PLATEAU OF FLOWERS -----KAS.

Plateau of flowers – Kas Pathar

It is raining heavily outside. I am sitting at the window enjoying a cup of hot tea and the down pour outside. I think by the end of this month, that is Septemper, I can visit Kas in Satara . I had been there somewhere around the first week of October last year. When the Monsoons recede, the flowers on the Kas  Plateau comes alive. The flowers remain for a few weeks and then they are gone. So visits at different times gives a different perspective of the plateau.

         From Mumbai one can plan a day’s trip to the plateau. Myself with five friends piled into a “Tata Sumo” one early Saturday morning and drove off towards Satara. We drove towards Pune via the Express-Way, and then followed the highway number four, to Satara city. At the city we asked for directions at a few cross roads and found the uphill road to the Plateau. So we had traveled for approximately six hours to reach Kas. This place is absolutely un-spoilt. Hotels and restaurants are miles away from this protected area . There is one solitary pitch road that runs through this region. Therefore vehicle thoroughfare is restricted. We left our car at the entry point and walked around the plateau exploring the flowers.

         The ground is rocky in many places and red mud covered in some places. The walk trails cover most of the area of interest. We were careful while walking on the wet and slippery ground and carried an umbrella each. The atmosphere is cool and misty with lush green surroundings. The shrubs and bushes are just at ones ankle length. The expanse of the plateau surface is covered with these bushes with tiny flowers. The tiny flowers sprout out of rocks, and their cracks as well as from the red mud covered surface. In some areas yellow flowers give a golden yellow hue to the surface and in some direction one finds a purple hue due to tiny purple colored flowers . In fact our visit time was not the perfect one . If we had gone a week later then many more flowers would have been in bloom. Perhaps a few days later with more flowers in bloom, and a greater density of flowers, we would have seen a brighter hue on thesurface . In one section of the plateau the ankle length bushes created an undulating surface and a long distant view gave an impression of a tea estate. I bent down to have a closer look at the flowers. Some flowers were regular shaped, some had an asymetric shape and some had a peculiar shape and combination of colors. Very interesting. The panoramic view of this place was gorgeous too. I stood at the edge of the plateau to see a large lake below cradled in the lap of lush greenery. I took in a lung full of fresh air and absorbed the beauty of soothing green hills and dales.

         After all of us had taken photographs to our hearts content , we were ready to move on. We took the down hill road . About a kilometer away was a bunch of way side eateries. We had tea and snacks here . Then we were on our way back to Satara city. By night fall we were back home at Mumbai. It was a lovely day spent in the lap of nature,

            

Map of the Plateau of Flowers.

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Shrub with tiny purple flowers.

Off white Flower

Closer look at a purple flower

A different Blue flower

Tiny Yellow flowers

Flowers on the rock

A shade of purple

Tea estate like panorama

Visitors at the plateau

Road through the plateau of flowers

Lush green hill&dale

1 Season and 2 lagoons separated by 35 degree latitude.

1 Season and 2 lagoons separated by 35 degree latitude.

It just so happened that I  traveled to the Bay of Bengal on the east coast of India and also to the Baltic Sea on the west coast of Lithuania, (almost half way around the world) at the peak of winter. I witnessed some contrasting pictures. From blue sky, blue sea, yellow sand beach and green land at latitude 20 degrees, to pale blue sky, near white sea, snow white beach and even whiter land at latitude 55 degrees.

        I landed at Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneshwar one fine January morning. I hired a taxi and reached Puri in about four hours . I drove along the hotel lined main street of Puri,  that runs parallel to the beach. I left all the fancy hotels behind me and wound my way through the congested lanes of Puri, to reach Bharat Seva Ashram, where I stayed for the next three days. I had a roof top room with a full terrace to myself. It was chilly on the terrace at night, but the full moon in the clear sky that lit up the terrace, created a stimulating ambience. I chose to stay at this place because the famous Jagannath Temple was nearby and I could just walk to the temple . The next morning I walked up to the temple premises with a person from the ashram helping me negotiate the huge crowd, and reach the deities, I had come to see and pray. I jostled with the crowd to get a glimpse of the “holy trinity”---“Jagganath, Balaram and Subhadra”(two brothers and their little sister). The temple is big and majestic with fine carvings in stone all along the walls and roof. This is a particular style of architecture typical of the eastern part of India and specially the state of Odisha. I wanted to see every nook and corner of the temple premise because of the beautiful carvings with interesting subjects, including erotic carvings. Photography is not allowed here so I couldn’t capture the amazing carvings. One can buy picture post cards outside the temple, from the numerous shops lining the streets, but I couldn’t find the picture I desired. I spent half a day at the temple and came out because the crowd was growing larger by the hour. I spent the rest of the day, making arrangements for the next day’s trip to Chilika Lake , sitting on the beach watching the waves of Bay of Bengal and watching a sand artist build an elaborate fort with sand.

