대둔산도립공원

I thought it would be a lifetime regret if I only experience autumn once. So I packed my bag, put on my new hiking boots and left for Korea again. It has been 6 years since I last visited Korea during autumn and memories of autumn at Naejansan (내장산, 內藏山) and Damyang's Metasequoia Forest Road are still fresh in my mind. However, given an opportunity, it is always better to live in the present than past.

The main destination of this autumn trip is Daedunsan (대둔산, 大芚山). When I told the owner of the guesthouse I stayed in, I went to Daedunsan, he asked, "구름다리 (cloud bridge)?" Yes correct, that mountain with the "cloud bridge". Besides the swinging bridge, Daedunsan is also famous for its "samseon" stairway (삼선계단) and special rock formations.

View from top of Daedunsan (대둔산, 大芚山), at Wonju County, North Jeolla Province

End of October is a peak visiting season at Daedunsan. In order to avoid the maddening weekend crowd, I chose to visit it early on a Monday morning. The cable car operates from 9am onwards. I reached the cable car station at 8 but yet, I was not on the first cable car up. There were already more than 50 people ahead of me in the queue. Each car can take up to 51 passengers and there are two cars operating in opposite direction. In my case, I only waited about 15 minutes before the next car arrived. The six-minute journey to the mountain station felt much longer when I was distracted by the scenery around me.

Cable car with a capacity for 51 passengers. Traveling time in one direction - about 6 minutes

The first stop after getting off  the cable car is the observatory (전망대). From the observatory, you get to enjoy 270 degrees of unobstructed autumn view. But when I returned to it after descending from the peak, I found the view rather ordinary. In other words, the view higher up was much better.

Observatory - the first stop after getting off cable car

A view, from Observatory, of the rock formation and autumn foilage

The second stop is the must-visit "cloud bridge". There are some steep steps to climb and a short distance to walk to get there but not particularly tough. The cloud bridge does not swing a lot but walking across it can still be quite a challenging for some. My advice is just look straight and it will be alright.

Next stop - the cloud bridge (구름다리) of Daedunsan.

The "cloud bridge", a swinging bridge, hangs between two cliffs

The third stop is samseon stairway. The narrow path to the stairway demands a little bit more of physical fitness. It is like a one-way street where you cannot turn back once you embark on it because there will be many people behind you, pressing you to move forward. If you do not like exerting too much, then returning to the cable car station after crossing the cloud bridge is recommended.

Pine at the edge of mountain adds a poetic feel to the scenery

Looking down at Daedunsan cable car station. The autumn hue will become more intense in the following week.

Samseon stairway is very steep and narrow. Although not very high, it seems like I took forever to climb to the top. When I was halfway up, the height at which the stairway is located, gave me a bit of dizziness. This must be the highest "ladder" I have ever climbed.

The samseon stairway looks awesome from afar. I could not give it a miss after coming so far.

Special rock formations amid beautiful autumn foilage

The cloud bridge as seen from samseon stairway

One-man width samseon stairway on close-up. Once you step on it, you can't turn back even if you regret your decision halfway.

There no way back now. The only direction is up.

The last stop is Macheondae (마천대), the peak. The last lap was the most difficult. As I climbed up the rocky and steep slope to the peak, I have to stop multiple times to catch my breathe. For people who do not exercise frequently, leg cramps will most likely happen. It was definitely tough but if 60-plus years old grand nannies could make it to the top despite repeated complaint of "힘들어, 힘들어", anyone younger than them should have no excuse. It took me an hour to reach the summit after getting off the cable car.

Macheondae (the peak) looks so near with zoom but yet so far in reality

Finally, on top of Macheondae, the peak of Daedunsan (848m)

The best view is not always at the peak but in the case of Daedunsan, it is.

Looking back at the route I took to come so far, the cloud bridge and the samseon stairway

Walking below the cloud bridge on the way back to the cable car station

Back at base station

I spent about two hours up in the mountain, By the time I reached the base station, it was about 11 am. The crowd has built up. There were hundreds of visitors queuing for cable car. I was glad I have completed my objective early and did not have to jostle my way through the crowd. Going on a mountain trip always brings me great satisfaction. I enjoy overcoming the challenges on the way to the top. Beautiful autumn scenery was just a bonus.

꽃구경

The winter theme of Garden of Morning Calm (아침고요수목원) is lights; in spring, it is naturally flowers. Although getting there was not the most convenient, it was always worth the trouble.The garden does not disappoint as there is always something different to experience each season. Spring in the Garden of Morning Calm was a scenery saturated in colors of rhododendron, tulip and daisy amidst lush greenery. I cannot think of a better place to experience spring in the most natural way.

At the sunken garden of the Garden of Morning Calm

Slope adorned by blooming rhododendron. Every step I took seemed to have a bounce.

