That's the Spirit : South Korea is more than dog meat and the DMZ. Why not make yourself at om?(the Temple Stay holiday)(Brief Article)

Here's an idea for World Cup fans: a way to relax and escape the crowds for a mere $25 to $40 a night, meals included. The "Temple Stay" program, inaugurated just last week, is the brainchild of South Korean tourism officials who figured that this year's finals were the perfect chance to showcase the country's ancient Buddhist shrines. From now through the end of June, about 30 of Korea's most beautiful and historic monasteries are open to overnight guests. You, too, can sample the joys of cloistered life.

Just know what you're in for. Awaken to the din of drums and bells at 3 a.m. for morning prayers. Purify your mind by working like a janitor. Brave the threat of a whack from a bamboo stick if you doze off during meditation. It's not everyone's dream holiday, but some travelers say it's simply divine. Ask Spain's ambassador to Seoul, Enrique Panes, who joined a group of some 20 foreign diplomats and their wives in mid-May for a preview retreat at Jikji Temple, deep in the mountains 70 kilometers northwest of Daegu. "This has been truly worthwhile," he said as he headed back to the capital. He looked serene, in a bone-weary kind of way. "I would recommend this experience to anybody who visits Korea."

There's no other getaway quite like it. The temple is a universe apart from global cooperation, World Cup competition and everything in between. Mobile phones and e-mail are off-limits; so are alcohol and TV. And don't worry about what to wear for dinner. Every arriving guest is given an orange robe to wear instead of street clothes. Visitors spend the next 24 hours far from their workaday worries--unless they happen to be tourism ...