Comments on: Mungyeong’s Bongam-sa Temple http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/04/26/mungyeongs-bongam-sa-temple/ Korea... in Blog Format Fri, 5 Sep 2008 06:21:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: danjlove http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/04/26/mungyeongs-bongam-sa-temple/#comment-34991 danjlove Sun, 07 May 2006 06:41:51 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/?p=2768#comment-34991 I was there. I only saw 1 other white guy. www.flickr.com/photos/danjlove/ I was there. I only saw 1 other white guy.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danjlove/

]]> By: skookum http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/04/26/mungyeongs-bongam-sa-temple/#comment-34544 skookum Fri, 28 Apr 2006 05:46:51 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/?p=2768#comment-34544 Oops, how do you edit comments? Guess one doesn't...... Anyway what I meant to say at the end of the last one is: I didn't think though that Jeomchon was the best restaurant town around, though I did find some better ones toward the end of my stay there. Suanbo restaurants seem to have the best [strictly Korean] eats all-round that I've run across in Korea.) Here's my lists and comments on Galbijim: http://wiki.galbijim.com/Mungyeong_restaurants http://wiki.galbijim.com/Suanbo_restaurants Oops, how do you edit comments? Guess one doesn’t…… Anyway what I meant to say at the end of the last one is: I didn’t think though that Jeomchon was the best restaurant town around, though I did find some better ones
toward the end of my stay there. Suanbo restaurants seem to have the best [strictly Korean] eats all-round that I’ve run across in Korea.)
Here’s my lists and comments on Galbijim:
http://wiki.galbijim.com/Mungyeong_restaurants
http://wiki.galbijim.com/Suanbo_restaurants

]]> By: skookum http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/04/26/mungyeongs-bongam-sa-temple/#comment-34541 skookum Fri, 28 Apr 2006 05:40:11 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/?p=2768#comment-34541 We really liked living there - though the lack of English-speakers was a little difficult - I had so many questions that went too long unanswered. There were a couple foreigners who seemed very contained in their own lives, and a couple more who left a few months after we arrived - I never found out whether they were replaced. Almost never ran across foreigners on the street. Oddly enought though, the first coin I found on the street in Jeomchon was an American quarter. But otherwise we enjoyed our live there and our impressions of Korea differ greatly from those on Dave's, etc. who find Koreans so unbearable. We found many to be kind and all to be acceptably human, whatever that means. I learned a lot about keeping on an even keel with people, even when I hadn't any idea all all as to what was going on..... I liked going to the markets - Jeomchon's five-day seemed to me to be as good as the famous one in Jeongseon in Kangwon-do. Always something new to see and perhaps buy and try - bundles of leaves, cheonggukjang, dried squid, as well as the more conventional pae, kam, ttalgi, koguma, etc.... I love Korean food in all its variety and will eat it at the drop of a hat wherever it is an option. I didn't think though that <b><a></b> was the best restaurant town around, though I did find some better ones toward the end of my stay there. (<b><a></b> seem to have the best [strictly Korean] eats all-round that I've run across in Korea.) We really liked living there - though the lack of English-speakers was a little difficult - I had so many questions that went too long unanswered. There were a couple foreigners who seemed very contained in their own lives, and a couple more who left a few months after we arrived - I never found out whether they were replaced. Almost never ran across foreigners on the street. Oddly enought though, the first coin I found on the street in Jeomchon was an American quarter.

But otherwise we enjoyed our live there and our impressions of Korea differ greatly from those on Dave’s, etc. who find Koreans so unbearable. We found many to be kind and all to be acceptably human, whatever that means. I learned a lot about keeping on an even keel with people, even when I hadn’t any idea all all as to what was going on…..

I liked going to the markets - Jeomchon’s five-day seemed to me to be as good as the famous one in Jeongseon in Kangwon-do. Always something new to see and perhaps buy and try - bundles of leaves, cheonggukjang, dried squid, as well as the more conventional pae, kam, ttalgi, koguma, etc…. I love Korean food in all its variety and will eat it at the drop of a hat wherever it is an option. I didn’t think though that was the best restaurant town around, though I did find some better ones toward the end of my stay there. ( seem to have the best [strictly Korean] eats all-round that I’ve run across in Korea.)

