Images of Korea | Bongamsa Temple
May 23, 2010
Finally made it down to Bongamsa in the end for the Buddha’s birthday celebrations. We were told that there was a great deal of struggle in order to preserve and protect the surrounding area. Apparently, given its pristine natural beauty, the government had plans to develop the area into a provincial park, opening it up to the public and at the same time putting much of the wildlife at risk. However, persistent protest from both locals and temple monks alike proved victorious in the end and construction was scrapped. Sheltered, remote and remarkably beautiful, if you didn’t get a chance to make it out to Bongamsa this year, do so next year.
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Thanks Eddie. I have to agree with you there. Tongdosa is an amazing place. If I were to make a top five list of my favourite temples in Korea, that one would be in there, as would Yonggungsa in Busan. Part of what Bongamsa so damn unique is the fact that it’s open only once a year to the public. I still found it beautiful though – the soaring rock face of Mt. Huiyang is just incredible.
And, yeah, Min and I both took the bus there – I had considered driving but then decided against it for that very reason – traffic was pretty heavy.
I made the trip as well, although I can’t say that the temple itself was anything special. Tongdosa blows Bongamsa away in terms of beautiful architecture and layout of the structures. Huiyang Mountain was the real winner for me while visiting Bongamsa. It’s too bad we can’t climb it.
I’m glad I used public transportation to get there because the parking scene looked like a mad-house. In fact, a Korean acquaintance of mine said she got stuck in traffic on the way there and decided to turn back.
Thanks to Steve and Gregory for sharing your experiences.
That’s the way to go. Min and I took the bus. Transportation schedules were a little sporadic to say the least, but it made it that much more memorable! Because I wasn’t driving I was able to chug down makgeolli and munch on pajeon in the end.
LOL – When Jo returns to the Philippines next month, she’s going to renew her International License… that way I won’t have to do all the driving on our next trip. I really enjoyed the driving experience. It felt so good to get back behind the wheel!
That it was. I’m glad I hired a car to do the drive myself, rather than relying on buses. It was really a spectacular trip!
Good stuff. Thanks for sharing, Steve. Quite a trip out to that place, isn’t it? Some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve seen in Korea.
Here’s the video link of our day out there:
Steve
Jo and I drove out there as well. I’m actually uploading my video to YouTube now. Most of the shots you have I took video from. It was a great experience! I wish we could have connected and talked!