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The monk in his grey robes came down the path, his long staff striking out before him, each firm step taking him away from the temple, which was gradually engulfed by red-gold forests. He smiled as he passed, a happy man on a peaceful pilgrimage down the mountainside. For a moment, I’d forgotten I was in Korea.

I shouldn’t have been surprised - Korea is a land of extremes, from its weather (either roasting hot or biting cold) to its colours (the strong hues of the countryside, from fresh greens to flaming reds) and even its people (sober church-goers and wild karaoke fiends). And now, I discovered, it also manages to balance cities of millions with their hyperactive neon and heart-stopping speed and the tranquility of this morning's scene.

The province of Gyeongsangbuk-do is in eastern Korea. Its many mountains are dotted with serene Buddhist temples hidden perhaps a half-hour’s walk from the roads along paths that wind through beautiful forests, linking its religion with a nation’s love of nature.

Ahead of me was one of the most famous temples, National Treasure No. 24, Seokguram Grotto, on Mount Tohamsan. Construction of the granite temple began in 751 and spanned 24 years. It shelters a beatific Buddha and his disciples. The smiling monk, like many, had embarked on the climb up the mountain to offer his prayers and obeisance. He must have started early. Most people were, like us, enjoying the late morning sunshine, strolling uphill amongst the leaves, admiring the white orchids placed carefully around the historic shrine by the caretaker monks and stopping to look out over the East Sea, in the distance.

It was a far cry from my idea of Korea, the birthplace of personal computersmass produced microchips, small cars, English language villages, mobile phones and the curious little danglies that the local kids love to garnish them with.

The province’s capital, Gyeongju, was once the capital of the Shilla Kingdom, which ruled the Korean peninsula from 57BC for 1000 years. The dynasty left as its legacy up to 200 burial mounds that undulate gently like a perfectly manicured golf course, best seen at the Daereung-won Tumuli Park, where the bones of the dynasty’s kings lie beneath the bright green grass.

Most famous is Cheongmachong, the Heavenly Horse Tomb, 12.6 meters high with a circumference of 157 meters, constructed over a king’s body in the 5th or 6th century, in the time where legends were created, of men who turned to fish and women to dragons, and great horses were worshipped and revered.

Buried with the regent were the spoils of power – crowns, swords, arrows and saddles, one painted with the motif of the winged horse that lent its name to the tomb today. The name of the king is since forgotten, but the mounds reveal the secrets of a race of giants.

All the armour and saddlery uncovered in the mounds is for a people much taller than today’s Koreans, and stories tell of men undertaking feats of superhuman strength and horses as winged, celestial beings. Their present-day children gather around the displays, holding hands high above their heads to try to comprehend their ancestors’ physique.

Scattered around the province are remnants of an ancient history – the country’s first confusion Confucian academy, founded in the 1600s, the Anapji Pond, built in King Mumu’s reign in 675BC, a place of beauty and contemplation for the royal family, and Cheomseongdae Observatory, the oldest relic in East Asia, dating from the same period and giving an insight into the advanced mathematical observations of its enlightened patron, Queen Seonduk.

Gyeongsangbuk-do is also home to one of Korea’s most visited sites and its most revered Buddhist shrine, the Bulguksa Temple. Set on the slopes of Mount Tohamsan, below the Seokgura Grotto, the names of the temple’s components are purely lyrical – White Cloud Bridge, Lotus Flower Bridge, Many Treasure Bridge and Pure Land Gate.It’s said that the builder of the two iconic temples, the then-prime minister Kim Dae-Seong, built Bulguksa for his living parents and Seokgura for his parents in a previous life.

We entered through the main gate, where devotees are urged to cast off the agonies of everyday life, past the temple’s stone guardians, and wandered through the tranquil courtyards, admiring the ornate eaves and stone pagodas. We few Western tourists far were outnumbered by our Korean counterparts, diligently reading about the UNESCO-listed temple, which had been built, rebuilt and even destroyed completely during the Imjinwaeran War with Japan in the 1590s, before being built again.

In the peace of the late morning, a soft, warm wind moved through the surrounding forests, the sun lit the temple’s many stairways and elaborate gables, and the hum of city life was long forgotten.

Belinda Jackson was a guest of the Korea National Tourism Organization. WHEN TO GO
Gyeongsangbuk-do is best visited during spring (Mar-May) and autumn (Sept-Nov) when the Korean countryside is aflame with colour and temperatures are moderate, though it can still get very cold in the evenings. MUST VISIT
Put a sauna visit on the top of your list of things to do in Korea. Saunas are easily recognizable by the sign featuring three flames out the front. Men and women are separate, as Koreans bare all in the sauna, where you can steam, dunk and groom and to your heart’s desire. Small neighbourhood saunas cost only a few dollars, while the more elaborate versions might cost around $1510, with additional costs for massages and full-body exfoliation. All sell soap, and beauty products and supply towels.

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