     There are guided tours organized by the government tourism department. So I bought a ticket for the next day’s tour   which required me to be at the foyer of a designated hotel. The next day, very  very early in the morning we ( a group of about 30 tourists) assembled at the hotel foyer. We boarded a bus and soon we were off on our way, south of Puri, towards Chilika Lagoon. After a two hour drive through a wonderful green area we reached the jetty at Satapada. The bus drove along the National Highway NH-203A, along the coast. Although the drive was along the coast we could not see the Bay of Bengal as we travelled. I could sense, when we were nearing the Chilika Lake area, because there were long stretches of wetlands and shallow ponds as the bus neared Satapada.

        Before going on to explore the lagoon, we were taken to the exhibition area and briefing room of the Ministry of Environment and Forest of the Government of India. A short documentary was shown. The water spread area of the lagoon varies between1100 square kilometers to 900 square kilometers during the monsoon and summer months respectively. The lake is fed by rivers and rivulets that makes the lake a fresh water lake. But then it also has and opening into the Bay of Bengal that gives a certain amount of salinity. The environment and forest department keep a check on the salinity levels, to keep the eco-system of the lake just right. Chilika is known for its flora and fauna diversity and it is a rich fishing area. There are quite a few fishing villages around Chilika and fishing sustains their livelihood. We were guided to the jetty and taken for an excursion of the lake in a medium sized motor boat. A map of the lagoon shows that there are many tiny islands in the lake and very close to the sea. The sea itself is separated from the lagoon by a spit of sand bar. As we glided on the lake we could spot the islands at a distance. Some of the islands are inhabited by man , while some of them are too small  to be inhabited  by humans. But they are big enough to be a refuge for birds. Chilika lake is a dream destination for an ornithologist. One can find a variety of bird species that are endemic to this sub-continent, as well as species that migrate from far away continents. At one point on the lagoon, the motor boat stopped, so that we could see the Irrawady Dolphins play. They were jumping out of the water and diving back into it repeatedly, to our delight. After a while the boat took us towards the edge of the lagoon. We all jumped out of the boat on to the sandy beach. I walked across the sand spit towards the Bay of Bengal side. The sand bar is very wide and one cannot see the sea and the lagoon simultaneously from any point on the spit.

    There was a rudimentary shack there with a few benches scattered around. One could buy tea and snacks if one wished. I took a cup of tea and enjoyed the gentle sea breeze. A few urchins came along, persuading me to buy pearls. They also had a few other colored ‘gems’- some were crystalline and transparent, some were translucent with pastel colors and some were opaque but with perfect symmetrical shapes. The urchins said that these were products from the lagoon, but I had my doubts. I did not know that pearls were found or farmed here. The Ministry of Environment and Forest did not hint at this aspect of the lake. The urchins were carrying buckets full of oysters.  They were prizing open the oysters right in front of you to reveal the shining pearls. The pearls looked real enough. I enjoyed the shade of the shack, the sea breeze, the rejuvenating tea, and the bargaining over the cost of the pearls.

       After a while I walked back to the edge of the lagoon and climbed back into the boat. Soon we were back at the jetty. It was time to return. The day was well spent in the lap of nature. By the time we returned to Puri, it was dark. I spent one more day at Puri before returning to Bhubaneshwar. Soon after that  I was back home at Mumbai and preparing for my next trip , that was scheduled for the end of January.

            I arrived at Vilnius , the capital of Lithuania on a beautiful day when the sky was clear. The landscape was clearly visible from the aircraft window. The landscape was snow white with a few bare trees visible on the horizon. As the plane approached closer to land , a settlement was seen, with the houses just about visible above the blanket of snow. I was a little apprehensive and worried. I had not encountered -15⁰ C temperature before. I wondered, if I could withstand it.   I did have all the necessary gear for this season. My hosts here had arranged to pick me up from the airport. So I quickly moved from the airport exit to the waiting car. The chill that I was exposed to was definitely beyond my imagination. In a short while I was inside the Europa City Hotel lobby. It was literally a warm welcome. The internal heating system was perfect. While inside the hotel I did not require any extra clothing. I enjoyed the snow covered scene outside, from the comfort of my room. During the next few days I went to several places in the city. This helped me to acclimatize to the sub-zero temperatures.  My overwhelming desire to explore the city and its surroundings, helped me to keep the cold off my mind and bear the weather normally. Snow all around has a beauty of its own.

