is famous for its glutinous barley Bread . It is a red bean filled bread roll that was first made in Hwangnam-dong in Gyeongju. We bought a box to eat in our hanok for breakfast the next morning !

They are also famous for the soya bean paste here. You can buy and bring home or have your lunch there ! I haven tried it though.

If you walk further in , you can see the large ancient tombs of the Kings and Nobles of the Silla Kingdom. Sometimes while driving and in the middle of nowhere you can spot a “little hill” which is an ancient tomb. Hubs say that it is commonly seen in Gyeongju.

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264117