First thing in the morning today, we all needed to grab our bags and head down to a coach bus, belongings in hand, because this was the last we’d be seeing of the hotel for most of our time in Korea. Today was the day of the temple visit! I needed to stay up late ensuring I had my packing and laundry done for the transition so I didn’t get much sleep, but I was able to make up for it a bit on the bus. We also got to travel on one of Koreas high speed trains from Seoul station, which was a fun experience! I tried to relax and listen to my music while most others worked on their blogs, so it was necessary rest but ended up biting me a little later.

When we finally got to Golgulsa temple, we experienced a few problems from the start. We had difficulty bringing our belongings up to our lodgings because not only was it up a few flights of stairs and a hill, we were given our sheets and uniform to carry up with us. Most of us didn’t have the hands free to carry those in addition to our stuff, so it caused great difficulty in the initial transition. In addition, the toilets could not handle toilet paper yet they had no bidet, so we would have been required to leave used TP in the trash; something no one was used to and few were willing to try.

Difficulties like these were expected staying at a temple that’s over a thousand years old, so I ignored them and moved on. Next on the itinerary was an introduction to Sunmudo, the martial art taught at the temple. The instructor went over a few basic stretches and yoga forms and had us practice a few kicks in a line. It was fun, although nowhere near what you would imagine when you think martial art (as to be expected). Our instructor was then followed by another monk who led us through the practice of 108 prostrations, in which we got down on our elbows and knees with heads bowed 108 times for the 108 sufferings according to their beliefs. This was entirely optional but I thought it was a good experience and a good way to immerse myself more in the culture. In reality we ended up doing around 55 prostrations, but I assume that was to keep in line with their schedule. We followed this with a quick vegan dinner in their eating area with rice, fried potatoes, and kimchi during which talking was discouraged out of respect for monk tradition. It was good but nothing too special, and after some more yoga with our instructor, thus concluded day one at the temple.

Thank you again for tuning into the blog, and I’ll let you know how we wrap things up in the next one!