As the ol’ saying goes, “another day, another temple”. Geumsansa [Gum-sahn-sah], one of the larger and more known temples in the Jeollabukdo Province, is about 45 kilometers east of Buan (I know this means nothing to those not in Korea. One of these days I will add a map). In other words, it’s a doable biking distance.

This was a welcoming sign, 6km from the temple. I like the cruiser handlebars and the massive chain ring.

This was also a welcoming sign. At this point, I had cakes of salt all over my face.

The Triple decker Mireukjeon, originally built in 766 AD, held a large Buddha. It was destroyed in 1598, then later restored in 1635. I would have liked to have seen the three story Buddha.

Above is the ceiling of Nahanjeon hall.  As Mallory stated in another post, building interiors are often vivid and intricate. It’s not what I think of peaceful monk meditation…drug induced meditation perhaps. Casino carpets and kaleidoscopes come to mind.

The Great Hall (Daejeokgwangjeon), once three separate halls, was later made into one after the destruction of the halls in 1597. It really was great.

Happy Lanterns!

This one was last painted in 1993. I see a T-shirt design here.

I thought this was a nice design touch on the drainage port.

The sun went down right after I left the Temple. Riding the bike home wasn’t really an option. Luckly, I saw a bus to Kimje (city next to my home town) at the temple entrance. I gestured to the bus driver that I wanted to bring on the bike. As you can see, he was cool with it.