Teaching Souls in Seoul (Cheonan, Jeju, Cheongil, Gapcheon, & Masan): October 2012

I went out for a bit and just thought I'd combine it all into 1 post. Everything is either from Sunday or Saturday. Either way, let me show you a little bit from what I saw this week.

I visited a cafe on Sunday (21.Oct.) that I wanted to check out for a long time. It's called "Ludwig" (as in Ludwig van Beethoven).

Serene.

The outside.

Some of what they offer, as well as their hours of operation.

Some more info if you want.

They're a bit pricey, but the ambiance is really nice.

That's the end of Sunday. Off to Saturday.

The view out my bedroom window.

You can see it's Autumn--and the institute.

I decided to take a walk to my favorite, nearby park--but with my camera this time.

Some of the most vivid reds I've ever seen.

"The long and winding road . . ."

"A cord of three is not easily broken."

If you feel like working out outside, here's the place to do it (with palm trees).

Now, off to a special traditional Korean music concert in which one of the church members (and a former student of mine) played.

The musician's husband and son. They're a really nice family, each one of them.

The traditional Korean orchestra. The conductor (dressed in green) doesn't do much other than signal when to begin and when to stop. The orchestra takes care of themselves--together.

By the way, they're dressed here in the traditional garb of the royal orchestra, which played in the palace.

Chan-gu and Dragon drum.

I learned to play the Chan-gu 2 years ago in Cheonan.

The conductor (and founder of this traditional orchestra).

Honestly don't know what it's called, but find it fascinating how it resembles a cello on a table.

A special duo.

The founder himself plays.

My former student and a current church member doing what she does wonderfully.

A group from within the orchestra.

Like a table harp I've seen in Austria.

They pluck the strings with a stick and press them down for the desired sound.

It's hard to believe, but this little flute sounds like a saxophone.

The orchestra with a singer.

The entire orchestra again.

This was a nice educational and cultural night. Too bad I didn't have the battery-life to take video.

Now, off to enjoy my shortest term break ever . . .

I visited this place last year and I've wanted to return (for the post, click here). I'm so grateful to have had this opportunity this past Sunday (7. Oct.). I went with a student--she drove us there. We walked around and saw just about everything. We wanted to try out the canoes, so we went to where one should sign up. Surprise, surprise, . . . the canoes were booked until 16:30. It was noon. Makes sense. It's Sunday and there were A LOT of people there (half were families, the other half were couples). But the problem was still there: what were we going to do for 4.5 hours?

Solution: Explore, of course!

Where? Yakchunsa (the biggest Buddhist temple I've ever seen). After we've thoroughly explored it, back to Seogwipo we go to get lunch before getting in the canoe. It took us a bit, but we were able to find a place at the Maeil ("everyday") Market. Then we race back to Soesoggak. Our 4:30pm appointment had been changed to 4pm, 'cause apparently several people cancelled. OK with us! So we got on and tried to stay for as long as we could (30 min. limit). Then eat snacks on benches by the sea, and head back home before dark. Very good day.
Enough words, now pictures!

Relaxing and romantic

Boardwalk

Down to the black sand beach of Soesoggak.

Info on the canoe/kayak rides one can take. I believe it's 14,000 won/pair/half hour. But don't quote me on this. Best to look it up online or get a translator.

At Soesoggak's beach . . . with a small "island" in the background.

some more

Where you go to get your canoe/kayak rides.

A humble attempt to stitch and get the entire picture--from this angle.

Canoe guards and guides (at least they give us directions).

Up the lovely estuary.

Want to ride a Teu (traditional boat from Jeju)?

See how clear the water is?

The top of the cliff at the end of the estuary.

Pockets of water with rocks.

From the dry-ish riverbed, all the way down to the sea (if you can see that far).

I really like this place.

Thanks for taking the photo Mimi!

The Olle Trail 6.

Do you need any more info.?

Oh, I see they cater to most hikers. Good to know!

A Te-woo.

A statue of the lady divers.

Camaraderie

See the length of the black shore.

Maps are good.

Okay, this is when we made our reservation, only to find out we'd have to wait til 16:30. This is when we decided to go and check out Yakchunsa around Jungmun. Begin.

A plaque informing the purpose of the tower behind it.

Said tower.

Main gate up to the temple.

Dragon fish for the drum?

A fountain with drinkable water.

Another angle of the same fountain.

Yakchunsa

One of the towers.

Fountain with a cave behind it.

The cave is actually a shrine.

Inside of said shrine.

When you enter, you must take off your shoes.

Did I mention I like architecture?

Painted carvings even on the windows . . . this temple is a work of art.

Stone Lotus flower

This was the ceiling of the side entrance we entered through.

Wow.

This place is huge.

The top half.

This shocked me. I thought it was quiet inside a Buddhist temple . . . why is there a piano?

Same Buddhas, but from the second floor.

This is the hall of the 8,000 Buddhas. Behind the glasses are statuettes of Buddha statuettes. This hall has 8,000 of them--or so my student told me.

Another view of the hall--with flash (sorry).

A few of the statuettes.

Behold

The 1st floor (taken from the 2nd floor).

Lanterns

The final view, from the 3rd floor.

If you haven't noticed it by now, I love the colors and architecture of Buddhist temples.

This was at the front.

I can't get enough.

The view from a stone bench near the front/main entrance of the temple.

How many Buddhist temples do you know that has a view to the sea with palm trees?

If you want to, you can experience a temple stay; where you spend a few days and nights in the temple with the monks, taking part in several activities with the monks.