Take Your Tastebuds For A Rollercoaster Ride In Gyeongju.

As much as I hate to admit it, I think I'm packing on some serious poundage these days. Maybe it's just PMS bloat, my new haircut, or probably the clothes that make me look a bit chunky. But whatever it is, it's freaking me out, and I can't stop myself from measuring my waist like crazy every single day.

I'm actually pretty good at sticking to my diet when I'm alone. Whenever I feel like binging, I just think of the revolting smell of animal fat in fried chicken or the glistening crust of pizza smothered in oil ~ nothing kills my appetite than that. But when I'm with Chris, it's a different story. It's hard to stick to any form of dieting when all your partner could think about is FOOD. I can't count how many times we argued at HomePlus cause he fills the cart with the things I hate the most. Chris calls it food, I call it lard, trans-fat, and heart-attack-waiting-to-happen wrapped in shiny packaging. He's not like that before, but after he contracted a bad case of flu and lost a lot of weight, he became obsessed with eating. The poundage he lost or that I gained is always a bad news. There's nothing more depressing than seeing myself looking like an elephant while standing beside his skinny-scrawny physique in pictures.

Chris knows how much I deprive myself of food at home, so whenever we travel, he makes it a point to bring me to restaurants that serve really good Korean food (but not the ones that will torture my arteries in the process). And the best thing about Korean food is that you can eat it without guilt. Well, except for their grilled meat dishes, cause the very smell of those is already filled with fat and cholesterol. :)

This is the Sambap restaurant in Gyeongju that Chris brought me to. For those who are planning to visit Gyeongju, I highly suggest you visit this place. I forgot the name, but if it helps, it's located right in front of Daereungwon. There are many Sambap restaurants there, so be sure to look for that tacky arch to know you're in the right place.

An elaborate, sumptuous feast with dishes you can hardly count - how could anyone be disappointed?

This is how you eat Sambap: Get a piece of their blanched vegetable (some are raw), then put meat, rice, and some spicy sauce. Wrap it all together and eat.

This salt-cured fish is one of the side-dishes they served. It reminds me of bagoong. You have to be very careful when you eat this cause it has so many bones. It's also very salty - as in deadly salty it could make your tongue flinch.

And this is chot kal or salted fish innards. In the Philippines, we usually throw the innards, but here they make it as chot kal. It looks disgusting but it has a very interesting taste. One word of caution though.. you must eat it this with a mouthful of rice cause it's salty as hell.

And if you still got room for dessert (which I doubt unless your stomach is as big as a bathtub), try visiting a Chal Bori Bbang store - it's scattered all over Gyeongju. Chal Bori Bbang are mini pancakes made from sticky barley. It's really, really delicious but not in a sugary-sweet kind of way. A box of 20 costs 10,000 won.

All those delicious food equates to insurmountable amount of calories to burn right? The good news is, there are always mountains to climb, and plenty of rivers, waterfalls, valleys and parks to visit after. So don't be afraid to take your tastebuds for a rollercoaster ride when you're in Gyeongju!