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Ibike
Korea People-to-People Program
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 Photo essay: Jinju to Gurye
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(90km, 55mi)
Points of Interest: Ch’oksongnu, Hadong, tea country, Ssangwansa |
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 Individual
vendors set-up early in the morning before many buyers are in area. As
time passes the shoppers come, many bring wheeled carts to carry home the days
purchases. |
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The river banks in many cities are used for
non-motorized activities. In Jeju there are several kilometers of walking and
bicycle path. Besides trails, the area
in the flood plain and inside the dikes is sometimes used for other kinds of
recreation facilities like basketball and volleyball courts, inline skating
ovals and soccer fields. |
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 Further towards the edge of
town, and also along the river, are a number of plant nurseries and tree farms. |
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Curiously, all rice fields they cut a
corner by hand before they finish the work with a mechanical cutter. The
practice is to give the mechanical harvest space to maneuver, without damaging
any of the crop, when they first enter the field. |
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Jang-seung,
"totem poles", usually locate in male-female pairs at the entrance to a village
on the mainland to mark the village boundary and scare off evil. In this case they lined the roadway.
They are smiling scary. |
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 More relaxing travel, with
plenty of time to focus on the scenery and ponder how to photograph it. |
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 Near Hadong is a memorial to
313 soldiers
who lost there lives in the Korean war, in a two day battle at the end of July
1950.. |
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This is a typical stream coming out of the hills.
The banks have been straightened and hardened and small dams pool the water as
it descends. The adjacent green houses probably draw water from the
stream. |
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 Old furniture isn't sent to the land fill, it is
sent to the river bank and bus shelters. It is amusing to pass a bus
shelter and see a big, overstuffed chair in it. Or, to see a cluster of
old furniture
resting in the shade of some trees with a good view of a river and
mountains, waiting to be occupied.. |
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 A new bridge across the Seomjingang (river).
It has very nice curves and lines. |
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Flanked by warning vehicles ahead and
in the rear, an inline skating groups use the flat low traffic road along the
river for an outing on the weekend. This group, passed between Hadong and
Gurye, had a couple dozen members. |
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Ssanggyesa (temple) was founded by two priest,
Sambop and Daebi, in 723. They brought the remains (or embalmed head) of
Master Hyeneung, the Sixth Patriarch of the Zen sect, from China. Sambop had a
dream in which an elderly monk instructed him to placed the remains "in a fragrant
valley where the flowers of arrow root
blooms under the snow." |
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Iljumun, the first gateway between the earthly
world and the world of Buddha, implies a precept to practice the right way
with constancy and self-enlightenment. |
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 Geumgangmun, the second
gate, symbolizes the protection of Buddhism and the
cleansing of passing people of the pollution of the mundane world. |
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Chenwangmun, the third gate, honors the four Devas.
As devotees of Buddha, these figures guard Buddhist cannons and are the
protective deities over monks and the faithful. The Jiguk Deva rules over
the east, the Gwangmok Deva over the west, the Jeungjang Deva over the south and
the Damun Deva over the north. Each has a different weapon and unique
characteristics. At the center of the four quarters is Sumisan. Sumisan is where Buddha lives -- a temple is symbolic of Sumisan,
therefore, if one passes this gate he or she is likely to enter the world of
Buddha. |
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Nine-story stone pagoda. Enshrined in this
pagoda are three Sarira (mineral pieces left in the ashes of the cremation of a
Buddhist master) of Sakyamuni, which were brought from India by Priest Kosan on
his pilgrimage to Buddhist holy sites. |
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This pavilion, Pallyeongnu, was built by
Jingamhyeso (774-850) in 840, the Unified Shilla Period. It is noted as
where the Buddhist music of Korea (Beompae) was born. Jingamhyseo watched fish
swim in Seomjingang (river) and composed Eosan, a piece of Beompae composed of
eight tones and rhythms, after which the pavilion was named. He entered nirvana
in 850 at age 77. |
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Stone lanterns illuminate
the dark regions of a temple and its light symbolize the truth of Buddha which
leads humanity down the path of good. In addition, the flame represents
Sumisian where Buddha resides, and the lantern oil represents the wide sea. The
lantern, always representative of Buddha, is erected in front of Buddhist
shrines, Daeungjon, together with the pagoda. |
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Myeongbujeon is where the ceremonies for the repose
of the souls of the dead takes place. It is a shrine unique to Korean temples.