    I had decided to see the Baltic Sea, on the west coast. Therefore I prepared to  travel towards Klaipeda and then to the Curonian Lagoon. The plan was for a 24 hour trip. My very kind hosts here introduced me to their friend who would  guide me and drive me to the coast , show me around and then bring me back to the hotel. My guide arrived very very early next morning. I was ready too for the long drive . I was up early and was waiting for him at the hotel lobby. He was a very tall man with “chiseled rock” features , brown /golden locks reaching his shoulders and a kind of fearless appearance. I wondered if he was of Viking descent! After all Vikings were from these parts of the world!

      So without wasting any time we were off on our way . Soon we had left the city behind and were driving on one of the main highways of Lithuania. Klaipeda town and port is on the Baltic coast and the drive to that place would take us across some flat land in four hours.  It is about 290 km between Vilnius and Klaipeda. We did not stop anywhere on the way except to fill petrol and have coffee. We picked up chocolates and biscuits at the petrol station, to be eaten on the way. Except for the road , there was snow all around. There was snow on the road side, the trees were snow covered and the vast flat land that stretched out in front too was covered with snow. A bleak and color-less picture, one can think. But it looked beautiful to me.   When we neared Klaipeda, we browsed the “GPS-map” to move to the jetty without getting diverted into the town. We waited for the ferry to take us across the lagoon and reach the Curonian Spit. This is the place where the lagoon opens on to the Baltic Sea. There was a long line of cars waiting to be loaded on to the ferry. Soon our car too was on the ferry. I walked between the parked cars to the edge of the deck. It was very cold, but I did not mind it at all because  there was an ethereal panorama in front of me. The sky was pale blue with streaks of cloud across it. At a distance the tree covered land was visible like a haze. There was very little distinction between sky, water and land. It looked   like a smudged blue and white canvas. The ferry was actually cutting through floating ice sheets. In this season the Lagoon is frozen. Only a small portion of it at the mouth of the sea is liquid. Slowly as the ferry neared the opposite side the line of snow covered   trees became distinct . I enjoyed the short , twenty minute ride across the water. All the cars were off loaded at the Curonian Spit, and then we drove off into this National park and World Heritage site.

          The Curonian Lagoon is separated from the Baltic Sea by the Curonian Spit. The Neman river supplies most of its inflow. Part of the lagoon belongs to Lithuania and part of it belongs to Russian Kaliningrad Oblast. Its area is about 1600square kilometers. Curonians were ancient tribes who lived along the Baltic coast---Therefore the name. The Spit is 100km long inside Lithuania, but stretches away into Russia. It is 1.5 km to 3km wide and a road along this spit connects tiny villages.

There is one single wide road, with exits or diversions to the tiny villages that line the lagoon. From the comfort  of the car I enjoyed the snow covered floor of the Pine forest. The beautiful muted light of a winter day captured by the snow on the trees. In a short while we were in Juodkrante, the tiny village with a lagoon side promenade. With the snow cover nothing could be distinguished, neither the lagoon water nor the promenade. We parked the car and walked to the water edge----Now of course covered with snow. A few fishermen were fishing even now. They had cut out a rectangle in the ice , revealing the water below the ice. They were fishing from this hole in the ice, and they had quite a large catch. We stayed here for a while and then headed for the next village. The village had a “picture post card” look with cute brown cottages, snow flakes on the bush branches and narrow , snow cleared road. The boats were docked and covered with snow, all in hibernation till summer. Very few people could be seen on the streets. Either they were indoors, because of the cold weather, or because these villages are just one street village, with nothing more than one or two shops and a restaurant. The restaurants or shops are mainly family owned businesses. We went into one such restaurant. It was cosy, cute and warm with three or four tables and with lace curtained windows. The warmth inside was palpable and it was definitely attractive in this weather. We had soup and a plate full of fried fish------- the catch from under the frozen lake. It was a piping hot , thick lentil soup with vegetables . This was absolutely fantastic. We were  very hungry. Till now we had only chocolates and coffee, and it was nearly six hours since we had left Vilnius.  

