Gyeongju Day 2 afternoon

The #10 bus coming back from Bulguk-sa drops me close to the bus terminal. I decide to have a salad at a nearby eatery called Nordic. And what a salad it is - 2 sausages, grilled bacon, avocado slices, onion, tomato, banana, apple, orange and a lot of leafy greens. I forget to ask them to hold the salad dressing, but I have no later ill effects.

The remainder of the day will be spent walking locally around the Daereungwon Ancient Tomb Complex. I won't need the travelcard but I will need good walking shoes!

I have a tourist map with 2 recommended routes. Both start at the tourist information kiosk down the street, which is convenient.

The first stop is the Geunwangchong tomb complex, then I duck across the road to see the Bonghwangdae pavilion. I walk clockwise to the area that is the limit of my walking.

This is Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond. It costs to get in, but I do like a good pond stroll. I see some storks at a distance in the pond, and there are carp in the pond as well. I'm fascinated watching some of them feeding around the water lillies (or should I say hoovering?)

I start walking back to the hotel, which takes me past the Daereungwon ancient tombs and the Cheonmachong ancient tomb. There are ongoing excavations happening in some tombs so history is still unfolding. Its fascinating to think that all this history is at least 1100 years old.Read more