A hint of autumn in the air

Autumn is quietly settling in. The scorching summer has faded away almost without a trace, and the autumn atmosphere is now enveloping the land. Autumn has arrived at Dodong Seowon 도동 서원, nestled on the outskirts of Daegu. As ginkgo leaves turn golden yellow, visitors are heading to the Confucian academy to enjoy the season's beauty.

At the center of this site, established around 1600, stands a lecture hall where Confucian scholars, neatly dressed in their traditional robes and headgear, gathered to study and engage in academic discussions. The retaining wall beneath the hall is embedded with stones of various shapes, ranging from four-sided to as many as twelve-sided polygons.

The area in front of the Seowon is part of the bicycle path that runs all the way from Seoul 서울 to Busan 부산. Several years ago, padyatri met a man and a woman from Malaysia who were traveling by bicycle, and he took a photo of them there.

summer hiking

The scorching heat finally eased somewhat as September arrived. About a month ago, in early August, padyatri climbed Apsan 앞산 in southern Daegu 대구 for the first time in a while. The heat had briefly let up then, so he took advantage of the cloudy weather and cool breeze and headed up the mountain. As expected, it was pleasantly cool. Apsan means the front mountain of Daegu. 

The view of Daegu from the Apsan ridge and observation deck was as complicated and bustling as ever, but looking down at the city again after such a long time, padyatri somehow found it familiar and welcoming. At the observation deck, he met two foreign women and offered to take their photo, which made them happy.  

The hike was tiring after such a long break, and the legs were sore, but it was a wonderful day.

sunny riverside

On a weekend in May, when the strong sunlight intensely heated the earth, padyatri rode his bicycle along the riverside after quite a long time. These days, he often sees foreigners traveling by bicycle. 

He once wandered frequently through Nepal and India as a backpacker. It was a time when he drifted aimlessly, burdened by a sense of emptiness that nothing could fill. The joy and thrill of travel could only temporarily soothe that emptiness. 

It took many years to realize that the conflicts arising in the mind can never be covered over or resolved through sensual pleasures.

reminiscence

Kim Sung-ho’s Reminiscence 김성호의 회상, originally released in 1989, is being performed again in 2021—32 years later—by Kim Sung-ho himself, who was both the composer and singer. The song, calmly yet honestly, portrays the scene of parting from a lover and the painful emotions that follow.

spring has arrived

People’s clothing has noticeably become lighter, and green buds are sprouting from bare branches. Fully blossomed cherry blossoms and forsythia announce the arrival of spring. Among the grass that had been yellow and dried throughout the cold winter, fresh green shoots were already beginning to grow. 

As the weather grew warmer, padyatri rode his bicycle for the first time this year. Many cars headed outdoors, and open-air restaurants and cafés were crowded with spring outings. There were also lots of cyclists on the bike paths. Although the cherry blossoms and forsythia were in full bloom, many petals had fallen due to the rain the day before.    

padyatri rode along a quiet country road on the eastern outskirts of Daegu, where traffic is scarce. Since it had been a while since he last rode, he felt a bit of saddle soreness, but it was manageable. On his way back, he happened to meet two Nepali guys riding bikes. He could tell right away they were from Nepal, and one of them said he’s from Butwal बुटवल. padyatri was glad to have been there before.

snowfall

We are living in an era in which, due to global warming, the snow lines in the Himalayas and the Alps are gradually rising, and areas that were once covered with snow or glaciers have turned into bare soil or gravel fields. In the Daegu region, it has become difficult to see snow even in winter these days.

Then, early last week, a heavy snowfall arrived. People rushed outside to enjoy the long-awaited snow, taking photos and simply admiring the scene as it poured down. 

Children built snowmen, and pet dogs ran around, leaving paw prints stamped across the white ground. Since the temperature was above freezing, there was no danger of cars or pedestrians slipping on ice. The roads gradually became slushy as the snow melted.

After dropping to as low as minus 10 degrees Celsius until early February, the temperature has slowly remained above freezing. With no more ice forming, we can feel that spring is not far away. 

riverside scene

The day before Lunar New Year, padyatri took a walk from home toward the Nakdong-gang River. Since it was the holiday season, people were only sparsely seen along the walking path by the stream.   

For the first time in a while, he arrived at the Samunjin 사문진 Ferry Tavern, located on the riverside in front of Hwawon 화원 Resort. Villagers used to cross the river here by ferry before the bridge connecting Hwawon and Dasan 다산 was built. 

Now, although the ferry is gone, the tavern has been restored and is bustling with locals and tourists. That day was no exception; the tavern was packed with people enjoying food accompanied by alcohol, such as Makgeolli 막걸리. Since the tavern's restoration, small cruise boats have been in operation. A ticket booth and staff members are stationed at the cruise dock.

As he stood on the riverbank overlooking the dock, gazing at the river, a commotion broke out among the staff, indicating an emergency. They were pointing toward the middle of the bridge, exchanging words urgently. padyatri looked in that direction and saw someone struggling in the water! Near the bridge pier, a person was repeatedly bobbing up and down, sinking and resurfacing. Immediately, a rescue boat departed from the dock, approached the area under the bridge, and pulled the drowning person out of the water. In the meantime, the police and the 119 rescue team arrived.

