-- From Gongju to Busan
The road tracklog
from Gongju to Busan
from 2010/12/10 to 2010/12/17
On Saturdays December 11 I left Gongju to Buyeo, which was the last capital of the kingdom of Baekje, from 538 to 660, so built on a hill overhanging Baengmagang River. It was destroyed by the coalition of the kingdom of Silla with the Great Tang of China. From the Fortress it remains nothing walls and pavilions were rebuilt recently. I strolled on the very sloping tracks in the park in a cold sunny morning with company of many Korean families.
Busosanseong
Buyeo
11/12/2010
Busosanseong
Buyeo
11/12/2010
Busosanseong
Buyeo
11/12/2010
Busosanseong
Buyeo
11/12/2010
Busosanseong
Buyeo
11/12/2010
Busosanseong
Buyeo
11/12/2010
The museum of the city exhibits objects of great beauties of which the very famous incense burner. It is strange that this small city has such an extraordinary museum under enlarging work.
Buyeo National Museum
Buyeo
11/12/2010
Stone Sarira Case
Buyeo National Museum
Buyeo
11/12/2010
The Baekje Gilt-Bronze Incense Burner
Buyeo National Museum
Buyeo
11/12/2010
Buyeo National Museum
Buyeo
11/12/2010
To go to Songnisam NP I took a first bus for Daejeon, a taxi to change terminal and second bus for Songnisam NP, left at 6:55 I was able at 10:40 at destination where I spent a long moment into a Tourist Office to organize my way of the next day for Haein-sa. After having deposited my luggage at the hotel I undertook to revisit again the Beopju-sa Temple, already seen in 2003. But the temperature was significantly different, this day there it was of -8°C with an icy wind going down from the +1000-meter high mountain. The temple dates back to 533 AD, it was several times rebuilt.
Main Gate
Beopjusa Temple
Songnisam NP
12/12/2010
Beopjusa Temple
Songnisam NP
12/12/2010
Main Gate
Beopjusa Temple
Songnisam NP
12/12/2010
Beopjusa Temple
Songnisam NP
12/12/2010
Daeungjeon
Beopjusa Temple
Songnisam NP
12/12/2010
Buddha Hall owes its name with the three statues of Buddha, the Vairochana in the centre, to his left is Amitabha and to his right is Sakyamuni representing the three aspects our being, our mind, our virtue and our body.
Daeungjeon, Buddha Hall
Beopjusa Temple
Songnisam NP
12/12/2010
Bell Tower
Beopjusa Temple
Songnisam NP
12/12/2010
Between the Statue of Maitreya, 33 meters high, and the Bell tower a unique five-storey wooden pagoda dating back to 533 destroyed by Japanese in 1592 it was rebuilt in 1626.
Golden Maitreya Statue
Beopjusa Temple
Songnisam NP
12/12/2010
Monday December 13 in the morning in Songnisam the temperature had become positive with semi-snow precipitations. A first bus brought me to Daejeon then after more than one hour of waiting I took one of the three daily buses for Haein-sa where I arrived little after 3pm. I deposited my luggage at the hotel then I climbed the 1200 meters of the "Old shit track, again", fortunately it was cemented. The monastery was deserted, some monks traversed it from one building to another. I waded in mud of the successive courtyards.
Track
Haein-sa
13/12/2010
Haein-sa
13/12/2010
Haein-sa
13/12/2010
I reached the main hall, Daejeokgwangjeon which was built in 802, destroys by Japaneses in 1592, accidentally set fire to in 1817 then rebuilt in 1818, and regularly renovated. It is preceded by a stone lantern and a tree-storied stone pagoda.
Haein-sa
13/12/2010
Haein-sa
13/12/2010
Behind miraculously preserved since centuries Jangkyeongpanjeon, quadrilateral of buildings, houses the Tripitaka, the three baskets of Buddhism, i.e.: Sutra, scriptures, Vinaya, laws, and Abhidharma, treaties. It is composed of more than 80,000 wooden blocks especially treated and engraved from 1232 to 1251. They are listed in the World Heritage. Since my first visit in October 2003 a museum was built, alas it is closed on Mondays contrary to the Lp writings.
Haein-sa
13/12/2010
Haein-sa
13/12/2010
Block, replica
Haein-sa
13/12/2010
I strolled between the buildings in this sad cold and rainy afternoon imagining the contemplative life of monks. The atmosphere is asepticized in this Korean high-tech civilization which does not have anything comparable so that I lived before in the monasteries at the time of my various journeys in Ladakh and Tibet. Religion as a culture is integral part of civilization. For enthusiasts of epic novels I recommend the book "The Peregrination towards the West" by Wu Cheng'en who tells in 100 chapters the tribulations of the Tripitaka Chinese monk looking for the three Buddhist baskets accompanied by four semi-animal-semi-man fantastic beings, a monkey, a pig, a fish and a white horse. I advise the version in the French translation by A. Lévy published in the Bibliothèque de la Pleiade.
The next day before leaving Haein-sa I visited the museum which opens at 10am. It exhibits some objects of Buddhism art of which very beautiful paintings, alas in the half-light and of course with no-camera.
