[New & Upcoming] Templestay and Temple-hopping in Korea

Hello everyone, it has been a while since I blog about my travel experiences.  I have just returned from a 2-week templestay cum temple-hopping trip in Korea.  There is so much to share about this unique and tranquil experience visiting these temples that are more than 15-centuries old, and located in the mountains.  For a preview of the itinerary, click on this link.

A year ago, I read about the Three-Jewel temples in Korea.  The three-jewel is of great significance in Mahayana Buddhism and it refers to the Buddha, Dharma (teachings of the Buddha) and the Sangha (the Buddhist community who's role is to actively propagate of the Dharma after the Buddha's passing).  I was totally excited and had this travel plan in mind for a year and it finally came into fruition

Some background about Buddhism in Korea.  After a long journey through China, Buddhism arrived in Goguryeo, one of the three ancient Korean kingdoms, in A.D. 372.  From there, it travelled further south to another Korean kingdom, Baekje, about a decade later and then finally to Silla about a century later.  Buddhism thrived most during the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. to A.D. 935) and was persecuted under the Joseon Dynasty (1392 to 1910).  Korean Buddhism has their unique and distinct features based on historical relics.  Through this journey, the uniqueness are evident from the infrastructure and culture of Korean Buddhism.

Tongdosa Temple in South Gyeongsang Province (Gyeongsangnam-do) represents the first jewel - the Buddha.  Haeinsa Temple, also in South Gyeongsang Province represents the second jewel - the Dharma.  Songgwangsa Temple, in South Jeolla Province (Jeollanam-do) represents the third jewel - the Sangha.

Having in mind the triple-jewel is an important practice for Buddhist for it is the constant reflection and reminder of the Buddha's teaching that enable us to develop compassion and wisdom.  These are the key qualities of all Bodhisattvas and Buddha which enable them to liberate the sufferings of all sentient beings.

Here's a sneak preview of the 3 key temples for this trip. 

 Tongdosa Temple (通度寺）

 Haeinsa Temple （海印寺）

 



Songgwangsa Temple （松广寺）

We also took the opportunity to visit 2 other UNESCO sites, the Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto (a stone-cave hermitage).  Bulguksa Temple is unique because within this temple, we can meet all the "Three Bodies of Buddhas at the Vairocana Hall, Paradise Hall and Hall of Great Hero.  The Avalokitesvara Hall is located right next to the Vairocana Hall.  As such, it was said that this temple features all the Buddhism's most celebrated "superstars".

Bulguksa Temple (佛国寺）

 

 

Seokguram Grotto (石窟庵）

And since I was in Busan, we also made a trip to visit Beomeosa Temple.  This temple is known as the temple where the fish from Nirvana play.  Elaborations about the temple will be shared in my later post.

Beomeosa Temple (梵鱼寺）

If you plan to take a route less-travelled in Korea, experience about templestay and accomodations in those cities that I visited, keep a lookout for my postings!!


Related post:
15-day itinerary in Korea (click here)
Airline promotions to Korea - Summer/Autumn 2015 (click here)
Airline promotions to Korea - Winter 2015 (click here)

[Jeollanam-do, Korea] Autumn Series: Rail-Biking Along Seomjingang River

Seomjingang River, one of the four major rivers in Korea, starts from Imsil and Sunchang. It merges with several bodies of water in Gokseong-gun, Gurye and Hadong before flowing into the South Sea.  With the cool weather, rail-biking is one way to enjoy the scenic Seomjingang River scenery, in Gokseong County. 

Rail biking is a self-powered pedal vehicle and runs on railroad tracks.  Work in a pair or 2 pairs, and it is great fun for family and friends.  The rail bike starts from Chimgok Station and ends at Gajeong Station.  Enjoy the gentle breeze as you pedal through the rail road, which is approximately 5.1km long between the 2 points.

Enjoying the clear, blue skies... as a safety precaution, we were asked to keep a distance from the vehicle ahead.  On the vehicle, there is a small storage area for bags and stuff but it is definitely not big enough to keep big items!

Views of Seomjingang River.  Clear river water runs through peacefully, quietly and slowly... 

Roads are clear, no messy congestions, no honks, no hurry ~

Riders take our time too ~ enjoy the cool wind, savour the moments with nature, have a chat with your partner, crack some jokes, take turns to pedal the vehicle.... that's how life should be.

