2009 Spring Visit to Soyang Dam and Cheongpyong Temple, Chuncheon, South Korea - Part 2

As I mentioned in Part 1 of this series on Soyang Dam and Cheongpyong temple there are restaurants in specific sections of the path leading to the temple (after the ferry ride from the dam).

Here's another map . . . but unless you read Korean it doesn't really help that much.

I noticed these two thing . . . anybody know what they are?

Julianne suggested something to do with bees . . . they're rather close to the path if they are . . .

From the brief glances I made at the restaurants it looks like they serve anju (drinking snacks) and will cook up some fish . . . I think there may also be one or two dokgabli places also.

Hmmm . . . fish. I'd caution foreign people visiting here from eating any raw fish entrees if they offer them. If it's cooked go for it--raw, eat at your own risk.

Hmmm . . . bundagee (silk worm larvae)--delicious! Julianne still won't try it--I'm not giving up!

Korean vegetable pancake--yum.

This is a great example of how Korean eating space is organized. Very open with no dividers between the tables and easy access to socializing with neighboring diners if you're feeling sociable. Also, you sit on the floor--no chairs. For this particular location it's an open-air design, but you'll see similar organizations of restaurant space for indoor places too.

Tourist shop/tent and gifty-things . . .

You do have to pay a fee to go up to the temple. It's 1,300won. The ticket booth is on the right at the end of this structure.

Ticket booth . . .

There are a great series of small rock-plateaus with water running over them and tiny little waterfalls that run parallel to the path up to the temple.

Looking back at the ticket booth and restaurant you can just see tables on the left side that sit on top of the running water and rocks--cool.

I really like this pic . . . I didn't know how it would turn out but the sunlight, flowers, and lanterns look really nice.

This is taken standing in the middle of the stream/small river that runs down from the temple. I imagine it must be a great place to cool off during the heat and humidity of Korean summers.

There are several nice locations along the stream running parallel to the path up to the temple that have great photo ops.

In Part 4 of my 2008 post I wrote about how one of Julianne's co-teachers did some Internet research and found this,

Princess Shuni of Yuan of China and the Lovesick Snake

The princess and a 'common man' met each other and fell in love with one another. Because they were in love they chose to meet each other every night. The king found out about their meetings and had the common man killed. When the common man was killed a snake suddenly appeared. The people who witnessed this event said that the snake was the common man reincarnated.

One night the snake came into the princess's room and coiled around her tightly and would not allow her to move. The king could not hire anyone in China to get the snake to let go so he decided the best thing to do would be to have his daughter seen by the best Buddhist monk in the world. In order to have his daughter see the best monk he had her sent to Korea. The snake refused to let go for the entire journey. Once the princess arrived in Korea the monk was able to remove the snake and free the princess. The snake was sent away by the Buddhist monk and was struck by a bolt of lightening. The snake died instantly.

The princess now felt free but also very sad. She did love the common man who turned into a snake.

The king was so greatful to the monk who freed his daughter that he built a temple in Korea to show his gratitude.

The princess was so sad that the man she loved was dead that she prayed for him at the temple every day.


Interesting story . . . this statue is one of the more interesting things you'll see while hiking up to the temple.

The lanterns looked pretty good but I just realized that at night this pathway must look freaking amazing if the lanterns are lit--I never checked to see if they are lit at night--anybody know?

Then we arrived at the Guseong waterfall . . . According to the Chuncheon city tourism site, "This is the place where climbers enjoy visiting since it has a graceful valley, if you climb up along the valley, there is Guseong waterfall with the height of 7 m that is said to make nine sounds."

It's nice . . . but in terms of other waterfalls I've seen . . . well, it's nice.

To the right of the waterfalls there is an area with a lot of pagodas (stone piles). People put them on this tree too.

Standing next to this tree looking back at the waterfalls I took this pic--ohhh, lens flare. It kind of works though . . .

There are different kinds of flowers in bloom along the path leading to the temple--Julianne noticed this one.

I took these next two pics in Part 4 of my 2008 post . . . the pavilion sits to the right of the path.

I saw this man through the doorway of one of the small restaurants. I found it unusual to see a man helping to prepare food so I had to take this picture--I don't think I've seen many Korean men (especially OLDER) working in a kitchen . . . ever.

This next pic is of the same restaurant looking in at where the grandfather had been chopping vegetables--he wasn't there this year.

Past the restaurant there are two mythical lions and a pagoda.

Information about the temple . . .

And then on the right side of the path you come to the "Shadow Pond" . . .

"Unlike ancient gardens of China and Japan, Korean gardens are unique for the emphasis on the naturalness and little artificial sophistication." Hmmmm . . . okay . . . lol.

It was touching to see a father with his little boy pointing at the fish that are in the pond.

On the left of the path just before you arrive at the last stretch leading to the temple there is a large area of tiny stone pagodas that people build themselves when visiting.

At the top of the path there is a water fountain, and further up this last little stretch is another water fountain sitting next to a really nice huge tree. I really wish I was brave enough to drink the water because it looked fresh and cold . . . but I've been sick in Korea with stomach bugs and have no intentions of getting one again if possible--knock on wood.

The really big tree . . . awesome.

Part 3 coming soon . . .

J