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59 Photo by Joe Wabe Bulgapsan and Bulgap Temple (Yeonggwang) Bulgapsa Temple is the oldest of its kind in Korea and attracts swarms of visitors in the summer months. But those looking to con- vene with contemplation, snatch a few spe- cial photos or take in a fantastic sunset behind a 2,000-year-old temple will have an easier time of it in the quiet of wintertime. With tour- ists far gone, the grounds are peaceful, and the area’s true mystique emerges uninhibited. When you feel it’s time to move again, pick up the pace and haul yourself up the 516-meter-tall Bulgapsan. If the stairs upon stairs on the 30-min- ute trail don’t leave you breathless, the 360-de- gree view of Gwangju and its surroundings will. GETTInG THERE Buses leave from Seoul’s Express Bus terminal to Yeonggwang every 40 minutes and take just over three hours. From Yeonggwang terminal, jjump on another bus bound for Bulgapsa. Photo by Simon Bond Bogyeong Temple (Gyeongju) If temples in Korea leave you feeling a little blasé, pack yourself down to Pohang for an eye-open- ing experience at Bogyeongsa, a refreshing place embosomed in the piney foothills of Naeyeonsan. The temple itself is impressive: hall after hall, Bud- dha after peaceful Buddha and enough intricate paintings to make your eyes glaze over. Bogyeongsa’s real magic, though, is in the val- ley just behind it, accessible on foot only. Thirteen waterfalls plunge down Naeyeonsan in a shining frozen spectacle that increases as you get deeper into the valley, with the towering Yeonsan Falls at the end of this 7-kilometer trail. GETTInG THERE the journey is a matter of several buses and several bowls of ramen, so pack extra. Start at the Express Bus terminal in Gangnam and take a bus to Pohang (4 hours 40 minutes), then hop on the 510 bus to Bogyeongsa from there. Rumor has it there are two 510 buses, so make sure you jump on the one that reads “Bogyeongsa” (보경사).