Keeping it local

Today was another early rise day.  But we weren't going far, we were going to Suwon which is just the next city over. The itinerary was Yongjusa, Yungneung Royal Tomb and Mount Gwanggyosan. Yongjusa was built by King Jeongjo to protect his father, Prince Sado's tomb.  But, King Jeongjo moved his father's tomb to Yungneung. Yongjusa was then turned into a Buddhist temple. 

At Yongjusa temple you are able to do a temple stay. A temple stay is an overnight stay at a Buddhist temple, where you participate in Buddhist rituals. You can also take part in a tea ceremony with monks, meditation, hiking, lotus lantern crafts, etc. 

Next, we went to the Yungneung Royal Tombs. This is where King Jangjo and Queen Heongyeong are buried. 

I got lots of beautiful pictures from the forest as we walked through to see the other tomb. Make sure you check out the Korea photo gallery. This site is where King Jeongo and Queen Hyoui are buried.

After seeing the tombs we headed to Mount Gwanggyosan, which was only a short bus ride away. I was told this mountain would be an easy hike, but this was the hardest hike I have done so far. The path was very uneven, lots of big rocks in the path as you see in the first picture. There was also a lot of up and down. We would go up 3 sets of stairs then go down one set. So it because very tiring quickly because we had to hike up and down a lot. 

The tallest point on the mountain is 582 meters. To get here you have to climb up rocks, Which was pretty easy but also really scary. I'm afraid of heights so getting up there was nerve racking since there are no harnesses in case you fall. It is just a rope you pull and walk up the rock. I definitely wouldn't have came if I knew I had to do that!

It was a fun day, but if you are afraid of heights I suggest not doing this hike because you have to go up the rock to get to the other side of the trail. Wear proper shoes! When I hike I always wear books which have a platform heel because I need to support for my feet. I am definitely getting running shoes with support after this hike, my feet are in so much pain! And I also need either a backpack or a satchel instead of carrying my purse.