Waking up Monday morning at 7:00am with an alarm clock was clearly not welcomed while on vacation. But it was a trade off I had to live through in order to see all I had planned for the day. I managed to check ou early aroun 9:00am and booked a taxi for late afternoon for the airport. Then I headed to Haeundae station by metro. It was a long journey across town and I found seats after my train transfer. However it seems that an old man sitting next to me was offended that I was sitting on the priority seats (pregnant women, elderly or disabled seats) even if no elederly or disabled passengers were nearby. He started talking to me even though I didn't understand a word, but just made out the heavy Busan accent.
Eventually I was fed up listening to him and moved seat, and that was how I finally understood that he wanted me to get away from the priority seats from the beginning!
Anyway, I got to Haeundae before 10:00am and walked toward the sea, past bars and clubs that were barely opening after a Sunday night excess. The area seemed a bit touristy, with lots of hotel chains (Novotel, Hilton) nearby, and displayed menus in English. On the waterfront, they were finishing to setup the stage and venues for the 16th Pusan International Film Festival for the following week
I didn't want to worry about finding a bus so caught a cab for 8000KRW and had a fun chat in English/Korean with the phrasebook with the driver until he dropped me off at Haedong Yonggung-sa. To my delight access to the temple was through an alley guarded by 12 elements of the zodiac and a downhill path and stairs bordered by 108 stone lanterns (yes, I could read the kanji). The temple appeared across the stone bridge and was surrounded by rocks by the sea.
There was even a photo-zone across from the temple, to enjoy the clear view of the sea and the temple.
Before crossing the bridge, I spent some time chatting with a Japanese couple next to a giant golden statue. The 3 f us took turns taking pictures while the area was empty.
The morning prayers had finished and a litany punctuated by the clapping of the wood echoed on microphones across the temple's courtyard. I overheard another Japanese couple talking about stamps so I headed inside as well to get my stamp and a brochure with a music sheet. Then I feasted my eyes again on the buildings' decorations, the statue of the sea dragon and the little monk figurines depicting everyday lives in the temple.
There was another hill where a statue of Goddess of Mercy stood tall overlooking the temple complex. THe view was even more peaceful with all the pine trees and the blue sea.
I also spent some time in the small gift shop, getting myself a small trinkets with my zodiac sign (snake) and trying my luck at fliping a coin into a stone turtle from the stone bridge. Alas I only managed to hit the statue.
And with that it was time to climb up the hill to return to Haeundae beach and explore its earthly pleasures. More people were starting to trickle down the path to the temple and I was glad to have come early in the morning, even if I could not catch the sunrise on the Eastern sea.
Although this was the 3rd temple in 3 days, I really enjoyed the breeze from the sea as well as the geenral layout of the temple. it was not as large as the others I visited before and had a bit of humour with all the little figurines and fountains. The natural setup was full of details you could spend hours or days gazing at, while the buildings were beautiful and not too many to get lost into.
I hailed a parked cab after passing by all the street vendors doing business with tourism, and got back to Haeundae beach by 11:00am.
Eventually I was fed up listening to him and moved seat, and that was how I finally understood that he wanted me to get away from the priority seats from the beginning!
Anyway, I got to Haeundae before 10:00am and walked toward the sea, past bars and clubs that were barely opening after a Sunday night excess. The area seemed a bit touristy, with lots of hotel chains (Novotel, Hilton) nearby, and displayed menus in English. On the waterfront, they were finishing to setup the stage and venues for the 16th Pusan International Film Festival for the following week
I didn't want to worry about finding a bus so caught a cab for 8000KRW and had a fun chat in English/Korean with the phrasebook with the driver until he dropped me off at Haedong Yonggung-sa. To my delight access to the temple was through an alley guarded by 12 elements of the zodiac and a downhill path and stairs bordered by 108 stone lanterns (yes, I could read the kanji). The temple appeared across the stone bridge and was surrounded by rocks by the sea.
There was even a photo-zone across from the temple, to enjoy the clear view of the sea and the temple.
Before crossing the bridge, I spent some time chatting with a Japanese couple next to a giant golden statue. The 3 f us took turns taking pictures while the area was empty.
The morning prayers had finished and a litany punctuated by the clapping of the wood echoed on microphones across the temple's courtyard. I overheard another Japanese couple talking about stamps so I headed inside as well to get my stamp and a brochure with a music sheet. Then I feasted my eyes again on the buildings' decorations, the statue of the sea dragon and the little monk figurines depicting everyday lives in the temple.
There was another hill where a statue of Goddess of Mercy stood tall overlooking the temple complex. THe view was even more peaceful with all the pine trees and the blue sea.
I also spent some time in the small gift shop, getting myself a small trinkets with my zodiac sign (snake) and trying my luck at fliping a coin into a stone turtle from the stone bridge. Alas I only managed to hit the statue.
And with that it was time to climb up the hill to return to Haeundae beach and explore its earthly pleasures. More people were starting to trickle down the path to the temple and I was glad to have come early in the morning, even if I could not catch the sunrise on the Eastern sea.
Although this was the 3rd temple in 3 days, I really enjoyed the breeze from the sea as well as the geenral layout of the temple. it was not as large as the others I visited before and had a bit of humour with all the little figurines and fountains. The natural setup was full of details you could spend hours or days gazing at, while the buildings were beautiful and not too many to get lost into.
I hailed a parked cab after passing by all the street vendors doing business with tourism, and got back to Haeundae beach by 11:00am.
No comments:
Post a Comment