Ssanggyesa's buildings are arranged in order of rank beginning with Iljumun,
Geumgangmun, Chenwangmum, Pallyeongnu and Daeungjeon. Myeongbujeon is
located on the same line with Daeungjeon and shares an almost equal level of
importance. Such an arrangement is the results of mix of Othodox Buddhism with
the traditional folk beliefs in Myeongbu and Yaksa.At the center of
Myeongbujeon, there is Jijangbosal, who is said to deliver creatures from the
underworld. To his left and right, there are ten kings who passed
judgements on people's fate, befitting their deeds of good and evil. |
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 Nahanjeon
is where 16 Nahan (arhats) are enshined. Each reached Buddhahood by
eliminating all their worldly desires and becoming enlightened to the principles
of the world. A Buddha statue takes his seat at the center of the shrine and the
Nahan are arrayed on either side of him. The shrine was constructed in
840. |
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Scenes and details from a side temple at Ssanggyesa. |
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Presumed to have been built during the Goryeo
Period, this statue of Buddha carved on the rock surface is noted for its
peculiar look. It has a big head, plump face, hands covered with the
sacerdotal robe, and long ears hanging to his shoulders. The overall look
is benevolent and simple. |
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A cafe near Ssanggyesa where the tables are set out
over a stream. Presumably the arrangement is best on a hot summer day.
The outdoor seating was unoccupied on this rather cool, breezy and overcast day. |
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Daeryeom, a monks, brought tea plants (related to the camellia)
back from Tang China (828). Ssanggyesa is where they were first planted. It
is still has a number of tea farms -- but clearly the current social drink of
preference in South Korea is coffee. |
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 It always nice to find yourself on a
road with rice, peppers, beans or other produce drying on the road. It
means the locals don't expect much traffic so you don't have to either.
But if the traffic gets to heavy you end up with tire tracks in the rice
(right). |
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The sign explains, maps and gives the policies for
the Otter Habitat Eco-System Conservation Area on the Seomjin River. This
is a radical departure from the enormous amount of river channelization and
river bed habitat degradation seen on other rivers. |
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In sprawling America, nothing saws new
construction like white vinyl windows and vinyl siding. It looks like the
same building materials have made their way to housing construction in Korea. |
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Here is the juxtaposition of a couple
of "monuments": a traditional one commemorating some event, and a modern one,
with instruments and dials, recording some event. |
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 While fishermen space
themselves across the river (left) a turtle (right) near the shore catches the
last few warming rays of afternoon sun. |
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Para-gliders circle like condors in the
updrafts around a mountain near Gurye. |
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A Korean fast food restaurant sells some dinners to
families. |
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Individual
vendors set-up early in the morning before many buyers are in area. As
time passes the shoppers come, many bring wheeled carts to carry home the days
purchases.
Further towards the edge of
town, and also along the river, are a number of plant nurseries and tree farms.
More relaxing travel, with
plenty of time to focus on the scenery and ponder how to photograph it.
Near Hadong is a memorial to
313 soldiers
who lost there lives in the Korean war, in a two day battle at the end of July
1950..
Old furniture isn't sent to the land fill, it is
sent to the river bank and bus shelters. It is amusing to pass a bus
shelter and see a big, overstuffed chair in it. Or, to see a cluster of
old furniture
resting in the shade of some trees with a good view of a river and
mountains, waiting to be occupied..
A new bridge across the Seomjingang (river).
It has very nice curves and lines.
Geumgangmun, the second
gate, symbolizes the protection of Buddhism and the
cleansing of passing people of the pollution of the mundane world.
Iljumun,
Geumgangmun, Chenwangmum, Pallyeongnu and Daeungjeon. Myeongbujeon is
located on the same line with Daeungjeon and shares an almost equal level of
importance. Such an arrangement is the results of mix of Othodox Buddhism with
the traditional folk beliefs in Myeongbu and Yaksa.
Nahanjeon
is where 16 Nahan (arhats) are enshined. Each reached Buddhahood by
eliminating all their worldly desires and becoming enlightened to the principles
of the world. A Buddha statue takes his seat at the center of the shrine and the
Nahan are arrayed on either side of him. The shrine was constructed in
840.
It always nice to find yourself on a
road with rice, peppers, beans or other produce drying on the road. It
means the locals don't expect much traffic so you don't have to either.
But if the traffic gets to heavy you end up with tire tracks in the rice
(right).
While fishermen space
themselves across the river (left) a turtle (right) near the shore catches the
last few warming rays of afternoon sun.
