There is no path to happiness. Happiness itself is the path. the Buddha

So the 108 prostrations was a bit much. I stuck it out with 1/2 bows. I think i probably hit about 30 full on prostrations, but honestly, i lost track. My knees are not happy with me.  

The bows came AFTER the Sunmudo training, which was a combo of some meditation,  yoga, and martial arts training. Not sure if that helped because i was good and warmed up or hurt because I was already tired. 

Dinner was good,  but the silent reflection was destroyed by a chattering French group that's here too. 

7:00 pm now. Lights out at 9, back up at 5 am for chanting and more meditation.

Tomorrow I'm going without my phone.  Turning it off  completely for 24 hours. No photos, no checking in, no blogging. 

Heres a few last photos to tide you over until I'm re-connect.

Dining Hall

Sunmudo training center

Fall colors

Temple Stay

Ready to embark on the part of the journey i have been most anticipating, temple stay at Golgulsa. Sa means temple  so this is the Golgul Temple. 

Arrived, been issued my room and temple clothes. I have a private room and bath.

Futon is about 1/2 inch thick. Since I'm in here by myself, I think I'm going to pull a Princess and the Pea routine,  and stack the extra futons and blankets. Otherwise, I'm not sure I'll be able to get out of bed tomorrow, no matter how loud the 5 am bell is. 

Theres a little sheet that fits over the futon, and a pillow.

This place is special. I haven't even left my room yet,  and I already feel more at peace. 

Heading off to temple orientation and then Sunmudo training (Sun: meditation, Mu: martial art, Do: Discipline). Then 108 prostrations (kind of like burpees. All the way dpwn, then all the way up.) We'll see if my knees hold up to that one...

Off to commune with silence.

Korean stores

I saw a few department stores in Seoul, but for the most part the markets and stores seem to be specialized, owner operated. 

Each store has one focus, and they seem to be in clumps of similar stores. In the little market, fish stores were all grouped together, clothing stores, spice stores, etc. Our hotel in Jeon-ju was clearly in a hardware section, because there was a lot of ladders.

Large sidewalk displays are common. They look like huge piles to me.  At night,  they are covered with tarp. No one seems too worried about thieves.

Typical Korean store (and even many restaurants) seems to be about 15-18 feet wide and about 30 ft long. Theres a tiny place for the owner to hang out when there are  no customers, or a tiny kitchen to prepare the food.

The typical table setting is containers of water, which is poured by lowest rank person or host and given to the highest rank person first.  There's a little box of non-absorbant napkins, about a folded cocktail napkin size,  but one-ply. Theres almost always a individually wrapped wet wipe. Spoon and chop sticks.

If the restaurant is full,  you'll get an X (forearms crossed in front of the body), and you find somewhere else to eat.  

Math challenge

For any students who are following the blog, you may remember that I taught math.  So here's my international math problem for you:

How much are Koreans paying for gas in American measurements?

You'll need to convert Won to $, and Kilos to gallons. 

Take your answers to Ms. Hogue. There will be a raffle for a souvenir from Korea from all the right answers. (Must ahow you work.  You can find the conversion rate for Won to USD online)

Gyeongju

Arrived safely, rode the bus,  love me some Google. Allowed me to ask for help from the bus driver [저를 도와주세요

jeoleul dowajuseyo],  and then get off on the right stop when he forgot to help. 

Arrived at the Hanok, which is a traditional Korean house.  Completely enchanted.

Notice there are no chairs,  and my shoes are outside, where they belong, according to the proprietress. 

Walked the city market, got a 18,000 won haircut (about $16), and visited the Korean version of food trucks for dinner - grilked beef, onions, garlic, and mushroom (100 grams for 6000 won)

  Now im watching K-Star back in my room.  I think maybe this show is teaching me as much about Korean culture as I've  learned in the whole last week... or maybe it's just adding some extra context.

Wishing for my comforting Hobbit hole

So I've started the solo part of my journey.  I have to admit to feeling a little overwhelmed and a tad terrified this morning. 

First hurdle was just getting on the train.  I underestimated how challenging everything would be with a different alphabet. Some signs are in English, but I can't even read my train ticket. 

Luckily, two incredibly sweet young ladies walked me to the train, all the way to my car. Totally out of their way, and they couldn't have been nicer about it. 

i have two hours on the bullet train, until my next challenge,  getting on the bus...

Going to relax,  and enjoy the view. I will trust in the unfailing kindness of the Korean people to assist me, and fall back on Google translate in a pinch. 

Hay fields (i think)

Dung Cafe

This coffee shop gets its own post, just for total commitment to the theme

Had a delightful drink though