Every vacation must come to an end
Finally, the time has come to conclude my vacation. I've dragged it on as long as I could, but it's time to write the last photoless entry. This installment will explain why the last entries have been photoless. This last day is particularly painful to recollect, as it only reminds me of all the pictures I lost. However, the silver lining in the cloud is the fact that the incident forced my hand to buy a new camera which I'm extremely happy with. Look forward to seeing some nice pics in the next installment. For now...
Thursday morning arrived after a painful (because of a little too much sun), yet fulfilling sleep in the comfortable hotel room. I had decided to travel to Jinju, which leads me to digress. On the train to Busan, Gina read many tidbits from her Lonely Planet Korea guidebook. I had expressed my belief that I was not a guidebook person. I felt that guidebooks robbed vacations of spontaneity and adventure, the kind I had experienced on my last vacation. However, when my plan changed in Busan and I decided to go to an unknown place, I decided I needed a map. Gina's guidebook had a very nice map, so she was kind enough to let me borrow it for the week. I can't stress how handy this book ended up being. I was able to locate interesting sites I wouldn't have known about and also knew exactly how to get there. I looked at the different cities available at the bus terminal at Okpo and settled on Jinju.
Jinju is a quiet, clean city built around a river. The cities lone claim to fame is the Jinjuseong fortress. Jinju was a good option for me in that I could take a bus from there to my desired Thursday evening destination, Haeinsa (more on that later). I arrived in Jinju around 11am, and purchased a ticket to Haeinsa. The bus didn't leave until 5:50, so I had plenty of time to check out Jinju and it's reknowned fortress. "Local street signs call it a castle, but it's actually a well-preserved fortress built during the Goryeo dynasty that was partially destroyed during the Japanese invasion of 1592. It was here that one of the major battles of the campaign was fought, in which 70,000 Koreans lost their lives. Inside the fortress walls, traditional gates, shrines, and temples dot the grassy knolls of this heavily wooded oval park." (Lonely Planet p. 224) See what I mean about the guidebook? I promptly purchased one after returning home.
It's hard to believe their was such a bloody battle on this site. It was one of the most serene places I had been to in Korea. The gardens were beautifully manicured and there were trees everywhere. I can't say how nice it is to hear the buzz of secadas after living in the dirty concrete labyrinth that is Suwon. I walked around this fortress for over two hours, basking in the gentle garden breeze. The shrines were pristine, and showed a pride and respect for the bold men who lost their lives fighting for their nation's independence. There were numerous pagodas and small villages which were beautifully restored and stunning to the eye. I captured so many pictures, and accidentally released them into the wild. I ate a tasty lunch at a restaurant in this fortress, once again conjuring my Korean reading skill to order something I eat five times a week: Bi bim bap. Bi bim bap is a dish consisting of fresh vegetables, rice, a sunny-side-up egg, chili paste, and rice. It's a tasty nutritious meal that is consistently good nearly wherever I order it.
After traversing the fortress, I still had a couple of hours to kill. I took this time to roam around the small downtown area, in search of a clean shirt. I have to say that I hadn't done laundry, and was beginning to smell at this point. I came across an E-Mart, and bought a couple of shirts for a bargain. After that came the time to find a place to shower and put on clean threads. So I wandered around in search of a sauna, and knew what Korean word to look for. After walking many blocks, I finally found one with just over an hour to kill. The sauna provided me with a shower, hot tub, and steam room. I emerged one hour later feeling like a new man ready to take the next leg of my trip.
I had chosen to go to Haeinsa for the following reason: "As well as being one of Korea's most significant temples, Haeinsa is also one of the most beautiful. Part of its beauty lies in the natural setting of mixed deciduous and coniferous forest. It's a romantic's paradise in wet weather, when wisps of cloud drift at various levels through the forest." (LP p. 174) Again, Lonely Planet... What would I have done without it? I arrived in Haeinsa after dark, and was intent on visiting the temple early the next morning.
