Busan - Seokbulsa Temple

Last year I heard of (as well as read about) Seokbulsa Temple in the hills of Busan. This year I experienced it for myself. Behind Duck Village and up a winding road sits a temple of rock. That's not a typo by the way, as you'll see from the pictures to come. And no, as much as I love Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix (among others), that is not implied in 'temple of rock'.

Getting to Seokbulsa was not a challenge at all, physically or cognitively. This was one journey where the destination ended up being greater than than the duration leading up to it. Upon finding the temple, though, I tempted myself to sit for a while, just to look at and appreciate the masonry work. From what I had heard, Seokbulsa is one of Busan's 'Hidden Gems', which usually means that flocks of people come to peep and gawk. While sitting at Seokbulsa, though, I remained for the most part in solitude.

A short, rainy nature walk and a cable-car ride later and I was joining my Couchsurfing host, Rob, for a beer (or four) and live music.

How every adventure begins - waiting for a bus stop outside my apartment on the stroke of an ungodly hour

Duck Village farmers keep vermin out by means of baby-proof gates.

Translation - "Looking for a Good Time?"

Kid you not, no one around and this Korean book was just there

At this point I'd like to mention one thing. 'Directions'. In the Lower Albany, there is such a thing as 'over there'. Somehow just dropping an over there in conversation when giving directions is sufficient information to give to a direction seeker. Life in Lower Albany in that sense, then, is unique. The following conversation is a 'loosely based on truth' type story.

Farmer 1: Boet, where is the best place place to buy a gift for my wife's birthday?
Farmer 2: You know that shop over theeere?
Farmer 1: Ya. How do I get there?
Farmer 2: You go there and then you turn left down the street with the trees on it.
Farmer 1: And then?
Farmer 2: You'll see the thingy shop on your left.
Farmer 1: Perfect. Thanks, boet.

Farmer 3 (thinking to himself): Where in god's name is there NOT a 'thingy shop' after turning left at that shop 'over there' with trees along the street?!?!? Which shop is he talking about in the first place?!?!?!

Farmer 3 was me, by the way, not that it matters.

A note to readers. The more the elongated emphasis is placed on the middle 'e' in 'there', the further the implied distance. So when we talk about that cow 'there', that means the closest one  to us. But when we say 'that bull over...(pause for effect)...theeeEEEeeere' we are referring to that bladdy nuisance that keeps breaking through the fences which we're tired of fetching and now inadvertently lives on the neighbour's property but still belongs to us.

Back to talking about Seokbulsa. Luckily I had done enough research online about the route. All sources said the hike wasn't a difficult one. I don't know Busan that well, so even a simple, straightforward trip like Seokbulsa needed decent preparation and outside input. At least for me personally, because a thing like being told 'it's over there' isn't enough.

I got there eventually, though, and it was worth the hassle.

On the way....

To....

The Cable Car.

Busan

Cable Car Races

Good times.