Perched on the northeastern side of Mt. Gasan 가산 at an altitude of 901m, two mountain villages, Gasan and Eungchu 응추 offer natural beauty plus views of the vibrant rural communities. Mt. Gasan is 23 km north of Daegu, whose peak, 10 km to the east, is connected to the summit of Mt. Palgongsan 팔공산 by ridge. The cycling route is all paved, a good mix of some steep uphill and downhill sections.
Handeum 한듬 is a mountain hamlet in Gasan. The highest ridge at the backdrop runs up to the very summit of Mt. Gasan not too far away to the south. Buddhist temples used to grant the temple-owned lands to tenant farmers, who had paid the landowners certain percentages of harvested crops. This village is thought to have been formed by a group of tenants living here. Actually, a Buddhist temple named Daedunsa 대둔사 stands on a hillside behind the village, which is believed to have been built during Shilla dynasty(57 BC ~ AD 935).
On the way to Gasan from Hyoryeong 효령, looked around the rural views. Cycled across the western side of the valley and reached at Daeyul 대율, aka Hanbam 한밤 village where stone wall alley has been well conserved. Traditional stone walls had usually been built without using any mortar in the rural areas, but it is getting even harder to see them in the countryside these days.
