Monk Visit

We were allowed to sleep in today before heading out to the Gyeongju National Museum. I was definitely glad for those extra hours of sleep after the previous evening’s discussion.

The museum was swarming with children. Most were wearing yellow vests for some sort of co-ed Red Cross club. Most of the artifacts were from the Silla dynasty.

A famous artifact from the museum. Maybe a woman's face?

Lots of Buddha statues.

We arrived at the Golgusa Templestay office to pick up our outfits and check in to our minimalist rooms. We were given a lesson in meditative sitting and bowing, then walked up to the Buddhist temple on the mountainside.

Eight abs? This guy's a champ.

Joe translates the monk's explanations for us.

Walking up a wet rocky mountainside was probably a poor idea.

That dude is picking his ear!

At the top.

The boys pose for their K-pop band album cover.

Upon returning, we had a simple dinner with no meat and a sign that asked not to waste any food. I grossly overestimated my hunger and was very embarrassed when I dropped off my tray. We had a Seonmudo lesson, a Korean martial art that was almost lost during the Japanese occupation, followed by a performance by the local monks. A professional photographer from the Korean Tourism Bureau was there, so maybe I’ll end up in a travel book someday.

Seonmudo pros.

In the evening, the monks dragged an internet cable across the training room and set up a projector so we could watch the Korea vs. Uruguay game. Not much will beat partying with monks. I never expected monks to be so patriotic and chill. Well, chill until Jisung missed a shot.

Projector in the training room. Sweet.