Fortunately, the person who appeared to be a man and had fallen into the water was rescued, and it seemed that his life was not in danger. After staying on a boat docked at the pier, he was wrapped in a blanket, walked on his own, got into the police car, and then left the scene. They later said that a foreigner had jumped from the middle of the bridge in a suicide attempt. The center of Samunjin Bridge is known as a frequent spot for such attempts, which is why an SOS emergency phone is installed on the bridge railing.

While some people were happily drinking and reveling at the riverside tavern, at that very moment, another person had given up on life and was struggling at the threshold of death in the cold river water. 

winter temple

About 20 kilometers east of Miryang 밀양 city, on the southern slopes of Mt. Jaeyak ksan 재약산, stands a temple that was established in 654.

It was padyatri's first visit to Pyochungsa 표충사 表忠寺 temple in nearly 20 years. The once-lush green leaves had all fallen, and there were hardly any visitors, making the entrance scene feel calm and peaceful. Walking in from the empty parking lot, he greeted two monks he met along the way.

Following the paved path through the forest, a gate came into view. After passing through two gates and reaching the entrance to the temple grounds, there was a banner hanging on the wall beside the gate that read, “Cold, isn’t it? Please stop by for a cup of tea~~.” 

This Buddhist temple is closely associated with a renowned monk named Sa- myeong Daesa 사명대사 泗溟大師(1544-1610), who led monk-soldiers to defend the country during a crisis. His Dharma name was Yujeong 유정 惟政, and his pen name was Samyeong 사명 泗溟. Out of respect, he is referred to as Samyeong Daesa, meaning Great Master Samyeong. 

During the Imjin War 임진왜란 壬辰倭亂, or Japanese Invasions of Korea(1592–1598 ), when Japanese forces crossed the sea and invaded the Korean Peninsula, placing the nation in grave danger, the Joseon 조선 dynasty court—despite its policy of suppressing Buddhism and promoting Confucianism—called upon Buddhist monks to help repel the invaders. 

At that time, the atrocities committed by the Japanese forces were extremely brutal and horrific. In order to prove their war trophies and receive rewards, they even killed civilians, cutting off ears and noses and preserving them in salt to take back to Japan. 

In Buddhism, taking a life is a grave sin that violates the 5 Precepts, but to stop the Japanese army’s atrocities, the monastic precepts were set aside. Yujeong, as one of the principal leaders who commanded monk-soldiers nationwide and participated in the battles of that period, not only defeated the Japanese forces but also distinguished himself by venturing into the Japanese military camp of Katō Kiyomasa 加藤 清正 to negotiate a ceasefire. 

After the war ended, the royal court, in recognition of his merits during the war, offered him a high official post and stipends. However, he resolutely refused it and returned to the life of a mountain monk, staying true to his original role until he passed away.

One of the outward features of Pyochungsa is its remarkably spacious courtyard. The empty, undecorated space seems to silently convey to visitors the Buddha’s realization of emptiness and the transience of worldly greed.

winter harbor

After a long time, padyatri visited Gampo 감포 Port on the East Sea coast near Gyeongju 경주 with a senior. The weather was chilly, with temperatures dropping below freezing, but under a cloudless, clear sky, the sunshine felt warmly comforting. We arrived around lunchtime, and the restaurant district was crowded with visitors. 

In cold weather, fish don’t bite very well, so most fishing boats were moored at the pier. Even the hagfish in the restaurant aquariums were curled into tight circles, huddled up, and gazing outward. 

Gampo was developed into a fishing port during the Japanese colonial period, when many Japanese people moved there. Even today, Japanese-style houses are preserved near the market.

For lunch, they had Mulhoe 물회, usually translated into English as “cold raw fish soup,” at a fish restaurant near the breakwater. However, considering the price of 25,000 won per person, the food was rather disappointing. The restaurant owners seemed to view customers as one-time passersby, so the food felt overly commercial and profit-driven. Of course, not all restaurants were like that, but even the senior—who is a gourmet—was visiting after a long time and tried to jog his memory; unfortunately, he couldn’t find the restaurant. 

Despite the bitter cold, people were fishing at the pier. Some of them were women. They say that the fresh taste of fish caught in clear, cold water, along with the calm and quiet fishing environment, makes winter fishing so appealing.

winter suburbs

padyatri went out of the city to the outskirts over the weekend. It was a place he had visited before by bicycle, but this time he took a city bus. If you take a bus north, you will reach a village called Joya 조야 in a small valley.. 

Joya is the final stop of the bus route. It felt like the terminal and its surrounding area had changed a bit since he last visited. If you go further into the village alleys, a mountain trail appears soon, and if you keep going up, you reach the mountain ridge. 

 

Following the ridge eastward, you eventually descend to another small village called Nogok 노곡. The Seoul–Busan Expressway runs in front of Nogok and Joya, which are densely packed within a small area, featuring residential housing, small-scale factories, restaurants, and shops.

To the south of Nogok flows the Geumho 금호 River, and since River Island Park (Hajungdo 하중도 Park) opened a few years ago, this village has become somewhat crowded with visitors. In the past, the island, formed from layers of sediment deposited over many years, was covered with plastic greenhouses. After being newly developed into a park, it is now filled with flowers throughout the year—starting with rapeseed blossoms in spring and continuing in every season except winter. The photo on the right shows a view from the air of rapeseed flowers in full bloom in spring.