[just get here...man, are you late! read part 1 here]

So am I wearing you out with such a long tour & all these pictures?…

I guess I could’ve posted just a few token images, told a long story about how we walked up one end of the complex to the other & back again, how I swore I’d never wear flip-flops again, but who wants that?

I’d rather have you feel like you were actually there.

And this, I promise, will be the last of the tour.

This is the woodblock repository….well, the roof of it.

I didn’t realize how many roof shots I took…and how few actual building photographs.

This would be the inside.

Buddhist priests & scholars adorning all the tiny woodblock slats.

Each one is engraved.

And they flank the walls.

[just get here?...miss a step?...start with part 1 here]

So we were following the monk back towards the main compound.

(Oh?…Where did I go yesterday?…Why didn’t I post anything?…Well, I had an off day. Ever have one of those?…

There were all these chores to do, I couldn’t really focus & I was really upset to learn that the commissary didn’t have any canned pumpkin. How is that even possible?…It’s Fall! 

So my plans of pumpkin bread for the Lumber Barons for Chuseok were dashed & it was back to the drawing board. And by the time I looked up it was way too late & I was way too incoherent. So I’m sorry about that.)

But when he passed these doors, I had to stop to take a picture.

I wish I knew what these men are called, what they represent…to my naive eye they look like samurai – but samurai are Japanese, not Korean. One is obviously wielding a sword & I’m not really sure what the other is doing.

But just around the corner is the main temple.

This one is old, too…and much more ornate.

Look at the faded murals.

But we have be very quiet…

…people are praying inside.

They stand-up with clasped hands, then bow & kneel…hands & foreheads to the floor.

They actually do this a couple of times.

If we sneak around real quiet like, we can catch a glimpse of the altar they’re praying to.

But we have to be very, very respectful…so everyone on their tip-toes & best behavior.

If there wasn’t anyone inside, I would go in…I brought socks to put on & everything…but it felt like it would be disrespectful to those praying.

So I stayed outside & quietly snapped pictures with the camera in stealth mode…no tell-tale click-click sound.

Although if you ever have the chance to visit a temple, temple etiquette 101 is to remove your shoes before you enter.

But no bare feet…and definitely no socks with holes in them!

The paper pinwheels on the ceiling with the hanging tags caught my eye.

The repetition, color…I think they’re prayers…but I can’t be sure.

But each one is numbered.

[just get here?...you can read part 1 here]

So who are we missing?…

[counting heads...1...2...3]

And who was it that needed money for the pay toilets…Val, was that you?

It won’t take American, Chica…you’ll need 100 won. Here you go.

So while we wait on Val & a couple of others…check out the view.

I love the juxtaposition of this view….the over 600 year-old monastery on one hillside of the river…with modern skyscraper housing stacked back to back on the other side.

Although when you’re standing on this side it’s a little depressing to see all that steel & glass.

I’ve always pictured Buddhist monasteries & temples as far-away remote bastions of peace & serenity…surrounded by the sounds of nature. Places of complete & quiet contemplation – not in the middle of Korean suburbia with blaring Korean rock music coming from the other side of the river from Korean teenagers just learning the American fascination of jet skis.

(It’s a fad that’s just beginning to catch on here. Which is probably why the monks have the recorded chants & prayers playing over & over in the main square – trying to drown out the noise.)

[leading the way to the left]

Along this side are the monks quarters. They’re divided from the main compound by this old stone & roof tile wall.

But look at the low retaining wall it joins into…down there in the left corner…

See the miniature stacks of stones and Buddahs?

In Buddhism, stacking stones is a form of worship and a way of requesting good fortune.

(I looked it up.)

But if we peek just around the corner you can see their quarters.

Those pots below the clothes line are kimchi pots & I think they will be Lesson 2 of Life in Korea with Jenn.

But I think I really embarrassed Eric with this shot.

All I heard…whispered in anxious desperation…while I was trying to zoom in & focus was, 

“Don’t take a picture of their tighty whities!”

I didn’t get caught taking this photo, but it turns out that those are linens anyway, not the monk’s under garments.

But let’s not sneak up any closer. I want to respect their privacy as much as I can & my luck’s bound to not hold up much longer.