That evening I discovered an atmosphere more calming and bucolic than anything I had seen in previous days. The village where I stayed was a dark and quiet place in the mountains built along a rustling brook. I booked a twenty dollar room in a beautifully quaint hotel situated along the river. I put my things in my room and promptly left to explore the small area. The smell was fresh and clean, and the village was pristinely clean. I walked for a couple of miles down a sidewalk along the said rustling brook. I mentioned the sign in Hakpo boasting one of the 100 most beautiful sounds in Korea, but it didn't hold a candle to the sound of this stream rapidly rushing over large stones. I was at total peace walking along this dark sidewalk, breathing the fresh air and basking in the wonderfully soothing sounds. After getting to a place away from any artificial lights, I looked up at the sky and was floored.
I've become so accustomed to living in cities where the sky is blurred by the intense light from the urban jungle. In this place, however, there was absolutely no obscurity to the starry night whatsoever. I could see every star in the sky, and the white smear that is the milky way. It had been many years since I saw the night sky this vividly. I laid on the ground gaping at the incredible wonder of a clear night sky. I thought of all the things man has invented, and of all the artists, and movies, and contraptions, and such forth. And I thought of how none of these man-made conceptions could ever in a million years hold a candle to what I was seeing at that moment.
After a long, contemplative gaze at the sky, I headed back down the stream toward the hotel. I was completely at peace at this point and was ready to turn in to wake up early the next day. My hotel room's window was about 15 meters from the brook, and there was a gentle breeze flowing through the screen window. The television in the room was never turned on, as I laid on the bed and relished the sedating noise of the brook. Needless to say, I slept like a baby that evening.
The next morning I woke up early and packed my things to go to the temple. The first thing I wanted to do that day was to take pictures of the town, the mountains, and the brook. So the first thing I reached for in my bag was my camera, and everyone by now knows what the result was. The temple never materialized as I spent the morning futilly searching for my camera. It was never to be found. I believe I left in on a bus when I was rushedly transferred to another bus after being woke up. This knowledge did me no good, as I had a Korean call the bus terminals and they said they had nothing. Frustrated, I decided to pack it up and head back to Suwon. I took a bus to Daegu and then transferred to a bus to Suwon. I returned home around 6:00 that evening. One weekend soon, I plan to return to Haeinsa and visit the temple. This time around, I'll have pictures to show.
Thursday morning arrived after a painful (because of a little too much sun), yet fulfilling sleep in the comfortable hotel room. I had decided to travel to Jinju, which leads me to digress. On the train to Busan, Gina read many tidbits from her Lonely Planet Korea guidebook. I had expressed my belief that I was not a guidebook person. I felt that guidebooks robbed vacations of spontaneity and adventure, the kind I had experienced on my last vacation. However, when my plan changed in Busan and I decided to go to an unknown place, I decided I needed a map. Gina's guidebook had a very nice map, so she was kind enough to let me borrow it for the week. I can't stress how handy this book ended up being. I was able to locate interesting sites I wouldn't have known about and also knew exactly how to get there. I looked at the different cities available at the bus terminal at Okpo and settled on Jinju.
Jinju is a quiet, clean city built around a river. The cities lone claim to fame is the Jinjuseong fortress. Jinju was a good option for me in that I could take a bus from there to my desired Thursday evening destination, Haeinsa (more on that later). I arrived in Jinju around 11am, and purchased a ticket to Haeinsa. The bus didn't leave until 5:50, so I had plenty of time to check out Jinju and it's reknowned fortress. "Local street signs call it a castle, but it's actually a well-preserved fortress built during the Goryeo dynasty that was partially destroyed during the Japanese invasion of 1592. It was here that one of the major battles of the campaign was fought, in which 70,000 Koreans lost their lives. Inside the fortress walls, traditional gates, shrines, and temples dot the grassy knolls of this heavily wooded oval park." (Lonely Planet p. 224) See what I mean about the guidebook? I promptly purchased one after returning home.
