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Published: July 11th 2013
Gatbawi
Palgongsan Provincial Park6th June: A gift from the Gods. A four day weekend. But due to prior commitments, I was unable to leave Korea, as I had to be in back in Seoul for the Saturday morning. So where should I go? Not really enough time to go to Busan, so I settled on Daegu, Korea's third largest city. However there didn't seem like there would be a great deal to do there.
I was on the slow train again to save money. I left Suwon around 7:45 and got in to Dong Daegu station around 11:15. After getting myself sorted I headed into the tourist information office to ask about buses to Palgongsan Provincial Park. My original idea was to hike there today, and spend the next day in the city. The woman in the office asked which part of the park I wanted to visit and I said Gatbawi. There were two parts I wanted to visit, but didn't really have a preference. But Gatbawi was the first place that popped into my head, so that's where I would be headed that day. The bus numbers were still the same as I had read online, and the lady pointed me
Gatbawi
Palgongsan Provincial Park in the right direction to the bus stop. Right out of the station, down some steps and onto the bridge, but down the next set of steps before crossing the bridge.
I had to wait about 15 minutes for a bus, there was another bus that I could of taken to a different part of the park, but I stuck to my original plan. The journey took about 50 minutes to 1 hour. The bus drove through what I presumed to be central Daegu and then to the outskirts and then finally dropped me at the last stop, the park entrance to Gatbawi.
I followed all the other people who got off the bus and headed up the hill. I didn't get very far before I stopped at a really small temple. It was only one small main hall, a good sized Buddha statue to the right of it, a couple of other random buildings and a water fountain. It was pretty and I took a few photos there. Then I got back on the main path again, and headed along the trail. I didn't get very far.
There was another temple, a larger one, called Seonbonsa.
Near the Small Temple
Palgongsan Provincial Park I stopped there and took a look round. The temple was beautiful. It looked brand-new. I don't know how old the temple was, but it looked like it was really cared for. Or maybe they had just done a lot of restoration work there recently. I had a mooch around admiring the buildings and then sat in a shaded corner for a bit. After a while I was ready to start my hike. The walk up was heaving with people. Well it is a public holiday. The path up was covered with rocks and you had to pick your path across carefully. However it wasn't dangerous. The walk up to the halfway point (well that what I assumed it was after) took about thirty to forty minutes.
There was a little shack there selling drinks and snacks. I have never been so happy to see Pocari Sweat before in my life. I had sweated buckets on the way up, due to the heat/humidity, my general unfitness, and the heavy backpack I was carrying. I bought a can of Pocari Sweat and a snack as I was starving and perched myself on a bench for a good 15 minutes (at
Near the Small Temple
Palgongsan Provincial Park least) rest. The sweetie things I bought were delicious. They were kind of like toffee, same texture, but not as sugary, and had a taste of sesame about them. Delish!
Rested I took off for the next part of the hike. This was flatter at first before, I passed by another temple, but couldn't be bothered to take the detour down and take a look around, so I just continued on up. After going along the flat for a while the path started climbing again. This part of the hike was a bit shorter, maybe 20-30 minutes. the path was fairly steep at the top, and I was scrambling over the rocks (maybe a slight exaggeration here).
Anyway, I was surprised when I got to the top as there were temple-esque buildings there. I think they were just shops, from which I happily bought a bottle of water and guzzled it down. There was one last step of stair, only a small set, that I had to climb. When I reached the top of the stairs, I got a lovely surprise. At the top there is a big platform covered with people bowing and praying to Buddha. It
Kimchi Pots
Palgongsan Provincial Park was a beautiful sight. First I edged over to the side and took some photos of the view. The view was pretty, but I don't thin it was really captured in my photos. Then I grabbed a prayer mat and sat watching the others praying to Buddha. There was also some women in a kind of kitchen stand, and the people were buying offerings from them (rice and water) and leaving them in front of Gatbawi (the Buddha with the stone on his head). I soaked up the atmosphere for a while and then decided to head back down. I stopped off to eat the rest of my sweet snack.
The hike down wasn't too bad. It hurt the legs a bit though. It took me a while and I did fall over once. I'm not the steadiest person on my feet, and having some little kid up my arse didn't help matters. Little brat! I think I made it back to the bottom by about 4ish. I was absolutely starving by this point. I didn't want to stay in the park area and eat there. I think it would be expensive. So I made do with a stick
Wellies
Palgongsan Provincial Park of odeng and some of the broth. Didn't fill the hole at all. Luckily I only had to wait a few minutes for the bus back to the city. The bus took around 40 minutes, I got off at some random subway station that was on the line I needed to be on. The subway was six stops from where I needed to be.So happy that I can use my t-money card here.
The subway was pretty quiet for it being what should be rush hour, but then it is a public holiday. I took the exit for my hostel and followed the directions. The directions were good and I made it there without getting lost. The hostel was on a side street, that was on a smaller street off the main road. There was no on e at the hostel when I got there. Well later I found that there was someone upstairs when I went for a snoop about. I had a nose around the hostel and then I had to go and get dinner because I was starving. So I ventured back out on to the main street, which was really busy and had loads of
Small Temple
Palgongsan Provincial Park restaurants on it. I ended up going to Misoya, not my favourite of places, but it meant I didn't have to cross the road. I make so many decisions, subconsciously, to save time and not have to wait and cross a road. The poor lass in Misoya must of thought I was a right fat bastard (well I am), when I order a massive set meal. I think the set could of easily fed two people. But it was my first proper meal all day.
