the kindness of strangers

On the weekend Becky and I got to go to one of the largest temples in Korea, Beomosa. The day was warm and sunny, and so without the thought of rain we were on a bus heading toward the site. There were two options in terms of how to get there. Our final destination was the temple, but I think the journey there is just as important - so we hiked. One of the coolest things about Korea is the kindness of people. It amazes me. As Becky and I tried to decipher the map that was right beside the bus stop, we made the decision to walk instead of bus. Just as we were trying to figure out what to do, a Korean woman who works at the UN memorial park cemetery here in Busan started talking to us. The next thing we know we are getting a history lesson as we scale this huge hill. It was great - gotta love strangers.
So anyways, here's a few pictures of the day.

This fire pit here was on the top of the hill/mountain. If you've ever seen the Lord of the Rings, when they are lighting the beacons on top of the mountain to signal for help, well then you'd be familiar with the purpose of this place. Used about a hundred years ago, this place was used to send smoke signals to allied villages with messages of distress. Those villages in turn would light their own beacons and communicate back. Awesome.


This is a sweet view of Busan; the city in the valley.

Becks and I, posing 'like the Asians do'

This is Becky and our volunteer tour guide and the steps leading down to the temple area.


One part of the temple (it's a pretty big place)
For more pictures of this place click here.