Chuseok in Busan - Part 2 (Haedong Yonggunsa Temple)

We used our first full day in Busan to go to the most famous of its temples, Haedong Yonggunsa. It has a beautiful location on the rocky coast, and the weather was gorgeous for the hike down.




On the way down to the temple we walked past a row of statues representing the Chinese Zodiacs. So of course we all posed for pictures with our animal. Jarah and I were the only Monkeys.


We arrived at the temple just as the first groups of tourists were starting to flow in. When we walked past these statues on the way in of "Budda for Academic Achievement" they were empty, but when we were leaving we noticed they were COVERED in coins. Apparently someone really needed some luck with their school grades.




The pig statues I slowly started to noticed were everywhere in Korea. They eat a lot of pork here because it's one of the cheapest meats in Korea because pigs are easy to raise there. They don't have the space for grazing cows, so most dairy products and beef are imported - making them super expensive.



Haedong Yonggunsa Temple was my second up close experience with the beautiful paintings and patterns in this Korean art form, and I was still amazed and in awe of the complexity of it.





Inside the temple many Koreans, old and young, were bowing and praying in a ritualistic manner to the Buddha statues and shrines. I watched some other foreigners talk off their shoes, go inside, and attempt the same, but I was no where near brave enough to do so without direction or instruction. I found it nicer to curiously observe from the doorway.



Before leaving, we climbed a steep staircase to the tallest point on the temple grounds to see the great view down the coast. Then it was time to head back for some lunch and our next adventure of the day.




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