Last installment and probably the highlight of our trip to South Korea! I was honestly exhausted with bunch of period symptoms so when my sister mentioned we had to make a stop in Gyeongju on our way back, my spirit temporarily broke, haha. Just so you know, I had no clue what our itinerary, I was just ridin’ the flow! My sister handled everything (and covered like 70-80% of the expenses—shoutout to our very generous panganay!). So, I had no idea where Gyeongju was or what it had to offer. But wow, it turned out to be an incredible slice of Korea’s rich history!

Gyeongju is in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. We traveled from Busan, and it was less than an hour by KTX. Again, I didn’t know much about the city—just that it had historical sites (but Seoul has those too, so I wasn’t sure how this place would stand out). And wow, did I eat my words! The city was beautiful. We were welcomed by a somewhat rural vibe, with lots of trees, mountains, and, once we got to the city, so many…hills! It turns out these aren’t just any hills but burial mounds for nobles from the Silla dynasty. Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla during the Three Kingdoms period, and the city is full of history, carefully preserved and cared for.

We stayed overnight, and the next morning, we walked around the city. There was so much to see! A nice Korean lady shared some tips, like how Donggung Palace is even prettier at night or in spring because of the cherry blossoms (I can only imagine!). Some places were closed for renovation, but even the sites we did visit were just amazing. I’m so glad it was only the start of summer in South Korea because walking around in the heat would’ve been brutal—even for a tropical gal like me.

We visited folk villages and more historical places, and we saw some people dressed in hanbok. Interestingly, there weren’t many foreigners—mostly local tourists—which makes sense since most visitors flock to major cities like Seoul or Busan. But now that I’ve experienced it, there’s so much more to South Korea than just those cities. You’ll be surprised at how beautiful the country is outside the modern metropolis we know!

We tried some traditional ice cream (the mochi tasted like our very own espasol), and walked around some more. Honestly, I was just glad my endo symptoms subsided after a good night’s sleep (our hotel here was pretty nice—nicer than the one we had in Seoul!). I think one day wasn’t enough to explore everything in this city, but with limited time, I’m so grateful my sister included this in our itinerary. We would’ve missed out on so much!

After a day of touring, we hopped on the train back to Seoul. I told my sister I was glad we went, and she was like, “I told you so!”—and she was absolutely right. If you ever visit South Korea, why not check out Gyeongju too? It’s another side of South Korea’s vast and colorful history that you might want to explore!