Memories of Ma-i-san

Ma-I-San ( Horse-Ear Mountain) near Jinan, Jeolla-buk-do
( http://www.maisantapsa.co.kr/ )

· The 3 km bus ride from Jinan to the Northern Parking Lot where one can see logs arranged in rows of inverted Vs for the cultivation of mushrooms in the vicinity.


· The knee-crunching, ankle-tweaking, lung-smarting climb up stone steps to the narrow pass between the west and east peaks before the relief of the descent to Eun-soo-Sa.


· The welcoming and amusing sight of a stone trough refilled ironically with refreshing spring water by a stone horse half way up the climb.


· The friendly caretaker of Eun-soo-Sa who, when he saw me admiring the size of an ancient drum, startled me by banging it unceremoniously and inviting me to have a go at it as well.


· The impressive array of percussion instruments in the Jonggak pavilion which are used in Buddhist ceremonies. I was fortunate enough to be in the area when a priest did the ritual drumming. The reverberation of the drumbeats in the silence and darkness of evening in that ghostly setting was profoundly stirring.


· The chance meeting with a Filipina tour guide who now lives and works in Korea after marrying a local & the relief of being able to converse in English after days of struggling with my very limited Korean.


· The silent bonding as I help another ajumma assemble paper lotus lanterns in preparation for Buddha’s birthday celebrations. Actually, I just applied the starch as glue on individual paper petals or leaves while she arranged them on round wire frames.


· The unexpected gift of a book on Maisan from a kind gentleman who ran the restaurant cum souvenir shop where I had a meal before returning to Jinan.