SK in a nutshell
Gyeongbokgung Palace, Korea’s largest palace from the Chosun Dynasty.
Make sure to catch the changing ceremony of the royal guards at the palace, complete with traditional Korean music, bright colorful costumes and flag bearers.
Hyangwongjeong Pavilion
The N Seoul Tower aka Namsan Tower. It has the best view of the city, especially at night.
Left the big city, caught a 4 hour bus ride to the little town of Sokcho for some trekking at Seoraksan National Park. The Ulsanbawi hike (900m) itself was relatively easy; I’d say the only semi-challenging part was the last stretch to the summit. You have to trek up a vertical-faced metal staircase to get to the top of the rock.
At the top
All smiles at the Sokcho DMZ with Simon – North Korea and the Sea of Japan in the backdrop. The closest I’ll probably ever get to NK. Well maybe, we’ll see lol
After Sokcho/Seorasksan I caught a bus to Gyeongju (Kyongju), a city with history dating back more than 1,000 years. Gyeongju was the capitol for the ancient Silla kingdom. You’ll find heaps of burial mounds (of Silla kings) scattered through out the city; with most enclosed in parks. It’s usual for residents here to hang out/ have picnics amongst the mounds. The weather was perfect during my two day stay, so I found myself laying out with my book one afternoon beside a mound. A little eerie, you think? Well, maybe a bit 🙂 I think they’re fascinating.
Cheomseongdae, one of the oldest surviving astronomical observatories in East Asia. Built from 365 stones, representing the days of the year, and twelve stones at its base, rep the months of the year.
For more trekking, I headed southeast of the city to Gyeongju National Park (Mt.Tohamsan side) which is about 30 mins by bus. You’ll find the Bulguksa (Pulguksa) Temple and the Seokguram Grotto , containing a 8th century stone Buddha – Both temples dubbed by UNESCO. On a funny note, I fell asleep on the bus ride to the park; the bus driver was kind enough to wake me up when we got to my destination lol 🙂 
Tags: South Korea, Travel
sdizon
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