Songnisan!

One of our coordinators, Emilee, took a group to Songnisan National Park in Chungcheongbuk-do for some hiking. The trip was perfect, from the company to the weather. I'm so glad now that I requested a "mountainous" area on my placement form... fingers crossed for that now. Here are some pictures:


On our way to the trail, we passed a giant gold Buddha. The statue of the Maitreya Buddha was erected for National Unification in 1990 at Beopjusa Temple (inside Songnisan). The bronze statue stands 33-meter-high and is covered in gold leaf. The Beopjusa temple complex was commissioned 653 by Silla monk Uisin.

After we left the temple grounds, the whole group summited Munjangdae, the second tallest peak in the park. During the hike back, we found time to swim in a waterfall and sample local specialties: Makgeolli and Pajeon, a seafood pancake! What an awesome, exhausting day! Now for STUDY STUDY STUDY and LESSON PLAN PLAN PLAN!

More pictures are posted at: http://picasaweb.google.com/eryan390/SongnisanNatLParkSummitingMunjangdae#