We walked back to the main road and caught a bus bound for Jaggungsa.  A temple perched on the edge of a cliff just out of town.
  It’s really rare for a Korean temple to be on the shore; they are nearly always up on top of steep mountains. It was really cool, but quite a bit if a walk from the bus stop for little Avi legs. He was slow, but made it all on his own.  The temple was neat to explore.  Like other Buddhist temples it isn’t just one building – there is the main sanctuary, a few smaller ones, a monk dorm, and little alcoves around.  There was also a neato underground grotto, a couple huge outdoor  Buddhas, and a walkway along the rocky waters edge. We also lucked into the free meal  and got one serving to share.  I love temple food,  but the kids not so much.

We grabbed lunch at the food stalls along the exit.  Avi and I have gotten to liking the “wavy dough”; it’s a dough made from ground fish and cooked in a fishy broth.  You eat it folded back and forth on a stick and dip in soy sauce.  Zoe only tolerates it.  She, instead, prefers to eat sweet red bean filled buns. A taste she acquired last time we lived here when she couldn’t get enough bean ice cream.

It was a long subway ride to our next site;  supposedly the largest sauna in Asia.  Probably not, and I think others in Korea  are bigger, but still Hurshimchung was huge.  There were a ton of baths in the sauna under a giant windowed dome that let in the natural light.  As is the norm we sat down to a shower and scrubbed clean – well I scrubbed each kid, they played in their water bins – and then enjoyed the public baths.  I so wish I could take a picture, but if course there are no clothes and nowhere to stash a camera.  It’s an awesome sight, a huge public bath.  Bodies of all types and ages enjoying the hot water.  We did the lemon tub, the sitting tub, a bubble tub, a deer tub, the main mineral water tubs, salt tubs, exercise tubs, even a super (too) hot outdoor tub. The kids’ favorite by far was a pool in a cave where they could splash and swim.  When we were finally too clean and wrinkly we donned our uniform and headed to the jjimjil.  

Here are usually a ton of fun themed rooms all promising some form of therapy, plus a cafeteria, games and other fun stuff.  This fancy place, however, only had a few hot rooms and a cold room.  There was a playground which was great, but not much else.  The cafe was even a bit slim-pickings for my discerning taste.  

We got food,  the kids played, I read a book, and after not-to-long we returned to the sauna. Zoe made friends with some girls in the play land who were now in the exercise tub.  She palled around with them for the rest of the evening and even got herself some ice cream with her key card. Adorable to watch her play and socialize and gad about the place with these two girls – all naked.  Truly in her element.  

Avi and I messed around in the hotter tubs with the old ajuma ladies ogling over him.  He showed off his “I can hold my breath under water” skills and got them all squealing.  He also enjoyed some ice cream.  Funny, but pleasant, eating ice cream naked while sitting on a bench that streams hot water down your back and backside. 

They both fell asleep on the subway home.  If course, poor Zoe had to be awaken to walk back to the hotel while I carried Avi.