JANGSEONG, South Jeolla Province -- The trees surrounding Baekyangsa, a temple in Jangseong County in South Jeolla Province, boasted their crimson and yellow leaves on a quiet Friday in November.

Everyone at the temple, however, including the monks, remarked that the weather has been strange this year, lamenting how unfortunate it is that visitors won't be able to see the best of the fall colors.

Nonetheless, for a first-time visitor, the temple, whose origin goes back around 1,400 years ago to 632, the scenery was perfectly beautiful.

The temple, about a four-hour drive from Seoul, offers an escape from high-rise buildings, city pollution, and the noises and stress of our daily lives. This solitude and the opportunity to empty one's mind are probably among the main reasons many people embark on templestays offered at traditional temples around the country.

In a humble vest and pants, participants can meditate, converse over tea and enjoy Buddhist meals for a night or two.

• ·Bomb threat causes midnight fuss at Yonsei university
• ·北 오죽 돈 없으면…유럽서도 방 뺀다, 주스페인 대사관 폐쇄
• ·In early 2029, Earth will likely breach key warming threshold: scientists
• ·[Herald Interview] Journey to find her voice has brought Vittoria Yeo to peak performance
• ·Former head of Jogye Order dies in temple fire
• ·NCSoft to unveil new titles at G
• ·Epitaph plaque for wife of first Korean diplomatic minister in US returns to Korea
• ·[Herald Interview] Journey to find her voice has brought Vittoria Yeo to peak performance
• ·KT CEO carries out first organizational revamp
• ·Davichi to return with new single next month
• ·AmCham reaffirms Korea
• ·In early 2029, Earth will likely breach key warming threshold: scientists
• ·Finance ministry to sell 4.7 tln won in NXC stocks
• ·N. Korean envoy rejects report on Hamas using N. Korean arms as 'groundless'
• ·Celltrion wins UNDP tender to supply anticancer treatments to Turkmenistan
• ·Davichi to return with new single next month