Bronze Buddha

For the past two weeks I have been searching for Buddha.

No, I have not been looking into a new religion. I have literally been searching for Buddha. Well a statue of Buddha. The giant bronze Buddha statue located in Cheonan to be exact. I'd heard about this statue back in January, but I'd been waiting for warmer weather before I decided to give it a try.

Well last weekend it finally reached double digits on the good ol' thermometer. 12 degrees! Woo hoo!

Now for all of you Americans, rest assured that I haven't turned into one of those psychos who enjoy freezing weather. I'm talking about 12 degrees Celsius obviously. Google it my American friends. Since I'm basically Korean now I can't be sure of the exact conversion.

Anywaaay, what was I saying? Oh yes, Buddha. Boy is he ever elusive. My quest to find him started last weekend. I hopped into a cab with a fellow waygook and headed off towards a park I thought contained the Buddha statue. Unfortunately, as you may have guessed, I was wrong. I didn't realise this until about two hours into a mostly straight uphill hike.

Living in western North Carolina for over two years, I'd done my fair share of hiking, but this was a little different. The mountain wasn't necessarily any higher or steeper than ones I'd find back home, but the trails weren't well planned. For example, my new countrymen apparently don't believe in switchbacks. Straight uphill for us Koreans!

We don't need switchbacks! We got ropes!


Although I didn't find the Buddha that day, it still turned out to be a pretty nice hike. Highlights include: trying to use Google translate to decipher Korean trail signs (according to the always accurate Google one of the trails lead to "premature birth"), getting snacks from an old Korean man (thanks for the free coffee and apple slices whoever you were), accidentally singing and dancing to Frozen's "Let it Go" on Korean graves (I'm super respectful y'all), and finding a randomly fancy cafe in the middle of the ghetto that served uh-mazing chocolate cheesecake.

Nomz

I set out again this past weekend with two fellow English teachers (strength in numbers right?). After a successful cab ride followed by a less successful bus ride (Korean bus drivers be RUDE) we were dropped off at a University. My Korean cell phone informed me we were a 20 minute walk from the bronze Buddha so we decided to follow the hi-tech compass on my cell (orienteering Korean style). What we soon realised was that it would only be a 20 minute walk if we cut through a crater/construction site. After wandering the woods/university/city streets for a bit we decided to get a cab. 

Best. Decision. Ever! Our cabbie took us straight to Gagwonsa temple (where bronze Buddha lives). I was so excited to finally be there! It only took three tries, but we made it. And it didn't disappoint. The temple was beautiful and the very peaceful. We even saw a monk. Enjoy the pictures!



Write your own prayer on a roof tile!





Lotus laterns with prayers attached. Beautiful!





I found him!



People praying at the Buddha statue. It was very peaceful.

After Gagwonsa we went back to Buldong (our neighborhood) and spotted this gem of a cafe. While I was awkwardly taking this photo, the cafe owner's sister rushed out to tell us they were opening in two weeks and invited us inside for free beverages and cake. Score! All in all it was a pretty awesome day! Until next time, my friends.



YOLO, am I right?