Monastary Madness

First things first. Food! Isn't this the most beautiful plate of vegetables you have ever seen? We were at a very nice restaurant with some very nice people. (Temple missionaries, mission presidents, past and present, mission couples, etc.) Each person had their own "hot plate" to heat their broth and to cook their meat and vegetables. It was a lot of fun and very delicious. This is probably more information than you want, so I will try to be more succinct.

This is a little hard to see, but babies all over Korea ride on their mothers' backs wrapped in a clothe.

The Gangnueng Branch President's wife is wearing a contemporary traditional Korean outfit. She is not only beautiful, but she is also warm, welcoming, and sincere.

The chapel was prepared for Gangneaung District Conference at which Gary Stevenson of the Area Presidency would speak.

Following the conference, the chairs disappeared, giant heavy plastic tarps covered the floors, and food appeared. Two tables were filled with all sorts of food. Rice always heads the fare.

This was my second plate of food. The first was three times as full, but I wanted you to be able to see the squid tentacle. (Do squid have tentacles?) Anyway, I ate two of them. They were quite fun to chew and actually tasted pretty good. Unfortunately, I could "feel" them squirming around in my stomach the rest of the day.

You are now asking yourselves, "What is this a picture of?" Well, let me explain. We stayed overnight in Gangneung, and this is a picture of the shower. Yes, the shower. We had our first "real" shower in Korea. After figuring out how to adjust the temperature, I reveled in all the water. Little did I know that I would be getting more water than I bargained for the next day.

It was a dark and dreary morning! Actually, I love the rain, so I loved this day. The rain was coming down heavy and hard! The vegetation was so green and beautiful. President Cho wanted us to see the beautiful mountains and to visit the Monastaries in them. We drove up the mountainside to a little shop where President bought four "raincoats" for us and then we drove to the trailhead. This is a picture of the "stairs" that we climbed to the Monastaries. This staircase was literally a waterfall that we carefully hiked in now very wet shoes.

This is yours truly. Even the "raincoat" and the umbrella didn't keep us dry. The men's pants acted like wicks and were wet to their thighs. (Elder Mitchell said later that his shoes had mold growing in them.) But it was so worth it.

Elder Biesinger really wanted a picture of the "golden" buddha, but it was strictly prohibited.

Unfortuately, he did get a picture of one of the occupied worship alcoves.


This seven year old boy is actually a monk in training. He lives here alone (without his family) and cares for himself. (He gets help only with cooking.)

Another beautiful scene high in the mountains.

Elder Biesinger and Elder Goff, where are your "raincoats"? This bridge is made of evergreen boughs and dirt only. When it washed away, they just build a new one.

What a beautiful area! We were so grateful that President Cho took the time to share this picturesque scenery with us.

Okay, I guess I am still being a little verbose, but I can't help it. President, also, took us to the beach. (I am the one in the blue swim suit.) J/K But I did get caught with a sneaker wave when I tried to touch the water in the East Sea. Poor shoes!!!

This bronze guy is definitely in good company. Great sculptures litter the city of Seoul.

Imagine running into these three men in Korea. We are not sure who did this or why, but don't the two on the right look vaguely familiar?

Sahrahnghae!