Shinheung Temple

 

Seorak Mountain Shinheung Temple

Saturday Afternoon

In which I ride a dirty bicycle past fields, cultivators, and an abandoned(?) stone works with a stop at a convenience store.

iPhone 6s+ and Hipstamatic

Umbrellas on the Boardwalk

 

Yeongnang Lake, Sokcho

Bo-gwang Temple

 

This scene would have looked quite different when the temple was founded in 1937. Maybe the only sounds would have been the chanting of the monks and the bird calls on Yeongnang Lake.

A couple of days ago I read letter LVI by Seneca in which he somewhat comically describes all the noises he hears in his apartment above a public bath-house. The second part of his letter is an explanation of how distractions shouldn't affect a good stoic with a sound mind. Do the monks who live and work at this temple put the sounds of the city and the whoops and hollers from the next-door mini-golf course out of their minds when they pray and meditate? If they can, I imagine they are well on their way to Nirvana. 

I also want to find peace in the chaotic Korean city. I could study more stoicism and perhaps take up meditation, but it's easier to just ride my bicycle out into the countryside where I can avoid people and the clamour of urban life. Similarly, at the end of his letter, Seneca tells his correspondent that he "shall be shortly moving elsewhere." Living above a noisy bath-house was just a good place to test having peace of mind in a distracting environment for him. He ends by writing, "Why should I need to suffer the torture any longer than I want to when Ulysses found so easy a remedy for his companions even against the sirens?" 

From the Breakwater

 

East of the Breakwater. Bird Island.

West of the Breakwater. Man Fishing on Tetrapod.

Seorak Mountain National Park

 

Temple Experience Building

Ayajin

Last weekend I rode my bicycle to Ayajin for some exercise and photography practice. Ayajin is ten kilometres up the coast - a good distance for getting back into shape after a long summer of doing nothing. I didn't make any brilliant pictures, but I'll share a few from my ride.

Jangsa Beach

This is on the way to Ayajin, inside Sokcho city limits. I went out on a breakwater to see what I could see and noticed this man fishing off the tetrapods. It's illegal to go out on those, but no one ever checks.

People pay a small fortune to stay in beachfront pensions like these in the summer and at the turn of the year. You can watch the sunrise from the comfort of your own room without standing in a crowd on the beach. Considering the amount of alcohol consumed on holidays, I wonder how many people actually wake up in time to see the sun come up.

Ayajin Beach

This is my regular stop in Ayajin. It's the GS25 convenience store at the shore. The sand and the sea aren't the attractions for me - it's the picnic tables and parasols in front of the store where I can have a drink, check my photos, and write a bit in my journal. There are usually very few people around and it's generally peaceful.

This building has been in this state since I starting riding up the coast some months ago. I photographed it on the way back from Ayajin. I don't know if this building is coming or going. Did someone start construction and then run out of money? Did it burn and these are the remains? It's slightly creepy.

Amice

There is no end-of-roll picture on a digital camera, but the last photo I made before transferring the contents of my SD card to the computer was of Amice relaxing on some cushions. Film or digital, a picture of a pet is a fine way to end a photo outing.

Drying Cloths and Gloves

 

Dongmyeong Harbour, Sokcho.