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Leaving Seoul behind for the final time we boarded the train for a little city called Pyeontaok. An unlikely stop on most itineraries, we headed there to visit Kim, an American we met on our tour of China. She works for the US military base Camp Humphreys and invited us to stay with her for a few days.
Minutes after getting picked up from the station we arrived at Kims apartment and were greeted enthusiastically by her new dog, a long-haired dachshund called Dexter. The place was huge, an open-plan mix of minimalist Western and traditional Korean, and after weeks in hostels it felt like we'd checked into the penthouse suite! Dexter wasted no time trying to show who us was boss, bouncing between us and attempting to hump our arms as we tried to settle in! Once he'd calmed down, we went for dinner at a local Korean BBQ restaurant before relaxing with some wine back at Kims and chatted into the small hours.
After an all-too-short sleep in the most comfortable bed we'd had in months, we got up early to join Kim and Dexter on their daily 3-mile walk around the local area. It was a pleasant stroll through the woods and rice fields, even with the occasional grunts of GIs on army exercises. The rest of the day was spent eating, catching up on washing, watching TV and walking around town. In the evening Kim cooked us dinner and it was so nice to have a home-cooked meal I ate enough for two! It was great to spend a few days in a Western, homely environment - Kim went out of her way to make us feel welcome and we can't thank her enough for her hospitality.
The following morning, thoroughly rested and refreshed we left Kim's and took a train to Gyeonju via Daecheon. We caught a bus downtown and after checking into our motel (it was probably a love motel but it looked clean so we didn't care much!) had a quick wander around the area. The local park was full of Tumuli - huge burial mounds which made it look like the set of Teletubbies - but apart from that there was little to do or see. That was fine with us as we were only using Gyeonju as a base for our Templestay the next day. With little else to do i decided to shave my head - at least that way I might at least look like I fit in with the monks!
Leaving our luggage with a less than impressed motel owner (36hrs free storage was probably pushing our luck to be fair!) we made our way into the countryside to Gulgusa temple where we were to experience a day in the life of a Buddhist monk. After signing in we were given less than fetching outfits and shown to our sleeping quarters. I was sharing with a young American guy, but Kate managed to bag a room to herself. With some free time before our first scheduled activity we had a wander around the complex before climbing the hill to watch a martial arts demonstration. Each temple specialises in different things, and at Gulgusa each monk practised Sunmundo, a Korean martial art based on Zen and comprising elements of Karate, Yoga and Tai Chi. The demo was very impressive and we wondered what what was in store for us later in our scheduled session of Sunmundo training!
Around 4pm we met one of the Grandmasters and were given a lesson in meditation. He taught us to clear our minds, focus on our breathing and relax every muscle in our bodies from face to feet. Then we meditated for around half an hour. At first I found it quite relaxing but after ten minutes my mind started to wander and my feet started to get pins and needles. From 20mins I was regularly cocking one eye open to see what everyone else was up to, and by the time the half hour was up all I could think about was standing up and stretching my legs! Attempt 1 at meditation: fail!
At 5.30 we had dinner in the main hall. It was a little early to eat for us but the monks schedule seems to be geared towards early nights and very early mornings. Temple dining also brings with it certain rules and etiquette. Food is strictly vegetarian fare; monks take food first (self-service) and sit separately from everyone else; men and women are not allowed to sit together; you can take as much food as you like but it is forbidden to leave anything! Having eaten a fair amount of crap while travelling, the vegetarian food was a welcome and healthy change...and surprisingly it actually tasted pretty good!
Attempt number 2 at meditating came just after dinner and ended in similar restless failure - I just don't have the concentration! That was followed by a brief induction to instruct us in the various rules of the temple, the correct way to bow (always a full bow from standing to kneeling with head rested on floor) and the required etiquette at the evenings chanting ceremony. We were allowed to participate in the singing but even with english song-sheets it was far too difficult to follow, so we mainly just kept our heads down, copied the actions of the monks and bowed in all the right places.
Singing over, it was time for Sunmundo training! The Grandmaster took us through some gentle stretching that lulled me into a false sense of comfort before ploughing into a rigorous, advanced Pilates-style "warm-up" that almost ruined me! While I was ready for a shower and a lie-down, the Grandmaster moved swiftly on to demonstrating some rudimentary Sunmundo kicks. When it was our turn I gave it my all but balance and dexterity are not attributes I've ever claimed to have in abundance so god only knows what the Grandmaster was thinking as I pranced around (his kicks reached head height, mine barely cleared my hips)! By now barely able to raise even a finger, the final 20 minutes of the training was spent learning some Tai-Chi moves designed to channel and harness Chi energy. It was definitely more relaxing than the previous exercises but I'm not sure I "found my Chi" - apparently it can take years before you feel the energy let alone develop the ability to manipulate it!
At 9pm it was time to retire to our rooms, ready for a 10pm lights out. Given how tired I felt I wasn't sure id make the 4am morning start but it seems fate had smiled on me by giving me a room mate that snored like a rhino, ensuring there was never any danger of me even getting to sleep in the first place!
A 15 minute walk to the shrine high on top of the hill was enough to shake away the cobwebs for the 4.30am morning chant. It was very similar to the previous evenings chanting and was followed by a 3rd opportunity to meditate (which also ended in failure!). After an hour nap, it was time for breakfast, which was basically identical to dinner - rice, tofu and veg - and an odd choice for the first meal of the day. Then we had some more Sundmundo training. Still aching from the previous nights exertions and suffering from a lack of sleep I was expecting pain but thankfully this time the Grandmaster concentrated solely on stretching and showing off his Yoga moves. Some of the positions he got himself into (and asked us to attempt) defied belief, his flexibility greater than that of any professional gymnast! Once we'd finished , he took us for an hour hike up through the mountain, where there was another Sundmundo demonstration (this one was slightly different from the previous day's and involved some woman singing...very badly).
After a lunch of rice, tofu and veg - the monks kitchen would definitely benefit from a Jamie Oliver menu makeover - we handed back our robes and made our way back to Gyeonju. We picked up our luggage, and two buses, a train and a metro later we arrived in Busan - South Koreas second biggest city - on the south coast. Staying downtown for the night, we were exhausted from the Templestay but managed to muster enough energy to head out for a few beers and some dinner (strictly NOT vegetarian) before crashing out in our rundown hotel room.
Well rested, the next day we moved to Busan's beach area Haeundae. The town had a nice, laid back vibe and was an ideal place to spend our last two days in South Korea. After sorting out a few things in readiness for Japan we spent our time relaxing on the beach, enjoying the sunshine and drinking Soju. The beach was pretty quiet until it got invaded by several coach loads of Korean tourists who swarmed around the parasols and waded excitedly into the sea - often fully clothed - until they were chased away by angry vendors. After a final Korean BBQ dinner later that evening, we watched Man Of Steel at the local cinema and packed our bags ready to fly to Tokyo the next morning
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