Gumi to Daegu (48 km)
The river path was lovely but it was hot (around 30oC) and humid and we had a headwind, so we we were glad to finish the short ride. We are staying in Daegu for a couple of nights to visit Haein-sa Temple, which houses the Tripitaka Koreana, or Goryeo Buddhist canon, one of the world’s most significant Buddhist sacred texts.
After checking in to the cute February boutique hotel, we took a cab into the city centre to
explore Daegu’s historic herbal medicine market. One long street was filled with traditional medical pharmacies and shops selling a huge variety of plants – roots, bark, leaves and powders – and animal parts, including antlers. We were too late for the Museum of Oriental Medicine, where we would have learned the uses of these products and had an opportunity to participate in hands-on experience programs.
By chance, we happened upon the Mido Tea Shop where we enjoyed cups of ssanghwa-tang, a traditional medicinal beverage made from many types of root, cinnamon and liquorice.
For dinner, after we could not find a restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet, we stopped at a small Vietnamese restaurant and had shrimp fried rice (the only dish without meat!) and Hanoi beer.
Coffee notes: Cafe de Botton: best espresso in Korea so far 8.5/ 10
