For those who love nature and beautiful landscapes, autumn is the best season to visit Korea.
What I enjoy most is climbing Palgong Mountain up to Gatbawi Buddha. On the peak, a Buddha statue stands peacefully. This Buddha wears a traditional Korean hat called ‘Gat’ in Korean, and is well-known for answering believers’ prayers. It is said that a monk made the statue to appease his mother’s soul.
Another place I usually visit in autumn is Haeinsa. There is a seven kilometers trail leading to the temple from the bus stop. In some stretches, the path runs along a stream. As we were walking along it, I took some pictures. However, the photos can not fully describe the romantic atmosphere of the place, the vivid multicolored falling leaves, and the murmur of the water that flows from the mountain and forms little ponds here and there.
Finally, we arrived at Haeinsa after walking for three hours. This temple is a World Heritage Site, for it keeps Printing Woodblocks of the Tripitaka Koreana. Buddha’s sutras were engraved on wood blocks to protect the country from the invasion of Mongolia. And then, they were printed and spread.
While walking to the temple, we enjoyed the beautiful autumn landscape, especially the autumn yellow and red leaves in the trees. There were a lot of fallen leaves on the ground. They are metaphor for human life. Leaves sprout, become green, then they change color, wither, and fall off the branches. Human life is like that. The cycle of life!
Ettore Grillo, author of these books:
– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)
– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)
– The Vibrations of Words (English version)
– Travels of the Mind (English version)
– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)
– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)
Ettore Grillo's Blog 