(South Korean style!!)
Or perhaps, more accurately, “South Korea ’til you drop.” We had a whirlwind of a weekend, trying to cram everything in!
My coworker and I left directly for the airport after a 12 hour shift, landed in Seoul at 11:30 PM, and made it to our hotel around 1 AM. For most people (and in most countries), that would be snoozing time. Not us!
Seoul is one of those cities that never sleeps. In fact, most of the markets and street food stands don’t even start to open until 10:00.
It played perfectly into our hands, though!
The markets were absolutely insane, and I don’t just mean the prices (USD -> Korean wan is 1:1100. There were an intimidating number of zeroes on all of the price tags!)
You could probably stock a small department store with what some people were buying. Bikes and mopeds were zipping around with goods stacked four or five feet high on the back, full sized panel trucks arrived, you name it.
I admit to not being quite up to the task of shopping like a local. I made a few deals, but I was more interested in taste testing all of the street food we passed while my coworker finished his shopping.
…So much so that I forgot to take pictures! Rest assured, it was delicious.
I’m maintaining the philosophy that names really just hold you back when it comes to food. I have no idea most of what I ate on this trip, and the one thing I did know, I didn’t like. Coincidence?
Maybe not. It was kimchi.
We called it a night around five, when the markets started to close. I may have to go back, now that I’m adjusted to the extreme sensory overload, though: I found this nifty hat and didn’t buy one…
Of course, we’d been up for about 24 hours, so after all that shopping and snacking, it was definitely time for a nap…
…And I do mean nap! We set the alarm for eight so we could get up and hop on a bus to Beopjusa for an overnight experience at a Buddhist temple.
It came highly recommended that we try to get out of the city and visit a temple, if there was time. I took it a little too seriously.
Luckily, we were able to go back to napping after the first transfer. Plus, I was able to discover my favorite South Korean gastronomical experience: the purple ogre, a sweet potato latte that tastes the way Thanksgiving smells.
My coworker liked his corn latte just as much, but his latte wasn’t purple.
Some nice bus scenery…
At last we arrived (slightly late) in Beopjusa. Fortunately, the only two other people on the bus were also late participants. Strength in numbers!
We checked in, threw on our temple clothes, and headed out for a pre-sunset tour of the grounds.
Don’t be fooled by my bravado. It was freezing cold, and while none of the religious buildings have heat, our rooms were fantastically cozy (heated floors go a long way when you’re sleeping and sitting on the floor all the time!)
Me, as a cold, yet cheerful, Buddhist popsicle.
My favorite picture from the weekend. Our host was quick to assure us that change came slowly to Beopjusa compared to other temples, which is why they have fewer tourist buildings and less access. As far as modern conveniences, I really liked the LED wishing lanterns.
One of their tourist concessions, though, was the large golden Buddha. Their more authentic claims hold South Korea’s oldest wooden pagoda, and the longest standing temple complex. The monks defended the temple in the mountains during a series of aggressive invasions, while hundreds of others were burned.
Dinner was provided. Soup; rice; kimchi. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world, although apparently they’ve had complaints from people who didn’t realize Buddhists are vegetarian.
Then it was time for tea and arts and crafts before we returned to our rooms for ‘independent meditation time’, which was really just code for socializing in the tea room.
Personally, I think they look like very bright artichokes.
After being woken up for our frigid four-in-the-morning chants (very cool, in both ways), we were thoroughly convinced that the monks lived in proper asceticism. At least until one of the monks pulled a Samsung Note out of his robes over tea.
Turns out they get three months a year of monk-y vacation study, and barista school is pretty popuar. It is, as he explained, “part of Buddhism to bring back good things and share them. Monks study long hours; coffee is a good thing.”
We had time to go on a hike before our departure (reasons why I picked this temple!) and had an excellent view. Plus, we all look so official.
We made some very interesting new friends, and then caught a ride back to the airport (and yes, another nap!)
No sleep, no problem!
myTia 