Day One
Decided to get out of town for a few days in light of a long weekend from work. Alyna also had a few random days off from her work, so we teamed up with our main objective- anywhere but here and anything chill. After slowly packing and finalizing our destination we hopped on the KTX over to Busan with little to no plans except to head up to Haeinsa on Saturday for a weekend temple stay.
The train ride was wonderful and we were such rebels by not even sitting in our assigned seats…I was worried every time we stopped that someone was going to ask us to move but no one did.
As soon as we exited the train the excitement of being somewhere different overcame me. I was intrigued by everything. With no clue what to do or where to stay we spotted the information desk. This is often times my favorite way of traveling. No plan and then you just ask the information desk for a map and some suggestions. Maybe not the most full proof but I haven’t been disappointed yet.
Based on her suggestions and looking at the map we made some choices and headed down to the subway.
Walking out of the subway we started our adventure with the intentions of finding the bridge that changes colors. It was something to guide us so we went for it. We had to ask a couple vendors where it was and our directions were a fun combination of grunts, a few Korean words and motions (the common way that I communicate in Korea)
On our way to see the bridge our bags were getting heavy so we dropped into a ‘love’ motel to get a room for the night. The ‘love’ motels are marked with what looks like a red steaming bowl of soup. As we walked up the steps, calling cards with sexy girls scattered the steps. I was taken aback for a moment but then I reminded myself that this was common and the next hotel would be the same. We went up and got a room. The rooms were nice and clean, your standard ‘love’ motel set up. A bed and a dresser with a mirror over it furnished the room. The always present lotion, aftershave, comb, hair dryer and tissue sat on the dresser. Hey it was only 30,00o won…you get what you pay for. The only draw back about the hotel was the bar below was playing loud club music.... we hoped it would stop before we went to bed.
We just walked around along the water viewing the bridge. It was pretty but it didn't really matter, we were somewhere new. We randomly got directed into a fish restaurant. They led us up to our own private room and tried to get us to order a 50,000 won meal. We tried to explain that we just wanted something small but after our charades and limited Korean were not effective we got up and left. It was a bit confusing but we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. Ended up getting a bite to eat, via pointing at pictures, in a Chinese restaurant. The place was full of guys drinking soju. I think they were a little confused about our presence but then they just went back to watching the sports game and chatting. After our meal we called it an early night as the club music bellow lulled us to sleep.... barely.
Day Two
The next day we discovered that we'd slept until 2pm!! I was so surprised the hotel guy let us stay in our room that long. Maybe he'd just woken up as well. We packed up our belongings and headed over to the traditional fish market.
Got off the subway we looked for another cheap 'love' hotel to put down our bags. Found one and walked up. As we were walking up the 3 flights of stairs they started to narrow and the ceiling got lower. There was also a short winding metal staircase that went nowhere from the floor to the ceiling. The place was pretty empty and when we looked into some of the empty open rooms as we walked through the corridor and they had round beds. We chuckled wondering if all the rooms were like that. The woman at the front gave us a key and directed us to our room with a rectangular bed. :) Alyna was excited that there was a condom-venting machine by the front desk. Classic. We walked into our room, which smelled of bleach and put down our bags. The room was simple with the standard furnishings and love motel effects. A coin-operated hair dryer hung from the wall. Total cost 25,000 won. Locked up our room and went out to explore.
The fish market was amazing. I felt like I had taken a step back in time. We started to walk down the row of vendors selling a variety of fish. The awjumas (older women) were sitting in their open wooden booths with colorful umbrellas, cleaning and selling fish. The hanging lights gleamed off the fish scales and squid hung in rows drying. We just walked along looking at everything in awe. It seemed like the stalls would never end. Each stall varying slightly as we walked along blending into different types of ocean life, fresh, dried, and alive. Time was frozen and then I spotted a TV flashing in the back of a booth here and there bringing me back to the present. Rain started to sprinkle the already wet ground as we continued to walk on.
Looking up from the harbor, mountains lined the area. The small houses checkered the side in a variety of colors. Again it didn’t feel like we were in today’s Korea where tall apartment buildings are the common view.
In the background the harbor lay with boats and men standing around. We diverged from the rows of fish vendors and walked along the harbor. We felt like we weren’t supposed to be there but as usual the ‘foreigner card’ was played. Or maybe what was uncharted territory for us was of no interest to anyone else. A few men were fishing along the edge. I definitely felt out of my element but no more than I did among the stalls. A few fishing boats pulled up with black tires hanging from the sides. Some of the fishermen that weren't korean stuck out to us, reminding us again how much we stick out.
We left the time warp of the fish market and headed over to the shopping area. It was so different with bright lights, paved winding streets with stores like Levis, Doc Martins, Hepburn, The Body Shop and other boutiques creating this separate area only minutes away from the fish market.
Went into the Doc Martins store to look at shoes. The minute we walked in the storeowner proudly informed us that he had largey shoes. Size 8 or 9 U.S.! He also kept telling me to speak English every time I said anything in Korean. After they didn’t have an 8 in the boots Alyna was looking at we asked him for a dinner suggestion. He gave us some directions and a seafood dish selection. As usual we had to ask a few people where it was. Such sounds like ‘zoopz zup’ while pointing, led us to our dinner destination.
Day Three
Excited about heading over to the temple we packed. We weren’t really sure how we were going to get there and the program started at 4. After a bit of confusion and brainstorming we got on a bus to Haeinsa. By this time it was much later than we expected and we were worried we’d be late. The temple called and we informed them at we were indeed coming. They informed us that they’d wait for us. We had to transfer busses and a man offered us a ride in his car to the temple. I opted not to take the offer because I told my grandma I’d be safe. The bus driver also gave us a look and pointed toward the bus terminal. We arrived late and when we got off the bus a Korean woman was waiting for us.