The food wasn't the greatest. The sushi was nice, the udon soup fine, and the fish was okay, just not as good as I had hoped for. I managed to eat most of it, but there was just too much. I walked back to the hostel via the shop for larger and chocolate. There was still nobody back at the hostel, so I read for a bit and then ended up going for a nap. I just picked a random bed. I woke up around 9 ish when some people returned to the hostel. I went for a shower and then back to bed to read for a bit. The owner finally turned up,
Small Temple
Palgongsan Provincial Park so I was able to pay.
7th June: Well I was going to get up early, but when my alarm went off, I decided to switch it off. I think I got up around 9. There were people out in the kitchen living room area, so it was a bit noisy, which is good as it stopped me having a lie in. After getting dressed I went and made some scrambled eggs and toast. I also had three shit sticks of coffee. Well if I was going hiking I'd need the energy boost. I saw around for a while chatting to the owner of the guesthouse, she's so sweet, and another girl, who was staying there. I decided to head back to Palgongsan, but to a different part of the park.
I left the hostel and headed for the subway. I took the subway back to Dong Daegu station and then went back to the same bus stop as yesterday to take a different bus to the park. This time I took the express no. 1 bus, and it took about 40 minutes to get there. Of course, it didn't say this is the temple stop, so I
Small Temple
Palgongsan Provincial Park ended up getting off a bit further down. There was a convenience store right there, so I decided to sit with an ice coffee in the sun for a bit. When I was finally ready to make a move I headed back the way the bus came and found a signpost that pointed the right direction for the temple.
The walk to the temple wasn't too long. Although I had to pay about 2-3,000 won to get in. Some other bloke balked and walked away at having to pay the entrance fee. I entered Donghwasa Temple and there was a small lake on one side of the road, very pretty. I walked along a bit further and there was a tourist information centre, the lass there gave me some leaflets about the temple and showed me the trail to hike to the top and told me, it would take two hours to get there.
I went for a look around the temple. Donghwasa Temple was built by monk HGeuk-dal during the 15th year of King Soji's reign during the Silla Dynasty. The temple was originally called Yugasa, but when the temple was rebuilt, it was renamed Donghwasa. The
Small Temple
Palgongsan Provincial Park temple was really beautiful. It was quiet and peaceful. There were men working on the courtyard removing all the lanterns that had been put up for the Buddha's Birthday celebrations. I had a wander around that part of the temple and then headed down to another part, where there was a huge Buddha statue. The temple complex is pretty big. I also had a look in the temple's meditation centre. There was some interesting information there on how to meditate and a lovely meditation area.
However time was pressing on and so I headed out of the temple and started the hike. The first part of the hike was along a road that lead up the mountainside. There wasn't much to look at as it was just a paved road surrounded by the forest. I think I must of walked on that path for about 40 minutes to an hour, before the road ended and the real trail started. Not long after the real trail started there was a temple and it was a good size for being in the middle of nowhere. I had seen a monk walking through the forest, so maybe he lived there. I didn't
Small Temple
Palgongsan Provincial Park have enough time to visit the temple, I would love to go back and have a look around. I had also passed another temple (I think it was a hermitage, where the monks live) further down the track. There were also some steep steps to get to the temple, which put me off. I was knackered already, so I skipped the temple and headed out on the next part of the trail.
This was more like it, picking your way across the path,which was strewn with rocks. It was bloody knackering though! I had to stop loads to catch my breathe. My clothes were soaked through with sweat. I must of looked so sexy, haha! I'm sure I must of offended all the older Korean people hiking as I was wearing a vest top, so was showing shoulders and cleavage. How they hike in jackets and hats I had no idea! I'm wearing as little as possible and sweating buckets. They are covered from head to toe and not a bead of perspiration breaks on them. Life isn't fair. The trail wasn't marked too well and people had to keep pointing me in the right direction. At least it
Small Temple
Palgongsan Provincial Park was quiet, as most people were at work. I finally made it to the top. I'm glad I got there, but it was a bit of an anti-climax, as it was just a bunch of jagged rocks. You couldn't even sit down properly. I was scared I was gonna fall off one of the rocks! The view was nice, but as it was hazy I couldn't see too much. A nice adjumma took my photo for me, to prove I made it to the summit.
After a short rest at the top, I had to start making my way back down. I didn't think I would have enough time to go back the same route I had come up, so I decided to hike a different path to the cable car that is located halfway down the mountain and take that back to the bottom. Cheating I know, but I did the hardest part climbing up the mountain. The path wasn't signposted very well and a few times I was wondering if I was ever going to get there. Some bits looked like dead ends and I just had to guess and hope I was going in the right
Small Temple
Palgongsan Provincial Park direction. Eventually after not meeting a soul I made it to the cable car station. Not impressed at the stairs I had to climb to get there at the last bit. Grr! Anyway the sky was clearer here so the views were great. I sat and downed a bottle of water and another of pocari sweat that I bought from the cafe. I really needed them. Then I took the cable car back down. I think you are meant to buy tickets in the cafe, but I didn't know, so I was just trying to give the woman in the booth some money. She was having none of it, and phoned someone, who appeared with a ticket for me.
The cable car ride was quick and a little scary. I really don't like cable cars, unless I'm skiing. They are not as scary when all you can see below is snow. However it was quick and I was at the bottom of the mountain in 10 to 15 minutes. I was starving by this point. It was after four and I hadn't eaten since breakfast. I went to the GS I had been to that morning and got a
Small Temple
Palgongsan Provincial Park coffee and a sandwich and sat and ate them in the sun.
Just after five I hopped on the bus to take me back to the train station. The journey was pretty quick. It only took about 40 minutes and then I waited for my train to take me back home to Suwon.
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