Kings to Monks

Entering into Gyeongju I start to realise that the place is quite sprawled out as different temples are named and directions pointed by our makeshift guide and we are not event there yet. There will be alot of traveling.
Now like us your most likely expecting a city with such a strong historical background to look all olden traditional style huh? Well, like me you would be disappointed, no cool looking areas lost in the ages to see here. It seems that its just a boring looking, not so up market town/city.
Being dropped off out our hostel we head up and get our rooms, passports are asked for so we supply the photocopies we have...nothing is questioned. After staying in our last hostel it has done us a disfavour as we are now used to a luxurious level of service/facilities, it is not long untill we are comparing the two with the current hostel not fareing well. The beds seem ok but the mindset of cleaning the urinal is to just throw on more soap cakes and the toilet has a big puddle right whre your feet are that was not cleaned the stay there nor probably before we had come. The staff are young and promote a "party" every night, maybe twice/three times a week but everynight?! Anyhow it is more of a lets drink and be bored with other people kind of thing, I'm glad that I wait till the last night.

Keen to see all the sites Gyeongju has to offer we ask what can we see and we have enough time to visit the main King Tombs that are pretty much just down the street. The kings in question are from the Silla Kingdom, one of the three kingdoms that Korea had and also the kingdom that conquered the rest becoming the first dynasty which reigned for near on 1000 years. The tombs that we see are not that impressive but it could of been the mood of the day but the fact of the tombs being dated as far back as the 5-6th century was not lost to me. I was not supposed to take a picture of the excavated Kings regalia but it needed to be seen.Do you think the bird will pull up in time?!!? Its a strange thing in Korea, the dead a buried in mounds. Seems kinda normal now but at first this bothered me. I guess it was because I was walking within arms reach of them (literally, if one decided to pop his arm out!)..something I usually dont have to think of back in Australia. The next day was to be the Bulguksa Temple then the Seokguram grotto both built in the 7th century. Some photos of course... We came across a little golden statue of a pig, which is said that when you give it a little rub you get good fortune to create a fortune ...I indulged with a bit of polishing.. Though I think Paul had different ideas... Further in we found a cool area that had all these piles of what looked like stone pagoda's.. Carefully I picked up stones of fallen pogoda's, explained that fallen ones were ok as they are a mercy giving from the person who made the pagoda's the stone was from...here is my masterpiece.. With all this good luck going on I'm sure to be rich when I get back!
The grotto was quite beautiful but I was not allowed to take a picture
The next day we hiked up the Namsen Mountain coming across numerous carvings of Buddha that date well past 1500 years ago ( I have photos which I will upload for Namsen later), it was quite nice and had some good views.