Museum
Haein-sa
14/12/2010
Museum
Haein-sa
14/12/2010
Museum
Haein-sa
14/12/2010
After a first bus for Daegu I took a subway to change terminal. Indeed as in the five great cities in Korea there is a bus terminal at the four cardinal points. I arrived in Gyeongju little after 3pm, after a short visit in Tourist Office and the deposit of my luggage to the hotel I visited the tumuli close to the centre of the old city. Gyeongju was the capital of the Kingdom of Silla during more than 1000 years from 57BC. The city counted up to a million inhabitants, it was renowned as being the "City of Gold". In 930AD the Kingdom of Goryeo unified the peninsula after the conquest of the Kingdoms of Baekje and Silla. The city declined quickly with the profit of Kaesong the capital of the Kingdom of Goryeo further away kilometres in the north of the DMZ in North Korea.
Noseo-ri
Gyeongju
14/12/2010
Noseo-ri
Gyeongju
14/12/2010
Tumuli Park
Gyeongju
14/12/2010
Cheonmachong coffin
Geongju
14/12/2010
Comma-shaped jade
Gyeongju
14/12/2010
For once the LP does not lead to consumption, There are three not-to-be-missed sights, Bulguksa, Seokguram Grotto and the National Museum such were the targets of this second day which began in the morning with -8°C in downtown and -12°C at Seokguram, brrr. A first bus n°10 spent 30 minutes to Bulguksa and after its visit another bus N°12 during 15 minutes to climb the mountain where Seokguram is. In all monasteries in Korea it is not allowed to take pictures inside buildings. The monastery of Bulguksa does not make exception, some nuns guardians take care of its respect. Except these watchwomen there were not a living soul in the deserted buildings that I traversed with the step of race not to catch a pneumonia. Once again I was alone. I succeeded in stealing a picture.
Bulguk-sa
Geongju
15/12/2010
Bulguk-sa
Gyeongju
15/12/2010
Bulguk-sa
Geongju
15/12/2010
Bulguk-sa
Gyeongju
15/12/2010
Bulguk-sa
Geongju
15/12/2010
In Seokguram Grotto I had as in 2003 no possibility of taking a picture, I was satisfied with that of the booklet. These two sites are listed in the World Heritage;
Seokguram Grotto
Gyeongju
15/12/2010
Seokguram Grotto
Geongju
15/12/2010
In the early afternoon I visited the National Museum by strolling in the four buildings. The collections held my attention once again.
National Museum
Gyeongju
15/12/2010
National Museum
Geongju
15/12/2010
National Museum
Gyeongju
15/12/2010
Great disappointment the next day the bus stop for Tongdosa is on the motorway to Busan at approximately two kilometres away from the entry of the monastery which I reached randomly. Obviously Tourist Office in Gyeongju had given me erroneous information. In spite of just as in 2003 I arrived for the prayer, all buildings resounded of the monks' chants, it was a great moment of piety. Tongdo-sa is one of the seldom monasteries in activity where the faithful are numerous. I strolled in the different courtyards by drawling my trolley greeting in passing gray dressed monks and not in saffron, Zen sect of Jogye. A nun looking at my bare hand gave me a pair of white gloves! The temperature was very low.
Tongdosa
16/12/2010
Tongdosa
16/12/2010
Tongdosa
16/12/2010
Tongdosa
16/12/2010
At the entry of the site a museum exhibits superb old paintings. No camera, a guardian watch over, que nenni I stole some.
Museum
Tongdosa
16/12/2010
Museum
Tongdosa
16/12/2010
In the early afternoon I unloaded at the Bus Terminal in the north of Busan where extremely judiciously a subway station was installed. After a stop in Tourist Office I deposited my luggage at the hotel and in spite of the intense cold I visited the vicinity. The port seen from the subway station shows two structures under construction of a future air road.
Busan Station
Busan
16/12/2010
The harbour
Busan
16/12/2010
The second day in Busan was as cold as the preceding one. I went to Beomeo-sa Temple by subway then by bus to climb the mountain. The site is sumptuous in spite of the cold. As in the Tongdo-sa the monastery is in activity, many faithful attended the prayer. I wandered around the buildings, I was astonished enough to see the police patrolling in the monastery, for an unknown reason.
Beomeo-sa
Busan
17/12/2010
Beomeo-sa
Busan
17/12/2010
Beomeo-sa
Busan
17/12/2010
Beomeo-sa
Busan
17/12/2010
Beomeo-sa
Busan
17/12/2010
At the beginning of afternoon I strolled without goal in the huge vessel of the largest shopping centre in the world according to Lp, Shinegae Centum City, where women represented more than 90% of customers. Centum City subway station is worthy of Las-Vegas. As everywhere in the world users of subway have the same behaviour at the rush hours. In the vicinity they are only residential high-rise buildings. Busan is the economic lung of Korea enclosed between mountains. Culturally it does not have great interest except the beaches in summer.
High-rise Buildings
Busan
17/12/2010