Reality sets in as we end the tranquillity of the Seomjingang River Rail Bike but memories stay. 

Our destination was the Gajeong Train Station.  Around the station, there are a number of restaurants, temples, markets and pensions too.  It is possible to stay over for a night or two at the vicinity of the Gajeong Station.

Getting to Chimgok Station:

Take a bus from Seoul Central City Bus Terminal to Gokseong Bus Terminal. (Bus schedule: 15:00 / Estimated travel time: 3hr 45min) Alternatively, take the KTX from Yongsan Station (Seoul) to Gokseong Station.  (Train schedule: 08:20am and 19:20pm; 2hr 49min ride) It takes about 5 to 10 mins by taxi and 20 to 30 minutes on foot from Gokseong -eup Bus Terminal to the Rail Bike Station.



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[Korea] Catching the Autumn Foliage in Korea

So, you have been planning a trip to Korea for the longest time to see the autumn foliage.  The travel guidebooks say that autumn season is from September to November but does it mean that you can expect to see the red autumn leaves anytime from September to November?  If your answer is no, you are absolutely right.  Just like spring blooms, the most beautiful period of the autumn season is only for about 2 weeks. 

Another important consideration is the location where you will be.  The northern part of the country gets the autumn foliage first and it gradually moves south-wards.  The difference is about 2 weeks.

I went to Korea in mid October last year, hoping to see the autumn leaves.  Instead of taking a typical itinerary of going to Soraksan, I explored a mountain that was in the southern part of Korea.  This was my experience.

On 17 October, as per our itinerary, the guide brought the group to Naejangsan National Park (내장산 국립공원), which is said to be the most famous mountain to view the autumn foliage. It is located in the Jeollanam-do. Naejangsa (Naejang Temple), one of the oldest temple in South Korea built during the 7th century, was found deep in the mountain. Because it is located in the southern part, it was way too early to see the crimson leaves. In fact, the peak of the autumn foliage only happened at the 2nd week of November!

(Entrance to the Naejang Temple)

(Mainly green leaves on the trees)

(Only a handful of trees have started to turn orangy)

(The beautiful temple at the serene mountain top) 

On 18 October, we visited the Metasequoia-lined Road, located at Jeollanam-do, Damyang-gun.  It is a 4-km boulevard, lined with Metasequoia trees on both sides of the path.  Here's my experience with autumn leaves in this area - trees were all very green still, with no signs of autumn.  How sad!  But anyway, the following 3 photos will give you some ideas when would be a good time to catch the beautiful autumn leaves at the Jeollanam-do area.

 (Photo taken on 18 Oct 2012)

(Photo taken in mid November 2012 during the peak of the autumn foliage)

(Photo taken in early December 2007 during an earlier trip.  The leaves had started to turn brownish.)

As mentioned earlier, the northern areas experience autumn foliage earlier then the southern areas.  Travelling north-wards, Everland, located in Gyeonggi-do, might be a possible place that you can catch autumn leaves here and there.  These photos were taken on 19 October and it shows that the leaves were only starting to change colour.  They were somewhat yellowish still and mostly still greenish.

In fact, Seoul, located in the northern part of South Korea and has more scenic autumn leaves compared to the southern places that I travelled to earlier before reaching Seoul.  You may be surprised but university campuses in Korea looks somewhat like a park with its beautiful trees and shrubs planted within their campus.  The photos were taken at Ewha Womans University last October.  Although the crimson leaves were not in full bloom yet, there were more colourful trees in the campus.

The Korea Tourism Organisation website publishes the nation-wide estimated autumn foliage dates in late September.  That information would be useful for you to plan your autumn travel dates.  You can use the 2012 dates as a reference since the 2013 dates are not released yet.  A quick summary for 2012's autumn foliage calendar shows that the first foliage took place between 3 Oct to 27 Oct while the peak foliage was between 18 Oct to 5 Nov.  So, choose your dates and the places you want to visit carefully to avoid any disappointment. =)


Related Posts:
- Airfare Promotions to Seoul/Busan/Jeju (Click here)
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- Gangwon-do: Chuncheong Dakgalbi (Click here)
- Exploring Korean Traditional Markets on Subway Line 5 (Click here)