It's hard to believe their was such a bloody battle on this site. It was one of the most serene places I had been to in Korea. The gardens were beautifully manicured and there were trees everywhere. I can't say how nice it is to hear the buzz of secadas after living in the dirty concrete labyrinth that is Suwon. I walked around this fortress for over two hours, basking in the gentle garden breeze. The shrines were pristine, and showed a pride and respect for the bold men who lost their lives fighting for their nation's independence. There were numerous pagodas and small villages which were beautifully restored and stunning to the eye. I captured so many pictures, and accidentally released them into the wild. I ate a tasty lunch at a restaurant in this fortress, once again conjuring my Korean reading skill to order something I eat five times a week: Bi bim bap. Bi bim bap is a dish consisting of fresh vegetables, rice, a sunny-side-up egg, chili paste, and rice. It's a tasty nutritious meal that is consistently good nearly wherever I order it.
After traversing the fortress, I still had a couple of hours to kill. I took this time to roam around the small downtown area, in search of a clean shirt. I have to say that I hadn't done laundry, and was beginning to smell at this point. I came across an E-Mart, and bought a couple of shirts for a bargain. After that came the time to find a place to shower and put on clean threads. So I wandered around in search of a sauna, and knew what Korean word to look for. After walking many blocks, I finally found one with just over an hour to kill. The sauna provided me with a shower, hot tub, and steam room. I emerged one hour later feeling like a new man ready to take the next leg of my trip.
I had chosen to go to Haeinsa for the following reason: "As well as being one of Korea's most significant temples, Haeinsa is also one of the most beautiful. Part of its beauty lies in the natural setting of mixed deciduous and coniferous forest. It's a romantic's paradise in wet weather, when wisps of cloud drift at various levels through the forest." (LP p. 174) Again, Lonely Planet... What would I have done without it? I arrived in Haeinsa after dark, and was intent on visiting the temple early the next morning.
That evening I discovered an atmosphere more calming and bucolic than anything I had seen in previous days. The village where I stayed was a dark and quiet place in the mountains built along a rustling brook. I booked a twenty dollar room in a beautifully quaint hotel situated along the river. I put my things in my room and promptly left to explore the small area. The smell was fresh and clean, and the village was pristinely clean. I walked for a couple of miles down a sidewalk along the said rustling brook. I mentioned the sign in Hakpo boasting one of the 100 most beautiful sounds in Korea, but it didn't hold a candle to the sound of this stream rapidly rushing over large stones. I was at total peace walking along this dark sidewalk, breathing the fresh air and basking in the wonderfully soothing sounds. After getting to a place away from any artificial lights, I looked up at the sky and was floored.
I've become so accustomed to living in cities where the sky is blurred by the intense light from the urban jungle. In this place, however, there was absolutely no obscurity to the starry night whatsoever. I could see every star in the sky, and the white smear that is the milky way. It had been many years since I saw the night sky this vividly. I laid on the ground gaping at the incredible wonder of a clear night sky. I thought of all the things man has invented, and of all the artists, and movies, and contraptions, and such forth. And I thought of how none of these man-made conceptions could ever in a million years hold a candle to what I was seeing at that moment.
After a long, contemplative gaze at the sky, I headed back down the stream toward the hotel. I was completely at peace at this point and was ready to turn in to wake up early the next day. My hotel room's window was about 15 meters from the brook, and there was a gentle breeze flowing through the screen window. The television in the room was never turned on, as I laid on the bed and relished the sedating noise of the brook. Needless to say, I slept like a baby that evening.
The next morning I woke up early and packed my things to go to the temple. The first thing I wanted to do that day was to take pictures of the town, the mountains, and the brook. So the first thing I reached for in my bag was my camera, and everyone by now knows what the result was. The temple never materialized as I spent the morning futilly searching for my camera. It was never to be found. I believe I left in on a bus when I was rushedly transferred to another bus after being woke up. This knowledge did me no good, as I had a Korean call the bus terminals and they said they had nothing. Frustrated, I decided to pack it up and head back to Suwon. I took a bus to Daegu and then transferred to a bus to Suwon. I returned home around 6:00 that evening. One weekend soon, I plan to return to Haeinsa and visit the temple. This time around, I'll have pictures to show.
posted by Christopher at 9:39 PM
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