Donghwasa Temple

I had planned on visiting North of Daegu the mountain region and the special temple, Donghwasa Temple. I might shall not have gone alone, but if I go alone I can walk as much as I like and whenever I like. I will come to it a bit later on. I knew there is a bus to the temple, but I forget which number, so I first gone into city centre to tourism information centre who told me which bus to take a red bus #1. Everything to this point had been ok of my journey and also getting off I went off where the entire passenger gone off at the station Donghwasa. I thought all of the eldery people will more likely to visit the temple rather run up the mountain. I had been wrong, the one I had followed gone up the mountain, but I also looked on the signs and it said Donghwasa Temple straight on, so I just followed a man, but suddenly no direction anymore and the way become harder and straight up hill. I thought this cannot be right for a famous temple that the tourist needs to climb up and climb. We reached to a small view point, but not much could be due to some light clouds over Daegu. After a small break we had continued our way further uphill and my water was running out as I did not planned to climb on this day by 30 degrees the mountain of Daegu.

At the second check point he wanted to see the map, maybe just for himself and asked on where I like to go and I pointed out to this temple. Then he showed me that is there, where the open space is on the bottom. I thought he must be joking; we had been so far up, on how shall I been able to get down. He has taken me to the cable car (lift) on where I could get down and go to my actual visit. He had continued to climb up further, but I shall come back and will climb in correct clothes the full mountain to at least stand at the peak in Daegu.

I had a nice visit of the temple and relaxed a little bit of the long climb of the mountain. Then I decided to walk back to the university, not the full way just a short way. Just to see a few part of the landscape by walking down, but I just kept going and did not stop at the bus station to take the bus. I walked already the half way back to Daegu. I just have kept walking until Guam village. I thought it is a tourist attraction, but they did not allow me to take a look around. They still been very kind and allowed me to re-fill the water. They also try to convince me to take the bus to Daegu. I said it isn’t far anymore to Daegu, the rest I still could walk back. I am sure you can see more by walking then taking the bus, but they had been to powerful that at the next bus station I joined the bus into Daegu. I may will never understand on why Koreans all the time would take the bus, instant just walk in this nice weather. If I may did not enter the village, I might had been able to walk all the way to the university. I already had the experience from Bullo-dong, I only been around 30minutes walk away from it.

This is on why is good to be alone, as you know you can do it yourself but your friends might would struggle to walk this distance or already given up after a few kilometres. I admit that it was getting harder to walk as we come to open streets and the sun had been much stronger and with 500ml of water bottle isn’t much to get around. You will need places on where you can re-fill them.

In the evening I had meet up with my friend who I met in Newcastle. She just had arrived back to Daegu from her home town. So we went with another exchange student for some BBQ close by the university. After the dinner she showed us the university again, to get even more familiar as it isn’t long anymore until we start our courses.