On our last day in Siem Reap, a group of us visited a Buddhist temple with our guide Mr. Yut, who himself was a monk for 17 years. The surrounding gardens and the beautiful temple were very well kept and seemed to be in regular use. When we entered, we met two monks sitting crosslegged in front of the alter, and we sat with them and began talking. One of them spoke fairly good English, because amazingly, he had served in Operation Desert storm as a US marine, and had raised his family in Florida. We began asking him many questions about the lifestyle of a monk and about Buddhist beliefs. He explained that he only eats once a day and that he can never physically touch a woman. His wife will find a new husband, he followed. After this extraordinary Q and A session, he taught us a Buddhist prayer. As we were bowing, the monks blessed us by sprinkling water over our heads and chanting a blessing. Finally, they tied red string around our wrists that had soaked in this holy water, making sure to never touch any of the girls in our group while doing so. This was an amazing experience that gave us an inside look into the life of a monk and into Buddhism, which I will surely never forget. -Peter
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| Blessing bands |
During our 7-hour layover at the Seoul/Incheon airport, we took a brief tour of the Yonggungsa Temple, which dates back to the year 670. It was great to see a glimpse of South Korea and also get some much-needed fresh and cooler air!
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| Our Korean guide, Michelle! |
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| Incheon Bridge and the city in the distance |
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| Famous Zelkova Tree where you can make a wish |
