Thursday, June 07, 2007

Maisan

These stupid pictures are out of order and should be with my temple pics you'll see in a bit (temple is painted gold - but not real gold - it looks a bit tacky up close but you can't tell on these photos)






This was a pleasant mountain range we visited. It's called horse ear mountain - try and guess why.

I tried to get a few distant shots from a moving bus.



It actually has a few names dependant upon the season, it's other popular one is the sail boat (spring)






Being the only officially recognised male / female mountain in the world its a hotspot for the buddhists. Here is the only gold temple I have seen in korea and it's based at the foot of the twin peaks.


Even the bus station has things to look at.




This was made by a buddhist believer who apparantly mastered heaven, earth, fire and water and found balance. He then put these rocks together without any cement and they stood for a long time.

Just so you know I looked and would guess that the rocks have been given some support since though you are not allowed to actually touch them still in case they fall over.







not bad for a foot of a mountain. His image (not buddha's) is actually prayed to by the locals presumably asking for knowledge.











I think the statues were added afterwards!!!



Looks impressive from the top looking down too.





This is the first peak you see from the base. It's the male one and is rounded (flat) and shorter than the female one.
It's an interesting walk up though until 2012 you can only go half way up the female one and to the raised adjoining sections of the two. It's still enough to get me out of breath.





They love their dragon images here.



It's a beautiful park you have to hike through to get there.
This is the highest we could get and I took a pic of the mountain as a marker.

That's the way down.



In the mountain as you get up there are natural caves. If you drink water in this one it will help you become pregnant with a boy. I didn't try it.






these fresh water items are all over korea though not always coming out of animals mouths.













I bought a present for my mom. Just to prove I had to hike up a mountain to buy it off some buddhists I took the picture.




This has nothing to do with Maisan but I just wanted to show the korean craze for putting potato on pizza. It's the number one selling topping.


3 comments:

Cheryl said...

You had to put the "spasy" picture of my up didn't you? I am hitting you with my crutch the first chance I get. THERE WAS EVEN A GOOD PIC!!!! Crutching you is to good for you.........*mutters*

missy said...

The mountains look like boobies.

x said...

i love the little lanterns. and i think the king was very kind to leave some furniture before he died. magnanimous.