Ajumma's Journal: Uisangdae

I thought I did everything by the book – set my alarm clock and wake up early before dawn , find my way from my minbak near Naksan beach and up a hill to Naksan-sa ( temple). Then creep tentatively without benefit of torchlight in the autumnal dark to Uisangdae ( pavilion). Spend at least thirty minutes shivering in the cold and dark, waiting for the famous sunrise and guess what happens?

Nothing.

Above and below: The sunrise pics which I wanted to take but couldn't

True, the sky lightens and the presence of some Korean tourists who appear a little while after I do, reassure me that I’m in the right place but alas, there are too many clouds obscuring the spectacular dawn which I was hoping to see.

So to console myself, I pay closer attention to the octogonal pavilion itself which is a 1925 reconstruction of a pavilion where the famous monk,Ui-sang used to meditate.

It was also the place that provided inspiration for the Joseon poet, Songgang Jeongcheol. Here’s my reworking of his verse:

After the pear blossoms have fallen,
Mid the cuckoo’s sad laments,
Beyond the hill east of Naksan at Uisangdae,
I rise in the darkness to wait for the dawn.
The brightening clouds are flowers blooming
And the sun’s a precious stone held up by six dragons.
It ascends in majesty from sea to sky and
The whole earth trembles as it rises swiftly,
Brighter than a thousand candles.