On a boat with a monk

Ganwol-am (간월암) is an island ermitage. It is tiny, lovely and... it is on an island! It is only a few meters from the mainland, but still... the island is the ermitage and the ermitage is the island! How can you not love that?!

How do you get there? When the tide is low, you can simply walk to the ermitage. But it is when the tide is high that it gets fun. Because then, you have to use the boat. And if you're lucky, like we were - my personal opinion, my parents may beg to differ -, you get extra fun when the monk from the ermitage decides to take into his own hands the matter of transporting a group of hesitant visitors to the other shore - pun unintended but Buddha's way is impenetrable!

Seeing that the Korean women on board, including my mother, were not quite reassured, the monk decided to show them their fears were unjustified and started... swaying the boat! He bent on the left then on the right, with increasing force, water splashed on both sides of the boat while the women let out scared little cries. He then yelled, laughing, "So, will you make big donations to the Buddha when we get to the ermitage?" The women yelped feably, "Yes, sunim! We'll give a lot of money. Please stop swaying the boat!" But the monk swayed some more, joking, "Oh, i'm not sure you're really gonna do that! Will you, really?"

As for me, i was laughing so hard it's a wonder i didn't fall into the water!

*The* boat!