It’s autumn finally and it’s apple time. In the hilly areas, you see apples and pears almost everywhere. Yes, sunflowers too. The fall harvest is in full swing. In fact, we may go pick pears near Ulsan tomorrow. We went up to the Chungcheongbuk province (do) in the central highland area again between the 18th and the 22nd. The leaves are just beginning to change colors and it’s cooler, usually about 72 F degrees, or 22 C. with just a nip at night. Perfect for me, though Myung feels cold easily. I’m going to work with a map of Korea so you can click on that if you like, but for now I’ll just do my usual blips and pic.
It’s a pretty fast bus ride up to Busuksa and Danyang, near Sobaeksan National Park. We stayed there a couple of days. There are, of course, temples. One is the historically important Busuksa.
Yes, that’s sweat. Even though it’s cooler, some of these temples are a several kilometer walk, usually uphill, and I am still one of the biggest sweathogs ever. Koreans would say “water box”.
I’ll never make a travel photographer, but I just wanted to share one of the little experiences one has in any place with such a long history. The wood floors are oiled and polished so smooth by centuries of bare feet. If a place is old enough, granite and marble is polished and the surfaces smooth and the corners rounded. With wood, the grain becomes beautiful. This picture doesn’t capture it, but I’ll post it anyway. I think you can see there is no way anyone is going to get a splinter on this surface.
Over near Danyang is Gosu Cave. It’s your usual big cave with all the stalagtites, stalagmites, etc..
Guinsa, near Danyang, is the largest temple in Korea. It is definitely huge compared to any of the others I’ve seen so far.
Still, it has just that many more of those beautiful rooftop views I like to photograph.
Normally, one doesn’t take pictures of the monks in Korean temples. At Guinsa, however, there were so many people and so many of them were photographing them, I surreptitiously took a few. These are what we transate as Pure Land Buddhist, though these Pure Landers are nothing like the ones one sees at the Pure Land, mostly Japanese, temples in the States. They were having a service for someone, presumably a deceased person, and there were horns, drums, and loud chanting much like the Tibetans. The light wasn’t so good and even I wasn’t about to flash them.
There were of course lovely grounds along the walk to the temple. Monuments like this to honored monks are at all temples.
Near Danyang is Sainam. It was photogenic.
Then down east of Cheongju was the temple, Beopjusa. Again, this is in a beautiful setting near Songnisan National Park.
As per usual, it involves some walking. Then they are usually pleasant places to rest. That’s the whole point, isn’t it?
That about takes care of that. At least those are all the pictures I’ve uploaded. Next week we’re going down along the south coast. After that, the fall colors will be out. I like the season changes. It’s beautiful enough right out our window. The new building only blocks some green buildings and the lowest tomb. This is from the window upstairs.
Be well, all of you.
