Buddha, Buddha, Buddha

Today marked my third mountain climb since arriving in South Korea. This one was by far the most stressful I think. It consisted of a little coordination with my boss who agreed to make a trip of it. The Surgeon Cell and an invited guest went giving a total of four.
We got away a little late but all was well as our timing was perfect to climb the mountain and return to eat lunch at the bottom before 1300.
Now for the good stuff. Here's a little excerpt about where we went. Along the route up. The bridge/entrance to a temple half way up the mountain.
Gatbawi Buddha, Daegu is famous for granting wishes. There is a belief that Gatbawi grants only one wish of each of the pilgrims to come true. The original name of Gatbawi Buddha, Daegu is Gwanbong Buddha as it is located at the summit of the Gwanbong peak (850 meters) on Mt. Palgongsan. The fame of Gatbawi Buddha has surpassed that of Gwanbong Buddha all over South Korea as the Buddha wears a gat, which is a Korean hat
Gatbawi Buddha, Daegu is a 4 meter tall sitting stone Buddha, and its official name is Gwanbong Seokjoyeoraejwasang (Gwanbong sitting stone Buddha). The expression on his face and his stout body demonstrate the feeling of impressive mercy. Gatbawi Buddha, Daegu is a representative work of art from the Unified Silla Kingdom, and this statue is designated as the National Treasure Number 431.
Excerpt from travel.mapsofworld.com

It's an impressive 1400 uneven stone stairs to reach the Buddha. An amazing undertaking and very hard on the knees. At the top you see the pinnacle of idol worship (sorry for the pun) as a large number of people can be seen almost 24 hours per day praying to the statue. To me this was an eerie feeling and I spent the whole time saying my own prayer for the redemption of those people. I think next time I will wear a really big cross on my chest.

Anyway, as usual the trip up was tiring and rough but the trip down is what really hurts. At the bottom we were beckoned unrelentlessly by no less than 4 restauranteers who wanted to fill our bellies with their Korean vittles. As usual my boss ordered as he tends to do better linguistically than the rest of us (he's Korean). We had a wonderful meal consisting of the usual sides, a buckwheat and vegetable pancake, some tofu and greens, kimchee, and a very big bowl of mushroom and vegetable soup which we all shared.
Now I shall post some pictures to augment this post. A buddhist priest performing a ritual. People praying to the Buddha. The intricacies of the lower temple. This is all hand painted. The style they use requires each color to dry before painting the next. It can take years to complete a temple.
Lunch