]]> By: Robert http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/04/26/mungyeongs-bongam-sa-temple/#comment-34437 Robert Thu, 27 Apr 2006 07:22:25 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/?p=2768#comment-34437 I was there from 1997 to 2000, before I moved up near Seoul for grad school. Taught at the LIKE across from Mungyeong City Hall. Lived actually behind the terminal, across from the train tracks. Since I spent my first three years in Korea there, the place has special meaning to me---consider it my "second hometown," in a way. Find it strange that there would be so little contact among the foreigners in Jeomchon, given how it's so small. When I was there, the foreign community was really tightly knit and, relatively speaking, well-adjusted. It was a great place to live, and frankly, I'd like to eventually retire to the area (Andong, to be specific). BTW, I'm not the only blogger who lived in Mungyeong---Flying Yangban also spent his first years in Korea there (which is how we met), and his wife is from the town. I was there from 1997 to 2000, before I moved up near Seoul for grad school. Taught at the LIKE across from Mungyeong City Hall. Lived actually behind the terminal, across from the train tracks. Since I spent my first three years in Korea there, the place has special meaning to me—consider it my “second hometown,” in a way. Find it strange that there would be so little contact among the foreigners in Jeomchon, given how it’s so small. When I was there, the foreign community was really tightly knit and, relatively speaking, well-adjusted. It was a great place to live, and frankly, I’d like to eventually retire to the area (Andong, to be specific). BTW, I’m not the only blogger who lived in Mungyeong—Flying Yangban also spent his first years in Korea there (which is how we met), and his wife is from the town.

]]> By: skookum http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/04/26/mungyeongs-bongam-sa-temple/#comment-34426 skookum Thu, 27 Apr 2006 04:46:37 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/?p=2768#comment-34426 Hi, Robert. Yes, lived until late March in Mojeon-dong - also very close to the bus terminal. We were on Hwy 3 across from and a few doors north of the Halla Yut'ong. How long ago were you there, and where? There is so little contact among foreigners in Jeomchon that there is little in the way of legends, myth, stories about those who came before us..... (Except of course that I have read your comments over time on this site about your having lived there...) Hi, Robert. Yes, lived until late March in Mojeon-dong - also very close to the bus terminal. We were on Hwy 3 across from and a few doors north of the Halla Yut’ong. How long ago were you there, and where? There is so little contact among foreigners in Jeomchon that there is little in the way of legends, myth, stories about those who came before us….. (Except of course that I have read your comments over time on this site about your having lived there…)

]]> By: bluejives http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/04/26/mungyeongs-bongam-sa-temple/#comment-34370 bluejives Wed, 26 Apr 2006 18:24:54 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/?p=2768#comment-34370 <i>I will have failed in my duties as a blogger unless at least one of my readers visits the place on May 5.</i> I have always suspected that The Marmot would make a fine Korean. I will have failed in my duties as a blogger unless at least one of my readers visits the place on May 5.

I have always suspected that The Marmot would make a fine Korean.

]]> By: Robert http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/04/26/mungyeongs-bongam-sa-temple/#comment-34301 Robert Wed, 26 Apr 2006 05:46:56 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/?p=2768#comment-34301 Hey, skookum, do you live in Jeomchon? I spent my first three years in Korea in Mojeon-dong, not far from the intra-city bus terminal. Hey, skookum, do you live in Jeomchon?
I spent my first three years in Korea in Mojeon-dong, not far from the intra-city bus terminal.

]]> By: skookum http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/04/26/mungyeongs-bongam-sa-temple/#comment-34300 skookum Wed, 26 Apr 2006 05:34:32 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/?p=2768#comment-34300 Yeh, went out there last year - Mungyeong shinae buses run the same schedule Buddha's birthday or no. We went out there from Jeomchon on the bus and figured the bus would be insanely crowded. But no, though there were thousands at Bongamsa for the day, they drove themselves there..... When we were ready to leave, there was no bus, so we just hitched a ride to the Gaeun bus terminal. Some photos in my blog entry for that short journey at http://middlekorea.livejournal.com/9366.html Looking at the map there is more of something far up the valley from Bongamsa - hermitages perhaps? It would be interesting to go up there as far as one could..... And there's the big mountain right behind the temple..... -- skookum Yeh, went out there last year - Mungyeong shinae buses run the same schedule Buddha’s birthday or no. We went out there from Jeomchon on the bus and figured the bus would be insanely crowded. But no, though there were thousands at Bongamsa for the day, they drove themselves there….. When we were ready to leave, there was no bus, so we just hitched a ride to the Gaeun bus terminal. Some photos in my blog entry for that short journey at http://middlekorea.livejournal.com/9366.html

Looking at the map there is more of something far up the valley from Bongamsa - hermitages perhaps? It would be interesting to go up there as far as one could….. And there’s the big mountain right behind the temple…..

– skookum

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