04 May 2024

Relics of the past – A walk though time in Masan

Our Eternal Japan and South Korea adventure continued as we arrived at the port of Masan for our second day in South Korea. It was a beautiful sunny day as we departed the port and drove inland passing sprawling houses and huge fields of onions.

It took an hour to reach our first destination, the Tripitaka Koreana Theme Park, which is not really a theme park but a cinematic museum showing the history and process of building the Tripitaka, the oldest intact version of Buddhist script carved onto 81,258 wooden printing blocks. We then drove a short distance into the hills and the Gayasan National Park with stunning views of the mountains around us. We enjoyed a delicious Korean lunch at a nearby hotel, including many plates of vegetables and seafood prepared in different ways and served with spicy dipping sauces and a traditional cold cinnamon tea.

Back on the coaches, we continued up the mountain where the road narrowed and the forest overhangs the road, a beautiful river flowed below us, and we saw many massive rocks inscribed with ancient Chinese script. We arrived at the Haeinsa Temple, which is one of South Korea's three most famous temples. It was beautifully carved and painted, much like the Bulguksa Temple we visited yesterday. Many lanterns hung in blocks of mass colour, in preparation for the Buddha's birthday.

We headed to the back of the temple where the Tripitaka is stored in specifically controlled conditions to stop its deterioration. It has been here for more than 750 years, and seeing these blocks gave us a sense of the scale of this amazing masterpiece which took 16 years to create. If you were to read each wooden block it would take 30 years.

We boarded the coaches and settled in for a scenic ride back to the port as our adventure in South Korea came to an end. After some interesting lectures and a delicious Japanese dinner back on-board Heritage Adventurer, we set sail for our next destination.

Images © C. Finch, Heritage Expeditions