A Tranquil Getaway to Odaesan Mountain and Meditation Village in Pyeongchang
This time, it's a trip to Odaesan Mountain in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do. I visit Pyeongchang at least once a year. Gangwon-do is perfect for cooling off and healing among the forests and trees. This might be my fifth time near Odaesan Mountain. This time, I stumbled upon the Odaesan Meditation Village, maybe it popped up on Instagram.
This village is located right in front of the food street before heading to Woljeongsa Temple. It's a great location for visiting Woljeongsa Temple and grabbing a bite to eat at the restaurants. Surrounded by forests and trees, it also provides a break from everyday life. It's about a 10-minute taxi ride from Jinbu Station.
The accommodations are divided into Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, and I stayed in Winter Room 105. The accommodations are all wooden buildings divided into single and double rooms. I stayed in a double room, and while staying there, I noticed quite a few people staying alone in single rooms. Since the houses are made of wood, smoking and candles are strictly prohibited. Each room also has a fire extinguisher in front of the door. Always be careful with fire.
The best thing about this accommodation is the large window. Instead of a desk and TV, there's this large window and cushions. It's meant to be a place for meditation while looking at the outside scenery, but it's also a perfect space to enjoy a cup of coffee. It's a shame that you can't eat or drink in the room... Even just sitting and looking at the window is healing. Not having Wi-Fi or a TV in the room is a bit inconvenient, but that window made up for it.
I stepped out of the accommodation and took a walk around. As you walk, you'll come across well-maintained lawns and pine forests that resemble the garden of a wealthy family. I wonder how they manage this lawn. The trekking trails are well-maintained, and I heard that this path is also connected to Woljeongsa Temple, but it wasn't connected! It seems that the path to Woljeongsa Temple is on the opposite side of this lawn.
I came across a forest trail on the way to Woljeongsa Temple. This was my first time walking this trail. The greenery was so beautiful, but there were so few people. It would be a bit scary to walk alone. Everyone drives up and only walks the fir tree path, so there are very few people on the forest trail.
Walking along the Woljeongsa Temple trail, you'll encounter scenery of rivers and lush mountains. The water looks so clear and deep. The water is so clear that you can see everything inside. The weather was clear that day, and the clouds were fluffy in the sky.
Last year in Jangtaesan Mountain, I think I saw a Korean squirrel, but there were many squirrels on the Woljeongsa fir tree forest path. I saw about three squirrels while walking this path back and forth. Squirrels are that easy to see. I wanted to give a squirrel a peanut, but there was a sign at the end of the path saying not to. Since they are wild animals, I guess they don't want people feeding them.
I came back and returned to the accommodation, and cosmos flowers were in full bloom. It's already autumn in Gangwon-do. Hydrangeas were also gathered and blooming in some places.
This accommodation offers meditation classes in the evening and morning. I expected meditation with a monk and singing bowls. In fact, one of the reasons I chose this accommodation was for the meditation classes. But... this meditation class was a bit unique. It's meditation led by a monk, but it was very different from what I've experienced elsewhere. It wasn't singing bowls, and it involved using the body in some way, which was a bit strange. It seems like it would be hit or miss. I was closer to a miss. If you're coming here for meditation, you might want to think about it more.
The best thing about this accommodation is the food!
They provide both dinner and breakfast, which is temple food, of course. There's no meat, but they provide protein like tofu and eggs instead. I was expecting something simple, but I was completely satisfied. There were more side dishes, and it was more seasoned and tastier than what I've had at temples. It was so delicious that I would go back just to eat it again. I want to go back to eat this food more than for the meditation.
There are several museums near the accommodation. I was going to skip the museums because they're usually not interesting, but I recommend visiting them. That's because there's a lotus pond in front of the museum. It would have been better if I had gone when the lotus flowers were in full bloom. Even with the lotus flowers all gone, it was beautiful to see them floating on the water.
There are three museums gathered together, and I went to the Woljeongsa Temple Museum. I also recommend this place. There are stone statues that are kept in the museum instead of at Woljeongsa Temple, which are worth seeing. In particular, it's impressive that they have the Buddha statue that should be in front of the Woljeongsa Pagoda. Instead of keeping it with the pagoda, they virtually represent the real thing by displaying a screen of the pagoda.
One night and two days passed in an instant. It was a place I had canceled once, but I thought it would be nice to visit in the winter too. I was able to see the autumn cosmos and sunflowers, as well as the summer greenery. I wonder if I'll go again in the winter...
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