We hustled up the mountain passing hikers and tourists. The air was brisk and I barely had a chance to look around at all the bright red and yellow leaves. The woman gave us a briefing about what we’d be doing and we quickly hiked up. She told us why she was staying at the temple and some of her history. When we finally got to the main temple area, we’d discovered that she used to live in Seoul and that her mother thought she was staying at a Catholic center. She handed us some temple clothing and we got changed. The outfits were a simple heavy gray material. They were also very comfortable. We joined the other people who were participating in the temple stay.
It was time for dinner. There is a special way that monks traditionally ate. There are 4 bowls that stack into each other. It is wrapped in a cloth and tied in a special knot. There is a specific order in which you are supposed to put the food and eat. The details are a bit uninteresting unless you are experiencing it yourself. The objective is that even a task like eating is a form or meditation. Meals are always eaten in silence. When finishing a meal not a morsel or spice is wasted and there is a process where you clean your bowls with water and drink the remaining creation.
The night ended by having tea and a discussion with a monk about meditation and Buddhism. Sung hye, the woman who met us, translated. We also introduced ourselves and learned a little about each other. Everyone was there to learn a little about Buddhism. Many people were Christian by faith. About 10 korean women, one korean man, and a swiss man. The hot herbal tea and sitting on the heated floor made me very sleepy. The men left and we laid out our mats and all slept on the heated floor.
Day Four
We woke around 3 am so we could watch the drum ceremony. The air was wet and chilly. Two monks stood under the pavilion that housed 4 musical instruments. A giant drum about 10 feet, a huge bell, a chime, and a chime shaped like an ornate fish dragon. Each one represents a different section of living creatures. The drum has cow hide for the animals, the bell is for man, the chime is in the shape of a cloud for the birds, and the fish dragon is for the creatures in the ocean.
They both took turns drumming. Not a beat was lost as they moved over and switched. It was very beautiful and artistic. Their arms moved up and outward as they drummed on the massive drum. The motion of their arms and movement of their clothes complimented the sounds. The drumming melodically beat into our sleepy brains.
We rushed over to the morning service. The chanting and bowing had already started as we entered the morning temple. We got our mats and quietly filed in. I had no idea what to do so I just kept an eye on how many bows I should make based on the others. They handed us a sheet with the chants on it but there was no way I could keep up. I just closed my eyes and let the chanting sweep over me. To my left a group of monks chanted together in their deep harmonious voices. Behind me a line of older women chanted, their voices lifting and falling in waves sometimes louder and softer, one person’s voice lifting more than another rippling along a line behind me. Before I knew it, it was time for us to move on to the next part of our stay.
108 bows…. lets just say this was not fun and my legs hurt for two days after. It definitely made me realize how out of shape I am. We were supposed to be chatting while doing this but that didn’t happen. A complete bow is not just bending at the waist. It is going down on your knees, putting your head on the floor, and then getting straight up…and repeat 107 more times.
Following the bows we meditated for 50 minutes. Our ‘code’ was “who am I?” The time went by quickly and focusing on the code helped when my thoughts got side tracked. I was glad my practice meditating really made the experience more fulfilling and less painful. I also did pretty well with not moving. It was still tough but it also reminded me to make it a part of my every day life.
Following the meditation we went over to breakfast, this time in the cafeteria.
A younger monk met us. His English was great because he’d lived in the states for 10 years. After finishing university in Missouri he decided to come back to Korea and become a monk. He was to give us a tour of the temple. I found his demeanor funny and insightful. When we first met him he told us that he wasn’t very good at history but that he’d do his best to give us a tour. He also spoke a little about Buddhism and the influences from other religions. Here are few stories he told to help explain some of his concepts or just about monks.
Do monks fight back?
After talking about the abuse against monks someone asked if monks fight back. He responded with “What did Jesus say to do if someone hurts you?” Alyna responded, “Turn the other cheek” “Monks are the same way.” The teachings of Jesus are not that different from the pure form of Buddhism. Jesus teaching to be kind to your neighbor, so does buddhism.
Sometimes monks do fight back
He then told an account where some monks were visiting Tibet. They witnessed some chinese soldiers beating some tibetan monks. The monk in the van took some pictures and quickly transfered them to his laptop before the police could erase their cameras. As soon as got back he emailed them to all the major news stations. Sometimes monks do fight back but in a different way, by helping others to be aware.
A man came to see a wise monk. He couldn’t sleep. He told the monk that he couldn’t sleep. It was starting to hurt his life, all of his friends were concerned about how to help him sleep and he was getting stressed out about the situation. The monk responded with “Don’t sleep then” The man was very confused. ‘What? Don’t sleep?’ “Yeah, Don’t sleep.” Don’t fight it just don’t sleep. So the man decided he wouldn’t try to sleep. The next day he fell asleep and slept for 3 days.
Sometimes things are so simple they are stupid…
We had tea with the same monk again and we just chatted about our stay. We cleaned the bowls we used for the traditional ceremony and swept our room. After turning in our temple clothes we had lunch in the cafeteria again. Everyone said his or her goodbyes and we headed back down the mountain a little slower than when we came, with a clearer mind. We took time to enjoy the scenery a bit although it we knew we were bounding down the mountain back to reality.
The trip back to Cheonan was full of more brain storming and booking of busses. The KTX was sold out, so a long bus home was the next best option…but it proved helpful to digest all the lessons we had learned and traditions witnessed.