          My friend and guide was eager to show me the famous shifting sand dunes . So we drove towards Nida the last village on the Lithuanian side. We went to the Parnidis Dune. We parked the car and plodded in the snow and walked up the faintly visible path to the top of the sand dune. My guide pointed towards other sand dunes and the vastness of the Naringa sands at a distance. The gently curved shape did give an idea of the dunes, but the sand was covered with snow flakes. I was standing here at the crest of the dune . There is a sun dial here. From this point one can see the lagoon and the Sea . I looked in the direction of the Baltic Sea  and I think I could see a water body. In any case I walked down the dune slope and walked towards the beach side. The walk of course wasn’t easy, because of the thick snow cover. The beach was a white pristine stretch. The sea was calm and placid. The waves were frozen in their path. I stood there absorbing the beauty of the canvas in front of me------A central white strip ,a light blue-gray water strip on the left and a deep black-green strip of forest to the right.   

         We drove back from here through the pine and spruce tree groves , towards the jetty. We were ferried across the water to Klaipeda on the mainland. Then we decided that we should go to the beach in Klaipeda and watch the sunset. As we drove down there , the sun was already at the level of our line of sight, filtering through the bare branches of the trees. Here the beach had a little bit more activity with a few scattered people around. The Baltic Sea had ice sheets floating on the water, and the frozen waves made an unusual picture for me. The sun had set and there was a light pinkish orange hue in the sky and land. I didn’t want to leave , but we had to head back to Vilnius.

         Before beginning our long drive back we had coffee and snacks inside a green house surrounded by tropical plants including a banana tree. The outside is snow covered with temperatures way below zero and here inside we were enjoying a tropical atmosphere. I reached the hotel in Vilnius quite late in the evening. I was tired, so I slept the instant my head hit the pillow. I had to take the long flight back to Mumbai the next morning.  

Chilika Lagoon viewed from the Satapada  jetty. Sand spit seen in the distance.

Jetty at Chilika lake

Islands in the Chilika Lake

Boat ride in the Lagoon

Fishermen of the Lagoon

Chilika and the surrounding.

The sand spit and the waves of Bay of Bengal

Jetty and Ferry at Klaipeda, Lithuania.

Ice floating in the Curonian Lagoon

On the ferry deck with loaded cars and all

The Curonian spit , viewed from the ferry deck.


The Spit seen from across the lagoon.




Start of the Curonian Spit Drive.



Fishermen in the Lagoon.



Fishermen trying to catch fish from below the ice sheet in the Lagoon.



The catch from the lagoon.

Standing on the frozen Curonian Lagoon.



Single road that runs through the pine forest of the National Park.



Sun-dial on top of a sand dune.

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Shifting sand dunes of the Curonian Spit.



Long stretch of beach with the Baltic Sea on the left and pine forest on the right.

Frozen waves of the Baltic Sea.

Spruce and Snow.

Picturesque Village near the lagoon.

Sunset at Klaipeda.

Beach and the Baltic Sea at sunset. Near Klaipeda.

Capturing the sunset in his camera.

The Green House.

Tropical plants and trees , indoors.

The Banana tree inside the green house.

BEAUTIFUL mind, body & SEOUL

BEAUTIFUL mind ,body & SEOUL

As the aircraft moved towards Korea , the peninsular land mass was beginning to be visible. I always opt for the window seat to get a birds eye view of the approaching land. We moved in closer to Incheon where the airport is situated . Tiny islands scattered in the Yellow sea was visible and the sea around these numerous islands seemed shallow, as though one could wade in the water from one island to the next. In fact Incheon International Airport is situated way into the sea, built on extensively reclaimed tidal land between two islands. The drive to Seoul the capital of South Korea was  fifty minutes by bus. The drive took us along the river Han. The city has grown on either side of the meandering river and like any other   modern city there was an abundance of high rise buildings on either side of the river. There were   a number of bridges along its course with provision for railway tracks as well as roads.

     My work took me to one of the busiest parts of Seoul in the Gangnam area which includes many important offices. The subways were always crowded during the nine to ten o’clock time slot and in the evenings after office hours. All the familiar names that we know in India was around everywhere- Hyundai , Samsung ,LG. My hotel room had an LG television and microwave. I traveled by the subway to Samsung station to reach my work place at the COEX convention centre. I spotted a Hyundai departmental store and somewhere else in the city there was a Hyundai health club and a Samsung hospital. All the tall and fancy modern buildings with glass facades were impressive enough, but I was interested in the older style of architecture with pagodas. So the best way I thought was to visit the palaces of the Confucian kings and the Buddhist temples. It was easy  to get acquainted with the subway network, which takes you to all parts of the city. Armed with a subway map with names of stations printed in English ,  it is easy to travel to any part of the city. Then I the found the citizens to be very helpful and eager to be of assistance, in spite of the language barrier.

