In case you missed the memo, Buddha’s birthday was celebrated in Korea on May 14th.  I was late to the party because I didn’t go to a temple until the next day, oops.  I also went while it was raining.  Clearly I don’t pick the best days for adventures.

On the bright side, the rainy day after the major holiday meant there were hardly any people at Bongeunsa temple and I could enjoy the area in relative silence.  The temple is right in the middle of Gangnam and also across the street from the enormous Coex Mall.  I wonder how the monks feel about being surrounded by constant commercialism.

Buddhist temples all across Korea have lantern festivals to celebrate Buddha’s birthday.  I didn’t get to see any of them lit up in the dark but they were still fun to look at.

the many lanterns

penguin lantern

panda lantern