Thursday July 4

The Fourth of July came and went with barely a second thought. We spent the night of the 3rd in Daegu, Korea's 3rd largest city after Seoul and Busan. Daegu is known for 3 things: beautiful women (many Miss Korea winners have come from Daegu), apples, and bad weather. We were there such a short time, I didn't see evidence of any of this.

We had an early departure from the hotel and headed for the Haeinsa Temple. This temple is up a winding mountain road and is a very active place. There were monks walking around performing their duties, and worshipers praying and chanting.

While we were there 3 monks also performed a drumming ceremony that occurs a few times a day. The 3 men took turns drumming throughout the 20 minutes. The monsoons arrived during this ceremony. July is the monsoon season in Korea, and we got our first taste of it at the end of the ceremony. The skies suddenly opened and a torrential rain came down. There were several roof overhangs where we could take cover. When they were finished, the monks grabbed their umbrellas and hurried off.

For lunch we ate in the temple "cafeteria". Non- Buddhists, lay Buddhists, and monks all ate separately. The space was set up like a mess hall, with long tables and metal bowls. The big difference was the quiet. There was no talking allowed, so the only noise came from the dishwashing crew and the metal chopsticks on the metal bowls. No photos were allowed in the cafeteria.

Another rule was that you had to eat everything in your bowl. When we entered the cafeteria we each picked up a bowl already filled with cold green noodles. It was about twice as much noodle as I would have served myself, but a rule is a rule and I was committed to eat it all. You could then add assorted vegetables and a black bean sauce to the bowl. It was a very good, simple meal.

After wandering the temple grounds we got on the bus for the 4.5 hour drive back to Seoul.