Scenic hiking trails in historic city of Gyeongju

By Roger Dix

Many if not most Koreans and just about all foreign tourists who go to Gyeongju visit the well known national treasures such as Bulguksa Temple, Soguram Grotto, Anapji Pond, The Tombs of the Kings among other historic landmark sites. And although those places are visually stunning and environmentally esthetic in their own individual place, their ethereal and historic meanings are somewhat lost in the commercial development and in the throngs of tourists and local vendors that interweave their busyness throughout those venues. To get a true understanding for those wonderful places seems difficult to find most times for those who want to feel the full richness of Korea’s history.

For those travelers who like to stop along the way to ‘smell-the-roses,’ taking in the history and scenery of a place rather than just personally posing in front of some vernal blossoms or autumnal colors or having their picture taken next to a historic relic or building, it is more pleasing to take a stroll about the Tongiljeon area of Gyeongju, at the base of Namsan Mountain on the other side of route 7 away from the well known and well visited tourist venues.

In the Tongiljeon area of Gyeongju visitors can walk around the grounds and buildings of the “Unification Palace,” where the leaders of the ‘Three Kingdoms’ (Shilla, Baekje & Goguryeo) once met and agreed to unite their dynasties to form a unified defense against a military-political invasion from outside the Korean realm. Just next to the palace to the south lies the historic farming village of Tongiljeon. There, visitors can stroll nonchalantly at their own pace taking in very old temples and buildings, but temples and buildings in natural countryside settings without the hubbub cacophony of commercialism and tourist throngs. And an added pleasure of strolling through the village, besides the quiet that perseveres there, is the friendly kind smiles and gentle hellos of the local people whose families have made the village their home for generations.

The whole place around Tongiljeon exists in a leisurely atmosphere of small enclaves of village farmhouses, cattle stays, historic structures and a few small ‘Ma and Pa’ family-run restaurants/grocers, all nestled in a valley protected by that part of Namsan Mountain’s horseshoe shaped topography. From the valley floor and its hectares of paddy fields, Namsan Mountain with its pine and hardwood forests juts up to rock laden peaks all along its spine. For people who like hiking, that part of Namsan is an ideal place to go. Despite the many trails that crisscross the region’s ridges and the several temples that dot the terrain, there are not large numbers of tourists clamoring about noisily disturbing the serenity of the mountain’s age and peace.

The walk along the trails of Namsan lend not only their natural beauty, but if travelers are at the right place at the right time they might just see one of the wild pigs, mountain cats, deer, pheasants or other wildlife that still can be found in the mountain’s woods. And nearer to the top travelers climb, the more opportunity they will have to come upon one of the many Buddha sculptures that are carved directly into massive boulders of rock all along Namsan’s peaks, not to mention having the advantage of gazing upon breathtaking views of the valley below.

The temples along Namsan Mountain are generally small in scale in comparison to the more well-known temples where tourists usually congregate. And they are not rich in economic support. But none-the-less they are rich in spirit, natural setting, esthetic calm and independent understanding. Travelers around the area can find some temples sitting perched high up on summit rock jutting out over landscapes below, some discreetly nestled deep in forest woods with small creeks and falls of water rippling through their grounds, and some sitting openly onto fields and ponds and village greens to anyone who calls.

Any season of the year is good to hike along the mountain and for taking a stroll through the village.

The spring being awakening for its pastel purples, pinks and reds ― its yellows in all their bright

The summer in its lush of green and all its growth of life ― the autumn for its golden hues and winter for its white.

The road to Tongiljeon is clearly marked by road signs along route 7 traveling from Gyeongju to Ulsan just north of Paguksa Junction and Train Station, and there is ample parking at the Tongiljeon Palace parking lot. So get out of Seoul and see the rest of Korea. You might just be surprised that all that is good about the country is not in its capital.

The writer contributed this article to The Korea Times