August 20: Busan Day 2

We started Tuesday by visiting a Buddhist temple along the sea called The Water Temple.. The Korean name for the temple is Haedong Yonggungsa. Most Korean temples are in the mountains, so this temple is a little unusual. It's a bit farther out of the center of Busan, so Abe didn't have a chance to visit it while he was on his mission. The temple was originally built in the 1300s. It was partially burned during a Japanese invasion in the 1500s and then rebuilt.

We recognized the first statues inside the temple compound as the animals of the zodiac. We reached posed by our animal. Brandan was born in the Year of the Rat.

Becky was born in the Year of the Tiger.

Abe was born in the Year of the Goat.

Gibson was born in the Year of the Pig.

The temple is built on the side of a hill between different levels and was fun to explore.

This statue is called Dol Hareubang which means "grandfather made of stone." It's not Buddhist, rather is is a reproduction of the guardian statues found on Jeju Island in Korea.

At the temple you can buy lanterns and gold leaves that you can write prayers and wishes on and then hang as decorations.

We saw many Buddha statues.

This statue is called the Goddess of Compassion.

Another Buddha. Each Buddha is dedicated for a specific prayer such as healing, good grades or birth of sons. Each Buddha also has a donation box so a person can make a donation to the Buddha they would like a blessing from.

This is the healing Buddha.

This is a guardian statue.

Some of the statues were quite charming, like this turtle and rabbit.

Buddha statues were everywhere we looked.

This pagoda was dedicated to traffic safety.

Another photo of the temple complex. Some people see the rock in the center as a dragon head, with the dragon providing additional strength and protection to the temple.

We picked up some Korean snacks at a food stall outside the temple. Abe is holding a potato that has been spiral cut and fried on a skewer. Becky is holding a Korean pancake that is filled with honey and seeds.

Abe picked kimbap cheonguk for a quick lunch. Small restaurants like this are common in Korea and favorites of missionaries for their delicious, inexpensive food. Abe ordered kimbap which is Korean sushi, Gibson got donkatsu (pork cutlet), Brandan got bibimbap (rice and vegetables) and Becky got jaeyuk bokkeum (pork and vegetables and rice). Even though this a quick meal, we still were served a variety of side dishes.

We traveled using trains, buses, taxis and the subway. The subway station closest to our hotel on Gwangalli Beach was 209.

After lunch, we returned to the mission office to meet another Sister Kim. Sister Kim and her husband served at the same time as Abe and recently began a second mission in Busan. Sister Kim arranges all of the missionary housing.

Sister Kim treated us to refreshing drinks at a nearby cafe. Besides Abe, we weren't able to talk to Sister Kim, but we could easily understand her love for Abe and her kind personality.

Our next stop was Haeundae Beach, another one of Busan's beautiful beaches.

Dongbaeksum Island is on one end of Haeundae Beach. Sedimentation has connected the island to the beach, but everyone still calls it an island. The island has a nice trail and great views.

Here's a view of the trail.

A tiny lighthouse is located on the sea side of the island.

We climbed to the top of the island, which felt surprisingly difficult on a hot, humid day.

On top of the hill is a statue of Choi Chi-wan. He was a scholar who lived in the 900s. Haeundae Beach is named after him. one of Choi Chi-wan's pen names was Haeun and he carved his name on a rock near the beach.

We met Abe's friend, Kim Jueon, for dinner. Abe taught her for a bit. She wasn't very interested in our church, but they have stayed friends through social media. 

Dinner was a mix of chicken, vegetables and rice cakes called dalkgarbi (stir fried chicken.) The chicken was served surrounded by a cheese moat.

After dinner we walked down to the beach. The letters spell Gwangalli. The Diamond Bridge is in the background.