This weekends trip took me for another biking adventure in Gyeongju. I was debating when I could go as since July started there has been brutal humidity in the high 30s mixed in with monsoon rains and rolling thunderstorms. I decided to just take a chance and go as I only have a few weekends left in KoreaI started at the same bike rental place across from the bus terminal (though its easy to find them all over the town) and rented a day bike for 7000w ($6.25). He...

Korea is riddled with so many mountains and hiking trails it is a popular pastime and part of the national culture. However, I'm not a big hiking fan and have tried to avoid it where I can. Gyeongju's Mt Namsan is a worthwhile exception due to the abundance of Buddhist carvings and sacred sites and is a rewarding experience for even a novice hiker.Biking along Mt Namsan in Gyeongju (see previous entry) I was passing many signs for the hiking trail on Mt Namsan. M...

Gyeongju is known as Korea's open air museum being the historical capital of the Shilla Dynasty for over a 1000 years. A short hours bus ride from Daegu I've visited many times during my stay. Biking is a popular option and something surprisingly I've never done during my stay or many visits.This weekend I decided to try something different and explore the many biking trails away from the centre and most famous sights. I had already been spending the weekend in G...

Korea has an abundance of Temples and having visited so many I'm trying to find the more unusual ones to visit. One I read about was Golgulsa which I planned to visit on my weekend trip to Gyeongju. Golgulsa temple is unique in several ways not only having rock cliff shrines and a giant carved Buddha but I also wandered into a martial arts display that takes place twice daily.Golgulsa is located in the country well outside the Gyeongju city limits. To reach it yo...

This evening I got to experience another jimjilbang, this time in Gyeongju. For those unfamiliar this is a cheap place to crash for $10/nite with a communal sleeping hall and communal showers.The tourist info office said there were three jimjilbangs in Gyeongju in different parts of town and fortunately there was one next to the Teddy Bear Museum which I had just visited (see previous entry)Admission was 11,000w ($10) and as I had come early after 7pm I was the o...