nmazca.com : vacations in korea, 2006 [please view the yeoju photos, also]

last updated: 12 aug 2006 email
The impressive, 16-meter-tall Kwaneum-bosal statue (Goddess Kuanyin) that is situated above Naksan Temple... which is itself situated above the East Sea beaches in Yangyang County, Gangwon Province. Naksansa, originally built in the 7th century, is one of the few seaside temples in Korea. I didn't know a temple was up there at all; I was just interested to view the front of the statue, which one can only see from behind at Seorak Beach. I found out later that Naksansa was almost completely destroyed by fire last year. I asked My Lady Friend to accompany me to the site later in the evening, when this photo was made. [1111 pixel version] The main temple and guardian statues at Naksansa The entrance of a house below the ridge to the temple The rocky shoreline below Naksan Temple [1111 pixel version] Lightly colored clouds above the East Sea, as seen from Naksansa. Venus rising above the East Sea, as seen from Seorak Beach (a few minutes before 5 a.m.). [1111 pixel version] The long view from Naksansa and Seorak Beach, respectively. Cloudshapes spotted on the way to the beach... ...and some more spotted on the way to the temple. Gradational landscape <<< fotos on foot 22 over 7 >> nmazca >>		Ascending... [1111 pixel version] Transforming... [1111 pixel version] ...and otherwise emanating that "godly light," to paraphrase My Lady Friend. These atmospheric treats are classified as crepuscular rays. Rice fields and a farming couple, with a hazy view of Seoraksan National Park in the background. As-yet-unidentified flowers near the beach. I've seen the same variety in Yeoju. Crushed quartz A survey marker along the ridge that leads to Naksansa Crabgrass islands Remainders of the tide, late in the afternoon The flow from a drainage pipe near the beach. While it created a compelling reflection at night, seeing what it looked like in the light left me uninterested in swimming. Perseus and the Pleiades above the East Sea Stars over Seorak: ~30-second exposures on ASA400 film, set between f5.6 and 11 (too much aperture, really; I could've gotten by with shorter exposures).		The East Sea (called the Sea of Japan from the opposite shore) [1111 pixel version] *check it sideways* Sunlight sparkling on the water The Korean beach experience (though nothing like the three-quarters of a million people who packed the beaches near Busan). South Korea is about the size of Utah, and the population is about 55 million. Seventy percent of the country is mountainous terrain. So when it's beach season, the beaches are burgeoning with folks (and their lean-tos, tables, tents and innertubes). [1111 pixel version] I saw a few people floating along on air mattresses. Why not? Sand and sun A rest-stop scene in Gangneung, down the highway from our final destination Seorak Beach and the waxing Moon Tentpole arcade and the Waxing Moon The SS Themeland, an entertainment "vessel" attached to the defunct Themeland Hotel across the street from Seorak Beach. Yes, it's a building. Those are concrete blocks. One of the doors on an old-school dresser in the beachhouse. See a wider version.		Temporary links: July 17: Heavy rains in Daehanminguk August 4: We went for a walk around Woraksan. Quick videos: Floatin'... Games boys play Getting air on water Late-night rapid fire Color blooms Inflatable sand castle Seoraksan peaks at twilight; go some distance beyond these, and you'd be in North Korea.