Last weekend, I went on a trip to Gangwon-do province with my family. Gangwon-do is the representative alpine region in Korea, and its high and long mountain ranges are spectacular.
Yesterday, we visited a temple called 'Woljeongsa' in Odaesan National Park. Woljeongsa Temple is a temple built on Odaesan Mountain by a monk named Jajangyulsa in 643 AD, during the Silla Dynasty, an ancient country on the Korean Peninsula. It is built deep in the mountains that has not been developed, and it is famous for its natural and beautiful scenery. In particular, the trail in the fir forest near the temple is designed to walk barefoot, which is a favorite course for many visitors.
After parking, we immediately visited the main building of Woljeongsa Temple. In preparation for the upcoming Buddha's Birthday event(May 15th), the inside of the temple was filled with colorful lotus decorations.
I walked slowly inside the temple holding hands with my children and told them about the history of temple and Silla Dynasty. Because we are descendants of Silla Dynasty. Knowing the roots and history of family is very important, and it is a cornerstone for the future. Therefore, I am teaching children that they must know history for the future.
Children like to play wherever they go. After looking around the temple, there was a stone bridge decorated with lotus lanterns on the way to the fir forest road, and my children played for a long time touching lotus lanterns and watching the fish under the bridge.
Many squirrels live on the trail in Woljeongsa Temple's fir forest, and they don't avoid people, so we can feed them and touch them. My children also had a lot of fun petting and touching the squirrels while giving them sunflower seeds. I still vividly remember touching the squirrel. :)
There are many places to relax in the walkway in the fir forest. My children had a good time eating snacks on the bench and having a good time at the place where the tree swing was. It was like a dream to spend time under the shade of a tree in the cool breeze with my family.
My kids made wishes and built little stone towers. I asked them what they had wished for, but they didn't tell me it was secret, and they said it will become invalid the moment they spoke. I knew well how much they wanted to say about it to me, but they held it in.
Forest roads are designed to walk barefoot, so most people walk barefoot on the ground. So on the way back from the end of the forest road, all my family decided to walk barefoot. Except when I was at home, I always wore shoes outside, but suddenly walking barefoot made me feel strange. Feeling the touch of stepping on the ground, the temperature of the cold ground, the sun shining through the branches and the sound of the wind brushing through the trees, we felt like we had escaped civilization and became a small part of nature. It's a shame that I couldn't take many pictures because I was focused on feeling nature, but it was a better experience than that.
My family is going to travel again this weekend, and the area we are going to this time is Anseong, Gyeonggi-do. As expected, my friends' families will also go together this time, so it will be very very crowded trip like last weekend. ^^;;
Now, Monday is back on. We have to get back to reality and focus on our work. Have a great morning everyone, and I hope all of you have an energetic week. Thank you. :D