Hiking through Namsan in Gyeongju

While I was checking out on what to do in Gyeongju, I came across Namsan. What caught my interest was that it appeared to have quite a number of Buddhist statues in the area.

I was going to do the trek on my own, but then I came across a brochure advertising a free English guided tour while at the Tourist Information booth next to the Express Bus Terminal. So I wrote to the email address listed on the brochure and registered myself for the tour since I was going to be in Gyeongju on a Sunday. The tour is available every Sunday except for the winter months.

I was at the meeting point early. Perhaps because it was a Sunday, they were many locals gathering there. They were all suited up in trekking gear. Some had walking sticks and a few had big backpacks. It looked like they were prepared for some serious hiking. I stood out like a sore thumb because I was there only one there in T-shirts and bermudas -- that is, until another 5 Americans joined me for the tour.

Souvenir given for joining the guided tour

The meeting point was Namsan's Information Booth which is run by the Research Institute of Mt Namsan. I picked up an English map there. I was also given a pack of post cards and a button badge as souvenir. The guide for the day was a volunteer called Joey who spoke reasonable English.

We started at Sambulsa temple, which was a small little temple hosting three statues that were found in the vicinity. The guide had some interesting tit-bit to share. She brought us to the back of the temple and asked us what do we see... A phallus? Well, women prayed to the Buddha in hope of begetting a son, hence the Buddha statue was also a phallic symbol. Hmm.... I wasn't sure if I could believe that. But the point is, you won't get such interesting information about what you see along the way if you do not have a guide. So if you can join the guided tour, I would really recommend it. It's free anyway. It is funded by the city government and the guides are volunteers.

Sambulsa (三佛寺, it means Three Buddhas Temple). The statues were found in the surrounding area and put together here. They are made in different era and have different styles (but seriously, you probably can't tell if no one tells you!)

This is the center Buddha statue from the back. It does look like a phallus...

Some abandoned statues at the back of Sambulsa

After that, we passed by many burial mounds. The mountain was a favourite burial ground because it was deemed to be an holy mountain.

Pumpkins put out by the farmers for sale

Then we came to a beautiful pine forest. This is a famous pine forest for photographers, because some famous photographers had taken some very beautiful pictures here, particularly, pictures of the forested in misty mornings. It was a clear day that day, so it didn't looked that good. But among the postcards that was given to me, there was one of the forest in a misty morning and it was really beautiful.

Beautiful pine forest

The photographs of this forest shrouded in early morning fog is really beautiful.

Along the way, there were quite a number of Buddha statues and carvings. Some of these may not be easy to find if there is no guide. A few were quite beautiful, but some were quite crude.

Carving of Buddha on the wall. It is not very clear and the art work is rather rough. But the interesting is the mudra (the hand gesture) of the Buddha image -- it is unique and no one quite knows what it symbolizes.

A beautiful stone seated Buddha. Note that this is made in the same style as the Buddha as that famous one in Seokguram Grotto.

Many brochures of Namsan featured a large seated Buddha carved on a cliff wall overlooking the valley. Unfortunately, they had just closed off that area due to rock falls. That was a disappointment because that looked like one of the most spectacular sight in the mountains, in terms of the large Buddha carving and the view overlooking the valley.

Unfortunately, this is no longer accessible. It's really a pity because this looks quite impressive. It looks like some works is going on, so it may be opened again some time in the future. Note the valley in the background. The view point overlooking this statue was also fenced off, but our guide took us past the fence any way.

Near the peak, there was a Sangseon-am Hermitage, which is a small Buddhist temple. This is were you can fill up your water bottle. There was a tap, but I think it is spring water. I did fill up my bottle and I didn't get any stomach problems.

The Hermitage was quite crowded because this was a major rest stop and because it was serving free vegetarian noodles! I am not sure if they serve this every day, or every Sunday, or if it was special occasion that day. There was a long queue. As much I wanted to try it, I was afraid of holding up the group. But when the America guys in the tour joined the queue, I also joined in happily.

Free vegetarian noodles served by the Sangseon-am Hermitage. I was really grateful for the unexpected meal.

I was glad I queued for the noodles, because it was really good. It was just some soft noodles in a light broth, served with kimchi, chives and seaweed. But it was tasty and satisfying -- way better than the snack bars I had brought for lunch. The noodles were free, but I dropped 5000W in the donation box because I was so grateful for it.

The next stop was the Baduk Rock. This is a vista point that offers a good view of the valley and you can see as far as Gyeongju city. But the most interesting point here is that there is a post box up here! There are postcards in there. You can send yourself a postcard from here and the Gyeongju city will pay for the postage! My card arrived at my house 1 week after my trip. So do send yourself or your friends a postcard from here.

