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Published: January 29th 2013
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So my friend Jennifer (Scottish who I met in Cadiz but now teaches in Tokyo) came to stay for a week, and we decided to make the most of all the hiking around Busan. We headed out for a hike we started once before but deliberately wandered off course! Our aim was Seokbulsa temple - apparantly one of the more beautiful and unique Buddhist temples in the Busan area. After cheating and getting the cable car halfway up Geumjung mountain (for views!) we started our walk. The autumn (had to stop myself from typing fall there) leaves were beautiful, they had changed colour completely to all shades of yellow and red, and they were mostly incredibly vibrant. We followed the trail to the old fortress gate, newly renovated of course, and then wisely continued on in the right direction! We came into a small village - Namman village, which mostly was full of restaurants packed full with people. There were also a load of what looked like tennis courts, and people were playing "foot-volleyball" which mostly looked like they were just kicking the ball over the net at the opposing team. Very interesting to watch! We got directions from a friendly
waitress, and continued on. It was hard to follow one particular path, there were so many weaving off in all directions. We walked down a small boulder field (using that term loosely), and then veered down another dirt path and down some steps. The atmosphere was just so peaceful. We came to the end of the trail onto a concrete road winding up the hill. This was the bit we'd heard was the steepest and most difficult part of the hike, but it wasn't that bad. And the views got even more spectacular as we went up.
Finally we made it to the temple. The courtyard we entered after walking through the gate was modern and re-painted, like most temples - no real sign of age! But then we walked up a flight of stone stairs and entered the hermitage. This was literally a place where the mountain walls came together, the temple
is the mountain - embedded on the side of Geumjeongsan. A massive Buddhist figure stands in front of a polished stone prayer platform. The three sides of the temple are mountain rock acting as towering walls, 40 meters tall, adorned with intricate carvings of six Buddhist
figures. Numerous religious designs are etched directly into the mountain side, staring down at you from tremendous heights. Two small caverns house modest shrines where prayers and offerings can be made. The cave walls are cool and damp, and the darkness is cut only by flickering candles and the sunlight pouring through the entrance.
People were praying there as we arrived. It was incredibly beautiful and serene, and far more impressive than the ornately decorated traditional temples we had seen before. We walked up a level to another small platforn where offerings had been left, for a closer view of the carvings. We stayed a long time just soaking up the peaceful atmosphere, having left the hustle and bustle of Busan well behind.
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