Gobong-san

Just thought I'd blog a few pictures of the local mountain, Gobong-san, which is basically right across the street from our apartment. It's quite a cool little hike, and something I wish I had time to do more regularly. We keep planning to head up with some drinkies after a night out to see the sunrise, but it hasn't happened yet. I did buy a couple of torches though, so the intent is there!



I can see our house from here! I really can actually. Gobong-san is thickly forested so it's nice and cool in the summer. Not that it's summer anymore, it's suddenly feckin freezing!


The big surprise was when I discovered two discreet Buddhist temples on the mountain, about 2 months into our stay. Up until this point I had naively believed all temples to be grand affairs with the majority situated in spectacular surroundings such as the many National Parks. As it turns out, there are operational temples up in the hills surrounding many neighbourhoods, and the fairly consistent amount of hikers are actually on their way to pray.



The famous large temples are a fantastic sight to behold, but it seemed more special to find this little place, and so close to home. With no tourist stalls selling the usual Buddhist paraphenalia, it held a much more intimate and personal charm. The last time I was up there, about 10am on a Saturday, I was lucky enough to hear a group of people performing their morning prayers. A monk then emerged from a door nearby. We smiled and bowed to each other, and he proceeded to enter the main hall and lead the congregation into more focussed chanting. In the peaceful surroundings of this well kept little compound, with the early morning sun on my back, it was perfect for a little rest. I sat there for a long while, munching my bananas, watching and listening, and it was truly a special moment.

Many temples have clusters of buddha statues outside the buildings, and this little place had some of the most intriguing and fascinating arrangements. Can you spot the fly attacking a little buddha?





Past the peak of Gobong-san, I found a shrine and cemetary nestled into the southern slope. This place was also very interesting, and some early morning mist danced across the mountains in the distance. The only thing to ruin this morning was to find a woman selling huge chunks of pineapple when I'd forgotton my wallet. Bollocks! Anyway, it's a shame that a post about quaint little Gobong-san is away to be trampled by a post regarding the big beast that is Seorak-san National Park. It's the most famous N.P in Korea, and we spent the last weekend there killing ourselves. I'm bloody aching now. But stay tuned as the pictures are superb.