A postcard I sent to myself from Baduk Rock. Postage was paid for by the Gyeongju city. I had forgotten about this and was quite happy when it appeared in my mail box a few days after I got back to Singapore.

This would have been the end of the guided tour and we would turn back and head back down to where we start on the same trail we came up. But a few people needed to use the toilet. So guide brought us to the Geumobong Peak which was another 800m away (but not much climbing as most of the climbing was on the way to Baduk Rock). This is the only toilet along the trail. And this is were many of the locals stop and have picnic.

I parted ways with the tour group from here because I wanted to down via another trail that ends at  Yongjang. I wanted to see the Buddhist artifacts along that trail. But first I had to fill in a survey form about the guided tour -- which is what the Gyeongju city asked for as a "pay-back" (the tour is funded by the Gyeongju city). Of course one of my feedback was that the city should keep funding the excellent tour. :-)

Dragon fly on a stack of stones... Taken some where along the trails.

It turns out that trail from the Geumobong Peak down towards Yongjang was very different from the way we came up. It was steep and definitely a more strenuous trek.

Some parts of the trail from Geumobong Peak towards Yongjang-ri is so steep you practically have to abseil down using a rope. Luckily these sections are quite short. Going up will be a lot tougher.

First, I came across a very sandy and pebbly stretch which was quite treacherous and I slipped a few times. Then was a section that was so steep I was practically abseiling down using the rope.

You can see the valley from the mountain.

An old stone pagoda on the Yongjang part of the trail. You won't see this if you turn back and go down the same way you came up.

Another interesting Buddha statue. Note that it is seated on a rather unusual three tiered lotus pedestal.

After the steepest part of the trail, there rest of the trail was easier. It passed through a more densely forested area and some part runs along a river. However, you need to be careful about there are some false trails. It took me 2 hours to get down from the peak. (Going down the same way where we came up would take 1 hour according to the guide).

Some parts of the trail are literally at the edge of the cliffs. The sign with the falling bear is cute, but the danger is real. My stomach was queasy at some of the stretches.

A suspension bridge

Waiting for bus outside Yongjang-ri village.

I was glad I took the other trail down as there were some quite spectacular sights along this trail.

The Yongjang-ri village was quite interesting too. It is a farm village and can smell the cows. There is an interesting old church with a bell tower.

As I waited for the bus along the deserted road outside the village, I had a flashback -- it reminded of a previous trip to Taiwan, when I also stand alone at a bus stop outside a fishing village, waiting for the bus along a quiet and lonely road.

We started the trek at 9:30am and it was 2pm when I reach Yongjang-ri village. It was a tiring, but an enjoyable trek. It's a mountain that is rich in history and the scenery is nice. Apart from the exercise, it was also a good cultural experience trekking among the locals (I was a little amused as I thought they were over-dressed/geared for the trek. But this does match what I see on the Korean dramas.)

A map I picked up at the Information booth. I followed the tour to the peak and then we parted ways. I used this map to navigate down to Yongjang-ri village. There is Stone Medicine Buddha statue on the map, but I didn't manage to find it.

Getting there:
1. Buses 500, 505, 506, 507, 508 goes to Namsan. Pick up the "Explore Mt Namsan in Gyeongju with an English-speaking guide" brochure even if you are not joining the tour. The brochure has a map on where to take the buses from downtown Gyeongju.
2. It's just a short ride to Namsan (about 10-15 min). The fare was 1500W by cash (I paid 1500W for all bus trips in Gyeongju regardless of the distance. That appears to the be standard fare if you pay cash). You cycle there if you have a bicycle -- it's not very far from downtown Gyeongju, and there are bicycle racks for you to park your bicycle.
3. There is an information booth at the Seonamsa car park. It was just opening when I reached there at 9am. You can picked up English maps from the booth. According to my brochure, it is only opened Thurs-Sun and holidays, 9am - 5pm
4. The way up from the Seonamsan carpark is very well marked. But if you intend to come down the the trail leading to Yongjang, make sure you get a map. Be prepared for a tougher trail with steep slopes.
5. The only water point is at Sangseon-am Hermitage. Bring enough water and perhaps some food. The locals pack food and picnic at the peak.
6. Going up and down the Samneung section, i.e. from Seonamsan car park to the peak, takes about 3-4 hours, depending on how long you break in between. (The guided tour was supposed to end at 1pm back at the starting point). If you take the Yongjang section down, it will take another extra hour. But there are a few points along the way where you might linger especially by the river.