Tour of Naewon Temple at 양산 (Yangsan), Gyeongsangnam-do During Fall

FALL SEASON IN SOUTH KOREA

Today, we were to head over to Yangsan to visit a temple for Buddhist nuns. Deacon Lee  had invited me and several other foreigners from church to join him and his wife on an excursion. They wanted us to see how glorious the Fall season is in South Korea. 

THE COST OF RUNNING LATE

I was running late for the 10:00 a.m. appointment so I sacrificed the breakfast that was already sitting warm and delicious in front of me (courtesy of Seoyeon) to run out the apartment and hail a cab. The driver was an old woman, complete with a puff of white, permed hair. Since running up the hill had triggered another coughing fit (third week running with this illness), I was unable to communicate to her my destination for a good five minutes. Helplessly, I sat in the back of the cab and just coughed. I managed to point left and right in between breaths. The old driver periodically looked over at me using her rear-view mirror, a line of concern on her brows, and a string of Korean words directed at me that I couldn't understand. 

COUGH ATTACK ON THE CAB

More than anything, I wanted to erase the concerned lines on her forehead so I made a concerted effort to smile, too, in order to reassure her. I wanted my smile to say, "Don't worry! This will pass. Just give me a few more good hacks," and "No, I am definitely NOT contagious [anymore], so it's all good!"

In a sudden moment of epiphany, I dialed Deacon Lee's number, introduced myself between coughs, and handed the phone to the driver. I arrived at Holy Joy Center at 10:02 a.m. - the first one in the group to do so. The fare was a surprisingly low \5,000 (or $5.00) - surprising because the other cabs I had taken to HJC before charged me double that amount! Jerks.

HOW TO SPEND YOUR TIME WAITING

The others were 20-30 minutes late. I relished being the most punctual one of the group, but couldn't help but wistfully long for the brunch I had set aside to hurry over. It turned out there was absolutely no need for me to miss a perfectly good meal that would have energized me for half the day!

The center's parking lot had transformed into a big farmers' market with stores and merchandise and restaurants everywhere. I waited for the others by helping a lady from our church set up her spot along with the rest. With the exception of my job teaching, it seems no one here allows me to do any other work! My Korean mother, for instance, refuses to even allow me to get up and bring my own dirty plate to the sink. I am halfway up my chair when one of her powerful arms bars me from getting up and has, very suddenly, also stolen the plate and bowls right out of my hands. They treat me very well, perhaps too well. This is why I was all too happy to help Mrs. Song, the lady from church, carry a big box from the 6th floor down to the parking lot, lay out a tarp on the ground, and roughly arrange items she wanted to sell. 

The others finally arrived. The Deacon's wife could no longer join us, so I took the front seat and wavered in and out of consciousness for the 1.5-hour drive to Yangsan.

Here's a photo story of our day. 

When we arrived, it was obvious that the majority of the fall leaves had, well, fallen. Deacon Lee was worried that we would not find the place beautiful, but we assured him time and time again that everything was still very much so!

It was sunny, the skies were blue, and the color scheme of nature and of the temple we eventually arrived at all screamed loudly enough to impress us.

I lagged behind my companions for most of the time because each step and each bright thing from nature seemed to arrest me. I walked and saw and praised God.

My companions on the foreground, and a couple of Buddhist nuns in the background

The Naewon Temple
David pointed out that the people with shaved heads who kept passing us in gray clothing were actually women. They were the Buddhist nuns who lived in the temple. According to this website, the temple was burned down during the Korean War, and was reconstructed in 1958 by a monk named Suok.

TEA TIME IS STORY-TELLING TIME!
We entered this building and served ourselves tea. I listened as Elly, a lady from Myanmar, and Deacon Lee gave what amounted to a comparative political/military/economic history of Myanmar and South Korea. In both their stories about their countries, the United States cropped up in a way that made me cringe a couple of times. Just a couple of times though. The rest of the time, I hope the slight discomfort I felt was undetectable.

We stayed here for over an hour. The floors were heated, my very-small tea cup had long been emptied, and the conversations continued on in such a fantastic way that I became aware that I was slowly being lulled to sleep. I resisted the urge to lie down on the floor and very casually rest my eyes for just a few seconds.

The stream flowing through the valley was absolutely enchanting! I have to go back here when the weather gets warmer so I can wade in the water!

David reminisced that, before, there were no paved roads leading to the temple. A quarter of a century ago, he would trudge through this valley on dates and feel only the crunch of fallen leaves on the ground. He deliberately took us off the paved paths and led us through the limited patches of earth still offering the luxurious crunch of leaves. Amused, we followed him.

This is the area I want to swim in!

What a beautiful day. Yes, the leaves were nearly all gone, but with what was left still clinging on the trees, it was not hard to imagine this place would resemble a bit of paradise in Autumn. 

MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU

Do you know of other beautiful places in South Korea that you would recommend I visit? Leave a comment below with your suggestions.