[Travelling Korea With Triba-East] What To Do in Daegu, Korea

Korea's fourth largest city, Daegu offers a peaceful, countryside feel that makes visitors feel at home immediately. The area is a major textile center for Korea, which is why it is also known as "Textile City" and is a major hub for metal and machine industries.

The most well-known sight of the city is the stone Buddha called Gatbawi, on top of Gwanbong, Palgongsan.

Romance Your Way In E-world

E-world is definitely a sight visitors would want to see in the morning as well as at night. E-world is the world's only European styled theme park which has a 220m high observation tower. The park holds 20 kinds of amusement facilities and rides, including a Sky Jump, Boomerang, Flume Ride, and Top Spin. The 83-floor high tower has an observation platform on the 78th floor. Visitors are able to have a picturesque view of Daegu even when using the toilet, which is a pleasant surprise.

At night, the 83 Tower Luminarie, which uses 8.3 million LED bulbs, displays one of the largest light shows in Korea.

Trick Your Eyes at Euroseum

Nestled in the 83 Tower (Daegu Tower) is also the Euroseum, where visitors can take all sorts of interactive pictures with friends and family.

Shopping at Seomun Market

The main products offered in the Seomun Market are fabric and textile products, such as silk, satin, linen and cotton, but this large market also offers a variety of other items, such as fruits, vegetable, dried fish, seafood, desserts, streetfood, shoes, herbs, ect. There are 4 districts in Seomun Market. District 1 offers linen and cotton while District 2 offers a variety of products. District 4 and District 5 offers clothing and assorted goods such as stainless steel tableware, ceramics, and cooking utensils respectively. This wholesale market offers the best bang for your buck with some bargaining possibilities, so it's definitely a place to shop for items.

Here, hungry visitors can find Kalguksu noodle, Boribap barley rice, Janchi-guksu noodle, flat dumplings, Korean sausage, fish case, Hotteok pancake, ect. Pork Alley is a short 11-minute walk away from Seomun Market.

Admire Murals at Mabijeong Village

The Mabijeong Mural Village is a beautifully decorated village that is the work of a single artist. Located a little way out of town is a stunning little hillside village that tells story after story with each painting. The legend goes that there was once a general who set out a rather unfair challenge for his horse. The general drew an arrow and let it fly. If the horse could out-run the arrow, then it was allowed to live. Failing that, the horse was killed and the villagers commemorated the memory of the horse by naming it Mabijeong, which means "the pavilion where a horse flew".

Murals decorate almost every inch of the 35 households in the village, all of which is accompanied by stories that a translation device can provide.

Hop on A Double-Decker Bus

Daegu City Tour offers all their tourist attractions at a glance on their double-decker bus, which operates from 9:30am to 6:40pm at a cost of 5,000won (with a 20% discount for foreign tourists). The bus starts from the Daegu City Tour bus stop, in front of Dongdaegu Train Station and moves to Pyeonghwa Market, Dongseongno, Gyeongsang-gamyeong Park, Modern Culture Alley, Seomun Market, Bangogae Seasoned Raw Fish Alley, E-World, Angirang Alley, Mr. Apsan Observatory, Suseong Lake Resort, Daegu Children's Hall, Kwang-suk Roak, Gukchae-bosang Memorial Park, and finally ends at Dongdaegu Train Station, which free embarking and disembarking with one time ticket purchase.

[Travelling With TribaEast] Shilla Millennium Park, Gyeongju, South Korea

Touted as the new paradigm of Gyeongju Tour, Shilla Millennium Park is a historic experience amusement park that prides itself in entertaining its guests with Korean History. It showcases the time-honoured history and culture of the Shilla Kingdom through a number of impressive stunt performances as well as immersive historically-accurate sculptures and constructions.

This beautiful site was used as the shooting grounds for the drama "Queen Seondeok, Great King's dream" since the materials used for the park were kept true to its roots. The studio was created using construction materials for traditional Korean houses, such as traditional tiles, natural material lumber, and stone.

Even if visitors aren't interested in the historical values of the park, the sights are breathtaking and the activities are entertaining. The Shilla Millennium Park is definitely worth a visit.

Admission costs 18,000 won for adults and 13,000 won for youths. After 4:30pm, cost of admission is reduced to 9,000 won and 7,000 won respectively. Seeing as how opening hours are only from 10:00am to 7:50pm, going in the morning is advisable. The park is closed every Monday during winter season.

Upon entering the park, visitors are treated with the sight of twelve Chinese Zodiac signs, repeated twice to make a total of twenty four regal statues. 

Further down is the Cheoyong waterfall, where a mask of a man, Cheoyong, lies beyond a continuous waterfall. Cheoyong was believed to be a man capable of exorcising demons. though literary historical records shared that Cheoyong was just an ordinary man.

Cheo Yong, a television series starring Oh Ji-ho, Oh Ji-eun and Jun Yeo-seong features a detective born with the supernatural ability to see, hear and touch ghosts, and subsequently solves mysteries with his special gift.

The main stage has performances everyday at 11:00am and 3:00pm. Secret of Heavenly Chest shows visitors the story of Hwarang Misi-rang, who protected the 1,000-year-long Shilla Kindgom by defeating another country with the three heavenly treasures. The enthralling performance will surely capture hearts.

Past the waterfall is the Shilla Souvenir Shop, where visitors have the chance to try out traditional Korean garments and capture stunning pictures in said traditional wear. There are two restaurants and a small snacks shop in the park to eat and rest. The restaurants are the traditional cafeteria and the Emile Burger House, a giant reconstruction of the smaller Emile Bell, the city's bronze bell cast in 771 C.E..

 There are a number of interactive activities that will keep visitors entertained, ranging from making pottery and sculptures in the Earthenware art studio and dyeing crafts and traditional art painting in the Art Atelier, to archery practice in the Korea Traditional Bow.

The Korea Traditional Bow area is also home to an overeager pupper waiting to play catch. 

The Pinery Tunnel is a particularly fun trail to take, especially at night. The stone crafts take an eerie sensation that brings goose bumps to even the bravest of visitors. With only the dimmest light to illuminate the path, stone statues take a sinister look. Pair that with random sounds of strings playing and the path is positively horrifying.

Results of arts and crafts is showcased past the stone sculptures. Earthenware litter the grounds beyond the tress with eyes that look on searchingly. Careful turning your back to these humanoid earth sculptures. 

Close by lies the eighty different looking Gangseung, ancient village protectors, who look as if they're speaking to incoming visitors.

The Shilla Royal Palace and set for drama "Great King's Dream" hides furthers from the front gate. 

The multitude of beautifully designed and built recreations of the traditional Korean palace grounds is not only enthralling, but simply breathtaking. Visitors feel as if they've walked into the past and it's hard not to, with sights like these...