Religious architecture being an interest of mine, I have visited as many Buddhist temples in Korea as I have had time for. Naturally, therefore, when I lived in Busan a few years ago, its largest temple, Beomeosa on a mountain named Geumjeongsan, was on my list of places to see. However, I have particular preferences connected with religious sites: I prefer ones that are remote, and I like to hike to them; you could say I find the mental and physical challenge spiritually edifying. Since my Lonely Planet guidebook mentioned that a smaller temple named Seokbulsa, at the other end of Geumjeongsan from Beomeosa, is hard to find, I decided to go there.

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