Back at the hostel we had been speaking with an American guy we met that had just came back from a temple stay about an hours drive from Gyeongju, it sounded right up our alley oozeing cultural experience! We had the hostel book our stay for two nights by phone as we researched the place, information was scarce though what we did hit was not painting a pretty picture. On one blog we read the guy had been preparing for the temple for six years doing martial arts and excercise, yoga etc. Another blog tells of a woman being absoluetly exhausted and in pain after her stay. Hmmm had we made the right descision here?! Well in final agreement of nothing ventured, nothing gained we set out...... (ready to sneak out in the middle of the night if nescessary)...
For some reason I had envisioned one big temple building but it was a huge grounds climbing a side of the base of a mountain. The temple was very old, some say the oldest in Korea of its kind with a Buddha carving dating back to the 6th century! The first thing we had to do is look and sign off on the rules...this included that if you missed morning chanting you were then subject to 3000 bows. Now I'm not talking bending your back to a 90 degree angle. I'm talking down to you knees, head to floor, palms down then up then standing..that's one. It takes about nine hours if your fast and don't stop We also got some funky pants and a what looked to be McDonalds vest.
So lunch was the first thing on the schedule. Gear on we walked to the dining building (its very steep and actually gets you puffing). I knew going in that it was going to be vegitarian, this could be the hardest part ha...though suprisingly I really enjoyed the food it was great tasteing and I think the best part was that I had no fear of there being any fish involoved in someway. When you eat here you serve your own food almost like the army and what you serve yourself you must eat, there is no waste! We see monks and other travellers, next is Sunmudo training.
Sunmudo is a martial arts of the Koreans from the days of the Japanese occupation. It was taught to the Korean militia who would hide out in the temples. Ive done martial arts before in Oz and it was much of a muchness but im sure a toned down version to what the actual monks do but it was enough for me (and my ribs)! After training it was off to bed as it was allready 9.30pm and lights out at 10pm, seems early huh but we realised why as we looked at tomorrows schedule....morning chanting was to start at 4am. Alarms set I did NOT want to do 3000 bows we got up in freezing cold dark of early morning. gear on we made haste up the long long path (There was also a chanting monk with a wooden intrument that was going the length of the temple grounds, I guess some kind of monk alarm). The chanting was very cool and all cermonial, though I'm a TOURIST and I will not miss my photo opportunity even if it is the most religiously significant part of the day for a monk who devoted his whole life to Buddhism. I think it was worth it... This was followed by meditation, I really tried to not think of anything but all i could do is go to one thought....WHEN THE FUCK CAN I STRETCH MY LEGS!!
We were feeling a bit nervous on the next part as it was a ceremonial meal and we had been shown quickly once what to do :/ Monks lined the hall as did we all further down from them everyone facing each other from the wall crosslegged. Ok, im going to take you through what I had to take in in one quick tutorial.
Recieve Bowls (bowls fit into each other) with lid and two cloth pieces on top, place at right knee.
Lay cloth out infront, be sure longest length being wide.
Move bowls to middle, remove lid and cloth place at right knee. Place bowls at bottom left corner of cloth.
Remove first bowl with thumbs on either inner side as to not make noise and place at top left corner.
Do again for next bowl and place at top right corner, and the last at bottom right.
Remove the chopsticks and spoon from the last cloth piece holding them and place them in the top right bowl. Spoon must be closest to you.
Hold out bottom left bowl to recieve rice portion, it is at this point you can ask for more or return some.
When the soup arrives to be served the bottom right bowl must be brought under the laddel in a scoop motion to stop drips.
When the water arrives this is put into the top right bowl, you MUST twist the bowl when you want the monk to stop or he WILL keep pouring even if it overflows.
Food is laid out in trays full of condements along with the traditional Korean food Kimchi. (This is where I find out it is not pork soup but cabbage with a red kind of sauce paste, it is quite spicy hot with a sour tang. Kimchi is served with EVERY Korean meal). Im must take at least one piece of kimchi as it is an integral part of the cermony later on (I'm stressing out as at this point im confused as to which is Kimchi..I use deduction). The Kimchi and other assorted Veggies are put into the top left bowl.
Once everyone is served and ready the grandmaster begins the cermony with a clap of wood. (no one has been speaking this whole time, the cermony is also a food meditation which requires silence and inner reflection).
Pre warned I eat fast and glad for it as there is not to much time given. The correct way to eat is to not have the person opposite you see you take a bite, so if you can see yourself in the reflection of the bowl your doing well. The kimchi is supposed to be cleaned in the soup (or was it the clean water??) then placed in the side of the rice bowl to be used later as a scrubbing tool for the bowls.
When food is eaten and you are finished you place the chopsticks and spoon in the soup bowl with chopsticks further away and sit.
The main monk decides when enough have finished and claps the stick again. As soon as this is done this means it's cleaning time.
You place the sticks and spoon in the bowl with water and scrub with your hands then return to the cloth.
You then pour that water used into the next bowl in the top left and scrub using your hands and so on untill the last bowl in which you pour with the Kimchi stuck on its side.
Then you drink the water.
Soon a monk comes and offers you water which gets poured into the bowl with the Kimchi in it, you must put your left hand around your right wrist when you want the monk to stop pouring.
You use the Kimchi with your chopsticks to scrub the bowls clean go back through the order we just came, now you had best made sure you ate every last granule of food as when the monk next comes, he has a bucket and you are to pour the water from the last bowl into the bucket (on the wall mind you to prevent bad sounds), now you MUST NOT allow any food to pass from your bowl into the bucket as the grandmaster will inspect the bucket and if there is ANY food in there the bucket is then poured out for everyone to drink (now you can stop pouring before the food passes to the bucket but you must drink/eat that water).
Now the cloth is used to systematically go back and dry the bowls and utensils and all is packed as it was...DONE! So I'll tell you all that in a few minutes and then have you do it with the threat of having your head round house kicked off!

The next day we pretty much went through the same motions but we had a little treat of a tea and conversation time with a monk. Me and Paul eagerly started working on a list of questions.

1. Do you know what I'm thinking right now?
2. Have you ever slayed a dragon?
3. What about now?...
4. Do you think a boy will ever be born that will swim faster than a shark?
5. Are you really just thinking about stretching your legs too when your meditating?
6. How bout... NOW?!
Unfortunately we did'nt get to ask all these questions as people asked questions about enlightenment and finding ones self which he babbled on for quite a while about. Though I did get out of him that he did have to do 3000 bows and it took him 3 days with a trip to the hospital in the middle for a gaul stone I think or a Hernia, then he was back it when he got back.
Finally we left the Golgulsa Temple feeling well enlightened and honed death machines!

I was also privy to a dance from a woman who may be a nun, I'm not sure but she was amazing to watch.
(More pictures will be uploaded of monks and such, need wifi to do so)