          To reach Gyeongbokgung Palace I took the underground train to Gyeongbokgung station. The tour really begins at the station itself, which is  the subway art centre, with sculpted walls and paintings and other artifacts displayed till the exit. The exit opens on to the front entrance gate of the palace. The palace ground is a sprawling area well within the city. The gate was guarded by royal guards with traditional weapons and a fierce look. Just what the tourists admired and they were   game   for  all the photographs with a smile. The two tier or single tier pagoda styled buildings were spread out. The architectural style  was  stone base with completely wooden structure above. The roofs are sloping and upturned at the four corners like a large brimmed hat folded at the edges. Though I do not know the significance of the curled up corners, it does make a pretty picture. The roof is elaborately carved and intricately painted with dragons, flowers, clouds and mythical beasts. The roofs were ornate, but the overall design had a minimalistic approach, where only space is beauty. It reminded me of the scenes from the movie “ The Last Emperor”. The English speaking guide, who was escorting us around the Palace grounds, pointed out that in China the use of the color red is more dominant, while in Korea green is the dominant color. It was then that I realized that many of the structures were painted in shades of green. In general, though other colors were used the overall effect was asthetically subdued and not bright. The kings’ administrative buildings are laid out at the front entrance of the palace, while the kings residential quarters are towards the rear. The queen’s residence and the royal concubines residences are demarked and spaced out and are placed far away from the grand entrance to the palace grounds. An  interesting information that emerged from the guides explanations is that the concubines were not just for pleasure, but it was the politically right thing to do for the ruler at that time, in order to keep in touch with the common people.

     An interesting part of the architecture was the heating system used in the 13^th century. The floor is a cavern with openings in the exterior where coal or heating wood or any other ingredient for fire is   pushed in. The fire heated the floors and the smoke emerged out of chimneys, not on the roof , but near the back door , where structures specially made of brick were constructed for this purpose. So the king and his family and courtiers, were warmed inside during the winter months, without having a smoke cloud in the interior. This technique of floor heating is used even today in the modern apartments. While in the cold European countries pipes carrying hot water or air run along the walls, here in Korea with   smart engineering the floors are heated to keep the apartments warm during winter.

      Within the Gyeongbokum Palace area, is also the National folk museum of Korea. This construction of recent times,  with a five tier pagoda is attractive on the exterior as well as the interior, with cute exhibits, LCD screen displays and a small cafeteria. It features both the traditional folk culture of ordinary people and the aristocracy during the Joseon Dynasty. The miniature models of Korean village, artifacts, fishing equipments clothes and lifestyle of hundreds of years’ Korean history are on display.

      With the desire to see some more of the Pagoda style of architecture I visited the Jogyesa temple the largest Buddhist shrine in Seoul. Here again I took the subway to Anguk station, and walked a few blocks to the temple. The main building housed three very large statues of Buddha in the seated position. I removed my shoes and sat inside , on the wooden floor and got carried away to a different level of consciousness, by the chants of  devotees , repeating after the grey robed monks. The chants with the tone , meter and sound, that seemed to emanate from the bottom of the stomach was soothing and comforting. The ceiling was packed with paper lanterns in the shape of lotuses. I think paper lanterns are a part of their life style in this part of the world. The variety of lanterns in terms of shape size colour and hue, is mind boggling. The temple courtyards are decorated with numerous lanterns during festivities. Many restaurant corners and malls that I visited had these very attractive lanterns as decorative pieces. So I could not help , but carry one back home with me to India.

        Bongeunsa temple complex is also a very important temple in another part of the city. The complex is spread among a forested hillside and has a more quieter  and secluded atmosphere than Jogyesa. The main shrine “ Daewoongjeon” has lattice doors and is ornately decorated inside and outside with Buddhist symbols and the designs that express Buddhist philosophy. There are quite a few smaller shrines in the pagoda style, spread out in this large hill side area. All of them enclose the statue of Buddha. The statues always appear as a trio. It could be Buddha with two disciples or Buddha triad. Again the ceilings are packed with lotus shaped lanterns, and the wall contain paintings on silk, depicting different facets of Buddha’s life, teachings and philosophy. I didn’t miss the swastika sign painted on some of the shrines in this complex.

