Autumn trip with fragrant herbs and fresh air | Travel Course | K-Travel Mate

Anseong Herb Village is a natural forest space where you can escape the harshness of the city and heal your weary mind and body. The village features a herb theme with herb plants and colorful, vibrant flowers harmoniously blending together, allowing visitors to feel the greenery of the forest. A glamping site is nestled among the cool trees. Upon entering the village, several glamping sites are neatly arranged. The glamping sites operate daily except for the regular holiday on Mondays. They are equipped with barbecue supplies, microwave, gas burner, air conditioner, and refrigerator. Behind the glamping site, restrooms and shower booths are available. The Her’B Cafe, located on the herb village hill, offers a spacious terrace where you can enjoy changing views with each season. The café is loved as a famous spot in Anseong for its specially roasted premium coffee by experts and freshly baked bread daily. Additionally, there is an aromatherapy footbath café where you can enjoy herb tea and footbaths together. Himalayan salt, herbal medicine, and natural aroma oils are added to relieve fatigue from tired feet and body.

Experience straw craft, hike Mt. Ssangryeong, and enjoy a herbal fragrant bath in a village located at the entrance of Mirinae Sanctuary, nestled in the deep valley of Mt. Ssangryeong (502m). During the Shin-yu and Gi-hae persecutions, Catholic believers gathered here to protect their faith amid severe religious oppression, forming a Catholic settlement. They farmed fields and made and sold pottery. The village's name, Mirinae, means Milky Way, inspired by the believers' fires that, at night, looked like the Milky Way. The village is home to a sacred site with a church over 100 years old and other Catholic historical landmarks, with 95% of residents being Catholic. Besides various experience programs, there is a reservoir in front of the village ideal for fishing carp, crucian carp, and grass carp while meditating. The modest Mt. Ssangryeong is suitable for hiking. Entering the lavender greenhouse, where a type of herb is cultivated, you will be intoxicated by its deep fragrance.

Ssang Mireuksa Temple is a quiet and cozy temple located on the mid-slope of Guksabong Mountain in Samjuk-myeon, Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. At the entrance, two Mireuk Buddhas wearing gat hats welcome visitors. These two Mireuk Buddhas, called the Giseolli Stone Buddha Statues, stand side by side on a two-story stone platform behind the temple lodge, spaced 10 meters apart. The 5.4-meter tall statue, known as the Male Mireuk Buddha, and the 5-meter tall statue, known as the Female Mireuk Buddha, together are also called Ssang Mireuk Buddha. The Giseolli Stone Buddha Statues are carved in the same style on a large stone pillar, placed facing north and south, with a height of about 5.7 meters, giving a very tall appearance. Both Buddhas have shaved heads with a wisdom-symbolizing topknot (yukgye) protruding, and use thin natural stone shaped in a round form as their hats. Their square and large faces have fine eyes, short triangular noses, thick lips, and short ears with distinct contours. Around the neck, the Samsado, symbolizing worldly desires, karma, and suffering, is clearly visible. The robes cover both shoulders in a full-length garment that wraps the cylindrical body. Their hand positions are said to remove all anxieties of sentient beings and grant wishes. These stone Buddha statues are typical regional styles from the Goryeo period, with many similar statues remaining in the Anseong area. Next to the stone statues quietly stands the Yonghwajeon Hall of Ssang Mireuksa Temple, and within the temple grounds are the Obaek Nahan Hall housing five hundred Arhats with various appearances and expressions, and the Sansingak Shrine dedicated to the Mountain Spirit, who wears a blissful smile.