Early May is the season of rhododendron

The garden has a small stream

An open field in the middle of the garden

Spring is short so we have to remember it through pictures

Tulips and chapel

Visitors queuing up to take picture of the chapel

View lost in sea of tulips

Tulip field at the "Road To Heaven"

Taking in everything spring has to offer

Spring can be enjoyed in group ...

... or alone ...

... or in two. 봄이 사랑하기 좋은 계절이구나

중앙로 - 대구

Daegu was not a destination but a stopover. I had been on the move for almost a week and needed some rest before returning to Seoul. It was my first time in Daegu; I never found any reason to visit it before. I knew nothing much about it except perhaps, it's the fourth largest city in Korea, the hottest and the city where the conservatives always achieve landslide victory with both eyes closed.

I stayed near the busy Jungang-no (중앙로, 中央路). No prior research about the place was done and no plan was made to stay there until I passed by it while taking a joy ride on a city bus. It is the "Myeongdong" of Daegu minus the maddening throng of tourists. I made several discoveries about the place after one evening walk.
 
There was a bakery with exceptional long queue. So I thought if many people are queuing, it must be good, just like if many people are looking at something, it must be interesting. They have a term for it, it's called "mob mentality". The proof of the pudding is in the eating, so I bought a few buns to try and one of them was the bestseller of the bakery - "Mayak" bun (마약빵, 麻药面包）. To see how mouth-watering good it looks, watch the video below. For all the "빵순이" (bread lover) out there, Sam Song Bakery (삼송 베이커리), with almost 60 years of bread-making history, is a must-visit 맛집 in Daegu because many people say so, including me, and I am not even a bread lover.

Sam Song Bakery (삼송 베이커리), along Jungang-daero, near to Exit 2 of Jungangno Station. Quite ironic to post a picture of the bakery without queue. The picture was taken early on a Sunday morning when the shop has just open its door.

Another outlet that saw long queue was Cafe Bom Bom (카페 봄봄). The queue did not seem to die down no matter how many times I passed by. I did not come across similarly named cafes in other parts of Korea and wondered what's the buzz about. The price of its beverages ranges between 2,000 and 4,000won with most priced at an affordable 3,000won. What's more, all their drinks are sold only in large size. So I guess, their winning formula was simply big plus cheap, offering good value for money. I tried to queue but ended giving up. I was not sure if I want to spend fifteen minutes of my life queuing for a cup of coffee.

Long queue outside Cafe Bom Bom. Value for money beverages only if you can persist till the end.

I have been craving for omurice for a while after finding out the popular "Omurice" outside Kyunghee University was closed. Finally, I found one small basement eatery that sold omurice. It was called Gyeonghwa eatery operated by a middle-age lady. I could not believe for a price of 5,500won I could get a 3-in-1 meal of handmade omurice, donkatsu and 쫄면 (chewy noodle). The food quantity and quality were also up to mark. I knew I could not find such place in Seoul, so I ate there twice just to make sure I ate to my heart's content. Seoul is expensive and Singapore is ... worse.

A menu of reasonably priced Japanese food

3-in-1 meal of omurice, donkatsu and "쫄면" (chewy noodle)

How to get there: Exit 2 of Daegu's Jungang-no Station

The day I was in Daegu, spring was no where to be found. Everyone was walking around in summer clothing. That reminded me I was in the hottest city of Korea.

계명대학교 (성서 캠퍼스)

Keimyung University (Seongseo Campus) gave off an old college charm with its red-brick buildings, wine-covered walls and beautiful landscaping. However, the campus which is located at the western side of Daegu isn't that old; it was completed in the early 80s. In my view, the campus's remarkable landscaping makes it stands out from the rest. It has very beautiful garden where one can rest and read a book in peace.

A garden within the campus with man-made stream and spring flowers

A clear and sunny day. High above all other buildings in the campus is the Adams Chapel.

Picturesque setting

Beautifully landscaped path

The feeling of summer was in the air although it was still supposed to be spring

The main building or 본관 (本館)

Graduate School of Industrial Sports with its facade partially covered by vines

Keimyung University Station (Exit 1) - Daegu Subway Line 2

호미곶 등대

This is something inspirational and romantic about lighthouse. Mariners treat it merely as a navigational aid, but to non-mariners, we are more familiar with it being used as a metaphor. We like to think of lighthouse as a beacon of light that shears through the curtain of darkness, guiding and salvaging lost souls from the depth of despair. It's like a symbol of guiding light and beam of hope.

There are three lighthouses in Singapore but they are not easily accessible. However at Homigot, I could walk right up to the doorstep of Homigot Lighthouse (imagine my excitement). The rotating beam of white light that emanates from the lighthouse at night was the next best thing to watch at Homigot after its sunrise.

Homigot Lighthouse at the most eastern point of Korea with the East Sea as its background

Waiting for nightfall and the light beam to come on

Beams of light radiating out from Homigot Lighthouse with planet Venus in the sky