          The temples are a pool of serenity in a fast moving and industrious city . The old and the new co – exist together right next to each other. Perhaps if you need to recharge your brains a bit you could hop into the temple complex and hop back to work. Actually just across the street (in front of the Bongeunsa temple Gate)  is the ultra modern COEX convention centre. The COEX mall is a huge maze of shops , eateries, movie theatre, business centers and an amazing aquarium. The aquarium showcases various fishes, crabs, jelly fish, sea horse, manta-ray and so many other under water species. The section with under water tunnel, with surround water and shark experience, is awesome, but the breath taking section is the hall that displays living corals. Hundreds of corals with all imaginable shapes and all the colors in a rainbow  were swaying gently in the water, giving a fairy tale like experience. Specially for some one like me who does not know swimming or diving and so would never be able to experience this underwater world otherwise. I felt like a mermaid in my own garden.

       The COEX centre is always full of people. They are either city revelers or people with business . Everybody looked slim, trim and had a porcelain skin. It surely had something to do with the food they eat, I thought. The food court in this complex was huge and had a variety of eatables on display. I was prepared to try all, from sea weeds to prawns and squid to the variety of fish helpings. But honestly the contents of the beautifully presented dishes, are not fulfilling for the average Indian palate. “Kimchi” the more well known Korean dish is like pickle, so this can’t possibly satisfy your hunger. “McDonalds” and “Pizza Hut” food is then the inevitable choice. Therefore keeping my gastronomic desires aside I decided to pursue the traditional architecture again. My quest took me to Namdaemun Gate. This is one of the four gates that enclosed ancient Seoul. The grand gate in the pagoda style was well preserved, but engulfed by the cross roads, and high rise buildings and other recent constructions . It reminds one that the new economically successful Seoul is slowly easing out the old Seoul. Just a few minutes from the ancient gate is the Namdaemun Market. It is a whole sale centre and virtually anything you may want , can be found here. Numerous shops along a maze of gullies offer clothing, shoes, gift items, accessories, tools, food , construction materials, flowers, sporting goods and many  more things. Everything  is available at a low price. This is the place, to shop till you drop. I felt at home here because it looked and felt like many similar markets that we come across in India.

        Before leaving Seoul I had to get an overall impression of the city. I took the subway again and made my way to the North Seoul Tower. It is located in a forested area on a hillock called Mt.Namsan. The surrounding green slopes, is the park that has trek paths for those who would like to climb, but for the lazy and tired like me a bus ride to the top is very pleasant.  I took the bus up to the top of the hillock and then was whisked up to the North Seoul Tower top by a high speed lift. It was Korea’s first communication tower and now it also works as a recreational and cultural complex. The viewing gallery was nice, with  a full uninterrupted 360 degree panoramic view. It is fascinating from this height and one gets a feel of the cityscape and the terrain on which the city has grown. As one moves around the viewing deck ( enclosed with glass windows) each window indicates the direction in which you are looking. One could walk around and look in the direction of New York, or in the direction of New Delhi. New Delhi is 4692.78 km away from Seoul , declared the print on the window, and Riyadh in the same direction is 7553.19 km away. The South Pole if you care to know, is 14143.84 km from Seoul , indicated another window. Though it was difficult to drag myself away from this view, I had to catch the evening flight back to India. So once again I took the road , following the river Han to Incheon Airport. As usual I chose the window seat and gazed out of the window. It was late evening and the airport was lit up and as the flight took off , Incheon looked like an oyster in the dark sea.

                                           Grand entrance gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace.

                                 Royal Guards at the entrance of Gyeongbokgung Palace.

One of the quarters within the Gyeongbokgung Palace premises showing the openings for the under floor heating system.

                                          The bell.

             Within the temple complex there is a  belfry or the place that houses the bell.The swastika sign is near the roof on one side.

The belfry at the Bongeunsa temple houses a drum to summon the earth bound animals, a wooden fish shaped gong to summon the aquatic beings, a metal cloud shaped gong (not in picture) to summon birds, and a large bronze bell to summon underground creatures.

     Jogyesa Temple , the largest Buddhist shrine in Seoul , has the Buddha Trio in the seated position.

The 23 meters high imposing “Mireukdaebul Statue” within the Bongeunsa temple complex dominates the surroundings. It is Maitreya – The Buddha of the future. This statue was built in 1996.

                                            The COEX  convention centre at the Gangnam area.

                                                                  N.Seoul Tower.