On the way to downtown Gimhae on the Busan-Gimhae Light Rail train, you can see Gimhae’s wide fields and mountains like a folding screen at a glance.It is the land where King Kim Suro cultivated the culture of Gaya about 2,000 years ago.Gimhae didn’t receive as much as attention as Busan, its neighboring city, as a tourist destination, but these days, as social distancing became a new normal, the tourist spots in Gimhae where you can enjoy nature, the city and historical relics all together seem more attractive.Among others, Gimhae Gaya Theme Park, the representative untact tourist spot in Gimhae, is great in that you can learn history and ride exciting rides.Here, you can stroll in the Gaya Palace and through the garden filled with autumn flowers, ride a bicycle in the air at a height of 22 meters, and have an thrilling experience of passing obstacles on a tower of 15 meters high.

Mysterious history of Gaya you encounter in the garden

When you go into the ticket box, you can find the cafeteria, restaurant, and souvenir shop.Beyond the buildings, there is Cheolgwangsan Performance Hall.It is where Painters’ Gaya Kingdom, a non-verbal performance, is staged.In front of the theater, you can find a sculpture of ‘six golden eggs of six Gayas,’which embodies the six golden eggs featured in the myth of King Kim Suro written in Samgukyusa (Memorabilia and Mirabilia of the Three Kingdoms).The man born from the first hatched egg was named Suro (首露) and became the progenitor of Geumgwan Gaya Kingdom.It is said that those who were hatched from the other five eggs became the kings of five other Gaya Kingdoms.

On the right side of Cheolgwangsan Performance Hall, there is Turtle Garden.It is a good place to take a walk as it has a pavilion, flowerbed and trees.You can also find a giant turtle statue and funny turtle sculptures that are fleeing with their shells left behind.You may let your child go into the shell and take his or her picture. Another turtle sculpture is looking inside a cauldron.Why do they look so?You can learn from the myth of King Kim Suro, especially the part before the six golden eggs appear.The story goes like this:

A strange sound came from Gujibong Peak, so nine headmen and two to three hundreds of people gathered.The sound was a voice without any figure.“Sing as I teach: ‘Turtle, turtle, put out your neck.If you don't, I’ll cook and eat you up.’ Then, your king will come and you will dance in delight.”The nine headmen and people sang as they were taught and danced delightfully.A while later, a purple straw rope came down from the sky and touched the ground.At the end of it, there was a golden box wrapped in red cloth.When it was opened, people could saw six golden eggs as round as the sun.[Source: Korea Creative Content Agency (www.culturecontent.com)] The song the people in the story sang is Gujiga, an ancient song to greet King Kim Suro. Obviously, the lyrics threaten a turtle.No wonder turtles should run away.

If you come out of Turtle Garden and go behind Cheolgwangsan Performance Hall, you can reach Gaya Folk Village.It is a space where you can appreciate a cartoon exhibition related to the history of Gaya or an exhibition related to ironware culture of Gaya, experiencing folk activities.Behind Gaya Folk Village, there is Sineo Garden.It is a park filled with white and pink cosmoses.There is a trail through the flowerbed.The windmill with a red roof and the heart-shaped sculpture with letters ‘I Lover You’ on it are the good photo zone for couples.Would King Kim Suro and his wife Suriratna exchange sweet language of love while seeing autumn flowers?In the myth of King Kim Suro, there is a story in which he marries Suriratna, the princess from Ayuta Kingdom, who comes by boat.In the story, there is a phrase like this: “The king living together with the queen was like the sky having the earth, the sun having the moon, and the yin having the yang.” [Source: Korea Creative Content Agency (www.culturecontent.com)] It seems that King Kim Suro and Suriratna were a good couple. There might have been a soulmate for each other who shares love that transcends the barrier of culture.

Thrilling sky road to enjoy with a bicycle and on a suspension bridge

After enjoying in the gardens, it is time to start an adventure.First, get ready to ride the Exciting Cycle for a warm-up.It is an experience of riding a bicycle following the rope installed at the height of 22 meters and travel 500 meters coming and going.“If you go slowly or push the handle, the bicycle will be more shaking. The rope is installed to sag down, so the bicycle goes without pedaling when it goes down but you have to pedal when you go up.”

To start, you should have the courage to defeat fear.It may feel like you are falling down as the bicycle leans on one side.Some people screams, “Ahhh!” as they are afraid. But most people enjoy the landscape and become at ease enough to take photos.Your body and the bicycle is hanging on the strong rope, so it is safe.While you are going, the panoramic view of Gimhae Gaya Theme Park stretches under your feet, and while you are returning, you can see Gimhae fields and the estuary of Nakdonggang River in the distance.If you don't grab the handles while pedaling, you will feels like you are flying in the sky.As if you are in a scene of a movie where a bicycle flies into the sky.Unlike the zip line, you can have fun controling the speed.

If you have developed your courage through the Exciting Cycle, try the Exciting Tower.There are courses with 72 different obstacles in a huge structure with a height of 15 meters.All courses are interconnected like within a spider’s web.In the air, you have to cross a suspension bridge, pass a hula-hoop-shaped obstacle, or make your way holding onto a log or a rubber ball.Your legs become shaky and your hands get sweaty because of the fear of heights. The greater fear you have, the greater the sense of accomplishment you will have in the end.You can choose among various levels of difficulty according to your physical ability.At the bottom of the Exciting Tower is the Kids Tower, a facility for small children.Its courses are 12, such as crossing a suspension bridge or going through a tunnel.Gaya Musa Adventure near Gaya Folk Village has more various play facilities for children.

In Gaya Royal Palace, there are buildings constructed as the filming site of the drama Kim Suro that aired in 2010.Now, it is a space prividing various experiences or holding exhibitions.When you pass through the main gate, you can see Taegeukjeon Hall, a large two-story building with tiled roofs.In Taegeukjeon Hall, an augmented reality (AR) exhibition and an exhibition of relics from Gaya are held.On weekends, you can experience the throne in a garment of king or queen. Sitting on the throne, you can take your picture.The wide lawn in front of Taegeukjeon Hall is good for picnics.You can also rent picnic tents at Gimhae Gaya Theme Park.Behind Taegeukjeon Hall, there is a pond garden where you can take a walk, Garakjeongjeon Hall where clothes from the Gaya period are displayed, and the Story Theater of Suriratna .

Info.

Double Extreme Program. Experience the Exciting Cycle, where you ride a bicycle on a rope installed at a height of 22 meters, and the Exciting Tower, where you experience 72 obstacles installed at a height of 15 meters.Facing the fear of heights, you can feel the exciting thrill. Kids Tower is a facility where small children can experience obstacles.
- Address: Gimhae Gaya Theme Park, 161, Gayatema-gil, (Eobang-dong) Gimhae-si, Gyeongsangnam-do
- Contact: +82-55-325-9096, +82-10-9237-0233
- Open: Summer season (April-October) Weekdays 09:30 AM - 6:00 PM, Weekends and holidays 9 AM - 6 PM / Winter season (November-March) Weekdays 10 AM - 5 PM, Weekends and holidays 09:30 AM - 5 PM
- Fees: Exciting Tower KRW 22,000, Exciting Cycle KRW 24,000, Extreme Program (Exciting Tower + Exciting Cycle) KRW 38,000

• Website: http://www.gland.co.kr/