DongHwaSa

This weekend I visited some friends in Daegu, then did a little sightseeing. I didn't have as much time as I would have liked but I did get to see DongHwaSa.

The weather was really nice so it made for a wonderful day just to be outside.

On the bus to Dongwhasa, a really nice elderly gentleman asked if he could sit beside me so he could practice his English.  I was happy to have him there, since he also interpreted everything for me as we went along. Once we arrived at the temple, he told me to come with him to get some food since it was free there. They had a very simple kitchen/dining area where  they were serving bibimbap (rice with vegetables) and a bean soup.  Well-- I say they were serving, but in fact you served yourself and washed your own dishes when you were finished.  The food was really tasty.

I found it really funny that on the train home from Daegu, I read an article in the newspaper about how "temple food" is becoming very popular/trendy because it is so healthy and tastes so good.  Who would have thought Buddhist monks would be trendsetters?

The temple complex itself was nice but not as elaborate as some of the others I've seen so far.  Apparently, the large temple is only about 20 years old.  However, the main attraction there is not the temple but the 33 meter (108 ft) tall Buddha. 

Unfortunately, they were doing construction on the plaza around the statue so you couldn't get close to it.  But, the photo below should give an idea of its size/proportions.  Just compare it to the children sitting in front of the fence.

I got quite a few other really nice photos while I was there.  Here are just a few of them: