Kings to Monks

Entering Gyeongju I start to realise that the place is quite sprawled out as our makeshift guide points out different temples and their names, along with directions and we are not even there yet. There is going to be a lot of traveling.
Now, like us, you're 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 it's just a boring looking, not so up market town/city.
Being dropped off at 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 until we are comparing the two, with the current hostel not faring 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 where your feet are that was not been cleaned during our 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 every night?! Anyhow it is more of a let's drink and be bored with other people kind of thing, I'm glad that I wait till the last night to participate.

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 which 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 that reigned for near on 1000 years. The tombs that we see are not that impressive but it could have 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 on me. I was not supposed to take a picture of the excavated King's regalia but it needed to be seen. Do you think the bird will pull up in time?!!? It's a strange thing in Korea, the dead are buried in mounds. Seems kinda normal now, but at first this bothered me. I guess it was because I was walking within arm's reach of them (literally, if one decided to pop his arm out!)...something I usually don't 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 pagodas.. Carefully I picked up stones of fallen pagoda's (having been explained that fallen ones were ok to pick from because it is seen as a mercy giving from the person who made the pagoda before me)...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 come back from a temple stay about an hour's drive from Gyeongju, it sounded right up our alley oozing 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 exercise, yoga etc. Another blog tells of a woman being absolutely exhausted and in pain after her stay. Hmmm had we made the right decision here?! Well in final agreement of "nothing ventured, nothing gained" we set out...... (ready to sneak out in the middle of the night if necessary)...
For some reason, I had envisioned one big temple building but it was a huge grounds climbing the 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 read 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 about bending your back to a 90-degree angle. I'm talking about down to your knees, head to the floor, palms down then up then standing..that's one bow for them. It takes about nine hours if you're fast and don't stop We also got some funky pants, and what looked to be Mcdonald's vests.
So lunch was the first thing on the schedule. Gear on, we walked to the dining building (it's very steep and actually gets you puffing). I knew going in that it was going to be vegetarian, this could be the hardest part ha...though surprisingly I really enjoyed the food. 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 art of the Koreans from the days of the Japanese occupation. It was taught to the Korean militia who would hide out in the temples. I've done martial arts before in Oz and it was much of a muchness, but I'm sure they teach us a toned-down version of what the actual monks do, but it was enough for me (and my ribs)! After training it was off to bed as it was already 9.30pm and the lights are out at 10pm. Seems early huh, but we realised why as we looked at tomorrow's schedule....morning chanting was to start at 4am! Alarms set I did NOT want to do 3000 bows, so we got up in the freezing cold dark of early morning. Gear on again, we made haste up the long, long path (There was also a chanting monk with a wooden instrument that was going the length of the temple grounds, I guess some kind of monk alarm). The chanting was very cool and all ceremonial, though I will not miss my photo opportunity of how beautiful it was, plus they informed us beforehand that photos are fine to take at any time. 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 about the next part as it was a ceremonial meal and we had only been shown quickly once what to do for the ceremony :/ Monks lined the hall crosslegged as we joined them, everyone facing each other on opposite sides.
Let me take you through what I had to take-in, in one quick tutorial.
Receive Bowls (bowls fit into each other) with lid and two cloth pieces on top, place at right knee.
Lay cloth out in front, and be sure the longest length being wide.
Move the bowls to the middle, remove the lid, and place the cloth at the right knee. Place bowls at the bottom left corner of the cloth.
Remove the first bowl with thumbs on either inner side so as to not make noise and place at the top left corner.
Do again for the next bowl and place it at the top right corner, and the last at the bottom right.
Remove the chopsticks and spoon from the last cloth piece holding them and place them in the top right bowl. The spoon must be closest to you.
Hold out the bottom left bowl to receive the 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 ladelle 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 condiments 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 pretty much). I must take at least one piece of kimchi as it is an integral part of the ceremony later on (I'm stressing out at this point, coz I'm 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 ceremony with a clap of wood. (no one has been speaking this whole time, the ceremony is also a food meditation that requires silence and inner reflection).
Pre warned I eat fast, and I'm glad for it as there is not too 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 you're doing well. The kimchi is supposed to be cleaned in the soup (or was it the clean water??) and 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 until 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 and 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 of the bucket mind you, to prevent bad sounds). Now, you MUST NOT allow any food to pass from your bowl into the bucket, because the grandmaster will inspect the bucket and if there is ANY food in the bucket, then it is 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 left over in your bowl).
Now the cloth is used to systematically go back and dry the bowls and utensils and all is packed as it was originally...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 roundhouse kicked off!

The next day we pretty much went through the same motions but we had a little treat of tea and conversation time with a monk. Paul and I 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 didn't 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 gallstone I think, or a Hernia, then he was back at it again to finish his 3000 when he got back.
Finally, we left the Golgulsa Temple feeling well, enlightened, and honed death machines!

We were 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)