Beopjusa (Beopju Temple)

     This past Sunday I went to Beopjusa which is located on the southwestern slopes of Mt. Songnisan which is about 2 hours away from Choenan by bus.The temple was founded by the great monk Uishinjosa (의신조사) in 553 during the Silla Kingdom. Although the magnificent temple is dedicated to the worship of the Maitreya Buddha, it was built with the hope that ancient Korea’s Three Kingdoms would be reunified. Sadly, Some 14 centuries later millions are still hoping for a unified Korean peninsula.
    

    The buildings on site have been destroyed and rebuilt many times throughout its history but now it houses the country's only remaining five story wooden pagoda known as the Daeungbojeon. A five story pagoda like this was the inspiration for Bruce Lee and the making of the movie Game of Death. Unfortunately Bruce Lee died before the movie was ever finished.This pagoda was originally built in 553 and was rebuiltin 1624. The above two pictures are of Daeungbojeon.

     Another interesting structure is the Ssangsajasekdeung (Twin Lion Stone Lantern). It was built in 720. The above two pictures are of Ssangsajasekdeung.

     Most people however come here to see the 33 meter tall (108 feet) bronze standing Buddha which was built here in 1990. As you can see there is still no shortage of snow here in Korea especially when you get in areas located close to mountains. It was definitely a very relaxing day being at a temple being surrounded by pine trees. This Buddha cost of a little over four million dollars with a lot of money being raised by private donations.

     I have included some other random pictures (see above)from the three kilometer walk to Beopjusa from the Songnisan bus terminal. The rest of the pictures from Beopjusa can be found on Facebook.



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Chuncheon

     This past Sunday I went to Chuncheon in Gangwan-do province. This was my very first visit to Chuncheon and the northwestern part of Korea. I still can't believe how cold it has been this winter here in South Korea. Hopefully the weather will start to warm up now that we've entered February. I went to two different places this past Sunday which are actually connected Soyang Dam and Cheongpyeongsa Temple.

     Soyang Dam is the largest dam in Asia and created Lake Soyang. The scenery around the area is quite beautiful. During the early part of winter you can actually go ice fishing in this area. Also from Soyang Port you can take ferries which take you around the lake or take a ferry to Cheongpyeongsa Temple. The above pictures were taken from Soyang Dam. The rest of the pictures from Soyang Dam can be found on Facebook.

     Cheongpyeongsa Temple is located 19 kilometers from Chuncheon and you can reach the temple by ferry from Soyang Port and takes approximately ten minutes. Since I went there in late January I'm sure it's much more colorful in the spring or summer, but it's still cool to keep finding new places to visit. The only way to get to this temple is by water. The temple was first built in 973 and actually changed its name to Cheongpyeongsa in 1550 and has become a famous temple in Korea. On the way to the temple you pass by Guseong Waterfall. The above pictures are from Cheongpyeongsa Temple and the rest of the photos can be seen on Facebook.

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N Seoul Tower

      After about a month of hibernation due to some extremely cold weather I decided to go to Seoul this past Saturday and check out N Seoul Tower. It was actually a lot milder in Seoul then it has been lately as it actually climbed above 0 degrees Celsius.N Seoul Tower is located on Namsan (South Mountain) which is not quite as high as some of the other mountains surrounding Seoul it was still an important site for defending Seoul.

     After taking the cable car ride up Namsan one of the first places you'll see as you make your way to N Seoul Tower is Bongwadae (Beacon Mound). In the above pictures you can see five beacons which were used to transmit signals from the outskirts of the city to the government in downtown Seoul. During the Joseon period the beacons were used to relay warnings across the land. One flame lit meant that all was well while up to five were lit to signify varying degrees of unrest which were relayed by chains of beacons that stretched across the peninsula.

   

     N Seoul Tower has five levels to the upper section which are home to a viewing platform and assorted cafes and restaurants. You can get great views of Seoul from the tower when there isn't any smog or yellow dust from China but unforunately Saturday was not a particularly clear day as you can see from the above pictures.

     In the basement of N Seoul Tower there is a huge Teddy Bear Museum divided into two distinct and separte sections with one exhibition hall represting the past tracing the history of Hanyang of the Joseon Dynasty to modern-day Seoul while the second exhibition hall has interesting facets of modern Seoul from Apgujeong to Samcheong. I've included some of the pictures of the Teddy Bear Museum above while the rest of the pictures of the Teddy Bear Museum and N Seoul Tower can be found on Facebook.


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Incheon

     Incheon is an important port and Korea's third most populous city behind Seoul and Busan respectively. It is home of the country's main international airport and ferry terminal. I ventured there this past Sunday and went to three different places- Jayu Park, China Town, and Wolmi Park.

     Jayu Park was the first Western style park built in Korea. Jayu(Freedom) Park borders the older areas of the city. It was originally called Manguk (All Nations) Park but its name was changed after General Douglas Macarthur's statue was erected here in 1957. Located here in Mount Eubong this is where he led the Incheon Amphibious Land Operation during the Korean War. The two pictures above are of the Macarthur statue.

     Also in Jayu Park there is another interesting statue known as the Centenary of Korean-American Friendship Memorial Tower. A commercial treaty was concluded between the United States and the Joseon Dynasty 1882 which was the first international treaty signed by Korea and a Western country.The memorial tower was built to look back on the historical meaning and to continue the bilateral ties between Korea and the United States. The triangular-shaped tower looks up to the sky and at its center is a sculpture in the shape of two men standing shoulder to shoulder symbolizing friendship. Personally I don't actually see that in the sculpture but I'm not an artist! The above pictures are of the Memorial Tower. The rest of the pictures from Jayu Park can be found on Facebook.

     Just below Jayu Park is China Town. The China Town has a long history dating back to 1884 symbolizing the multicultural aspect on Incheon. At first it was formed for the purpose of equipping the Chinese vessels shuttling to Incheon and selling of imported merchandise and later expanded into building stores and restaurants. Today it is home to more than 500 immigrants. The three pictures above are of Euisendong. It is unknown when it was built but it was a temple used to educate the Chinese. The Chinese characters in the name mean "uphold justice and practice virtue". It was also used for the purpose of martial arts training. The rest of the pictures of China Town can be found on Facebook.

     The above two pictures are of the Centenary of Korean Christianity Memorial Tower which was built in 1985 in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the arrival of a Methodist priest and a Presbyterian priest who landed in Incheon on April 5, 1885 and helped spread Christianity. The tower is 17 meters high and located a short distance from China Town.

     The last place I visited on Sunday was Wolmi Park located on Wolmi island. Wolmi Park is a well preserved ecological park open to the public in 2001. It had been closed off to the public for 50 years due to it being located near a military camp.The park is also historically important because it was where the Incheon Landing Operation began during the Korean War. The top picture above is of Wolmi Observatory which is a 23 meter long three stories high which was built in 2005. The next two pictures are taken from the top of the Observatory overlooking Incheon and the bottom picture is of one of the two monstrous staircases I had to climb to reach the Observatory. It's supposed to be below 0 degrees Celsius all of next weekend so there might not be any new pictures next week. The rest of the pictures of Wolmi Park can be found on Facebook.


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