So if we head around this way…

(Ooh!…Look at the pretty flowers.)

…you’ll see the work shed.

Looks like wood for the coming winter & a few straw brooms.

Since there’s still have a few more public buildings to tour, let’s head back.

Besides…I haven’t even shown you the insides of the temples yet. And those are really gorgeous!

We’ll just follow him.

[just get here?...you can read part 1 here]

Ahem…

[putting on my best tour guide voice]

In 1938 Korea was occupied by Japanese forces at the beginning of what was to become WWII.

The Governor-General at the time decided he needed to protect all the historical, cultural & artistic items of the Joseon dynasty. So a law was passed & a list was created.

Numbered one by one, each national treasure was then given protection under the act and over the years the act expanded to cover every South Korea national treasure.

This is number 225.

[graceful hands directing you to the center of the compound]

It’s a marble stacked pagoda that was built in 1472.

If we actually had a real tour guide of our own on this trip, I would’ve known to look for the lotus blossoms & dragons carved on each side. I would’ve zoomed in as close as possible & taken pictures.

But we didn’t…so I didn’t…but at least I got this one.

There are a couple of other national treasures here…number 226 is just back this way.

I hope you wore good shoes….Ready to climb?

[cheesey tour guide laugh]

Whew!…I’m wishing I wore better shoes. I don’t know what I was thinking wearing these flip-flops.

Number 226 is a multi-layered mud brick pagoda.

And somewhere, …written in Korean – ahh, duh…, is what I believe to be the only known information on it.

But all I could find of the translation online is that it was renovated in 1726.

Next up is number…number…fudge, now I can’t find it.

Well, let’s call it number 227.

And you’ve got to climb a few more steps.

It’s a stone stele….

…and I can’t find a lick about it anywhere online.

But look at how intricate the writing is.

But let’s head back down…

Off to the side of the mud-brick pagoda are some grave markers of a few of the temple’s important monks.

Although I have no idea what they’re called, who’s grave they mark or how long they’ve been there.

But they look old.

[said optimistically]

 We’re about halfway through the tour now.

So if you need to go potty, the restroom is back down in the middle of the compound.

Blue is for boys. Red is for girls.

Just meet back here in 5 minutes so you don’t get separated from the rest of the group.

[you can read part 1 here]

Once you pass the Beomjong-gak, you’re in the middle of the compound….and that’s when everything takes on a different feel.

Suddenly you’re no longer just a tourist making your way to see the temple. You’re there – in the midst of it all – the sights & sounds throwing off your since of time.

Is it 2009?…Or is it 1379?…Could this be exactly how it looked over 600 years ago?

Aside from the few other Americans snapping away on their cameras & the one lone car in the back there…it’s easy to forget your place.

Listen for yourself…

Looking up at the roof beams you can feel the weight of this building’s age.

The paint’s faded much more…you can see exposed wood drying & splitting in some spots…but the faint outlines of the geometric shapes are still there.

(I wonder if they’ll repaint it…or leave it as is?…If you were the conservator, what would you do?)

I have no clue what this building is named…or it’s exact purpose….or it’s exact age. It just looks like a large, open prayer hall to me.

As a graphic designer, I’m just amazed by all the lines, the curves…the colors…the designs.

So you’ll see quite a few pictures between now & the end of our tour that focus on those very things.

(My apologies in advance…like I said, I just get caught up in the design of it all.)

The building seemed empty for the moment…although there was a monk here & there walking back & forth.

But look inside…even the ceilings are ellaborately decorated & designed.

When I made my way around to the back side of the building, I spotted him…

…working away.

I think he was scraping paint off the doors.

Maybe they are going to repaint everything afterall.

I just love this shot – I think it’s my favorite so far. But you should’ve seen me trying to take it.

Focus on him…fudge, he sees me…turn away quickly….pretend to look over there…try to sneak back…careful, carefull…now, quick! Re-focus on him…fudge it!

I did this dance about 2 or 3 times before I finally snagged this one.

I just really wanted to catch him in the moment – not some ‘smile-for-the-crazy-American-lady’ posed shot.

I wonder what he must’ve thought of me.

[let's keep moving...read part 3 here]