The Ocean Dragon Temple

With the semester over, you'd probably think that I'd spend my first day off sleeping in and relaxing. But then again, I think most of you know I'm not really that type of guy.

No, instead I got up early and hit up a new temple. I hadn't been to a temple in a while, so any temple would have been nice to visit, but I chose a doozy. This was a newer temple--so new, in fact, that it hadn't been painted yet (the wood used to build temples must dry for three years before they can be painted, otherwise the paint will flake off later). The temple was famous in Busan for two reasons:

One, it's right on the ocean. The view is incredible and the sound of waves crashing is quite relaxing.

Two, it's got a huge metal dragon statue. Statues are common at temples: the Buddha, other saints, monks, and other things are often depicted in or around temples. But I've been to dozens of temples now and this is the first dragon statue I've seen at a temple in Korea (they're at temples in Japan, though).

Despite the fact that it was a bright sunny day, the weather was quite cold. I wore a heavy coat, but I was wishing I had gloves and a hat after only about half an hour. After one hour in a bus and about 20 minutes in a taxi, I arrived at the temple. It was 11 in the morning, but the temple was quite crowded. Since I usually go to temples for peace and quiet, I wasn't terribly happy about this. Still, the sounds of the ocean, the beautiful scenary, and the beautiful sculptures made the trip worthwhile.

A monk was chanting as I approached. I couldn't understand what he said, and I never did figure out where he was saying it from (out of sight in some nook hidden away in the temple no doubt), but he certainly was saying it loudly.

I only stayed at the temple about an hour before the crowds and the cold drove me back to the city. Still, it was a nice relaxing morning and a fitting start to my vacation.

R