In the south of Seoul, wedged between highways, apartment towers and the Daemosan hills, a forest of oak and pine hides two royal tombs of the Joseon dynasty. Heolleung is the tomb of King Taejong, the third king of Joseon, who ruled in the early fifteenth century, and his queen Wongyeong, and nearby lies Inneung, the tomb of King Sunjo and his queen from the nineteenth century. Together they form one of the clusters of the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, listed by UNESCO in 2009.
The Joseon royal tombs follow a strict layout, shaped by Confucian ritual and the principles of geomancy. A path of stone leads from a red gate to a T-shaped shrine where rituals were performed, and behind it, on a slope, the burial mound is guarded by stone statues of officials, warriors, horses, sheep and tigers. Taejong, the father of King Sejong, who created the Korean alphabet, was a ruthless and effective ruler who consolidated the young dynasty, and his tomb is one of the grandest. The forest around the tombs is a quiet refuge from the city, with walking trails, birdsong and, in autumn, glowing red and yellow leaves.
Riding in Seoul is not for the faint-hearted. Traffic is dense and fast, with delivery scooters weaving everywhere, and motorcycles are banned from expressways and from the city's motor-vehicle-only urban highways, including the fast riverside roads along the Han. Navigation can be complex, and parking is tight. Outside the city, the mountains and valleys of Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces offer much better riding, with curvy roads through forests and along rivers, reachable on national roads.
Seongnam and the surrounding districts have plenty of fuel stations, shops and restaurants. Korean food is everywhere, from simple noodle shops to barbecue restaurants where you grill meat at the table. Try naengmyeon, cold buckwheat noodles in a tangy broth, perfect on a hot summer day, or a steaming bowl of samgyetang, chicken soup with ginseng, said to restore energy. Visit the tombs in the early morning or late afternoon, when the light filters through the trees and the crowds are small.