I was lucky enough to be in Seoul for the Lotus Lantern Festival, which was part of the celebrations for the Sakyamuni Buddha's birthday. There were concerts, performances, street parties and lanterns strung up everywhere. I took the subway over the river to a a beautiful temple called Bongeun-sa, where there was an exhibition of traditional lanterns made out of hanji (mulberry paper). I walked around the temple grounds and it was like a tranquil oasis in the middle of the city. You could faintly hear the noise of traffic, but the main sounds were the squeak of plastic wrappers on messages hanging from lanterns, and the bells jangling gently on the mortarboard of the massive Buddha statue. I'm sure Buddha wasn't actually wearing a mortarboard, but I'm not sure how else to describe the big square hat he was wearing. There were big photographs of lotuses all around and people were praying quietly on mats. It was a bit of shock afterwards when I wandered back to the subway through a huge modern shopping mall.

After visiting the temple, I took the train back up to Jongno Street, where there was a big event in full swing. There were intricate lanterns and a big stage. People were dressed in stunning elaborate costumes and there was lots of dancing and singing and drumming. It was a really festive atmosphere and everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun. Even Buddha himself was getting down.

The next day there was a street festival along the same road, with concerts and all kinds of stalls selling food and other things. There were concerts and lots of monks in straw hats wandering around looking happy. There were lots of interactive stands, and I made a lotus lantern out of tissue paper and a small cup. The lady running the stall showed mine as an example to everyone else. Yeah! Clearly I'm a bit of a spod when it comes to lantern making. I also painted a little wooden coaster with a flower and was given a big paper lantern. Someone handed me a ribbon to wear with Korean characters on it and it wasn't until I'd had a few odd looks that a girl pointed out to me that it meant I was a grandparent. I was interviewed by a couple of students for their university assignment and by another woman from the Tourist Board. They asked if I would want to come back to Korea and I gave them a definite yes. I will be back, next time for longer and will explore the rest of the country and see some of the national parks. There seem to be a lot of foreigners living in Seoul - either teaching English, in the military or on business - but not a lot of visitors. I would definitely recommend it and had a great time.