Through Mt Maokong’s dense forest

Half way along the Camphor Tree Trail by Ejiaoge Mountain, near the outer limits of Taipei City, a sign pointed towards YingHe Cave. I veered on to that trail and down countless steps and over a rocky path, lured by a cave.

Sanbangsan Bomusa Temple

The location of this temple was part way up Mt Sanbangsan on the south-western end of Jeju Island. The view of the coastline was stunning and a welcomed cool breeze washed over me. Despite feeling hot, almost everyone else wore jackets.

Seiryo-ji Temple

This Buddhist temple was set in quiet grounds in Kyoto’s Arashiyama district. The site was once a mountain villa, but was later converted into Seiryo-ji Temple.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

I may not have seen any tooth inside Chinatown’s Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, but it didn’t matter. This was the most elaborate temple I’d stepped into in Singapore. The building was huge while inside I lost count of the number of Buddha statues that festooned the walls.

Over temple grounds

 

I walked from Con Son heading towards the cemetery past cows grazing by the side of the road, papaya trees and even a field or corn. Before I arrived at the cemetery’s entrance, I was distracted by a temple.

Seoul’s Bongeunsa Temple

While people prayed before a Buddha statue in Bongeunsa Temple, I tiptoed around until I came across lanterns. Devotees pinned a prayer to the bottom of  lanterns that swayed in the breeze in the hope their prayer would be fulfilled.

A child’s impression of Borobudur

I thought I was clever going to Borobudur on Christmas day; after all, this was a Muslim country. I guess I hadn’t learned my lesson from the train from Bandung. Instead of no one being at the site, the Buddhist temple was over crowded. I soon realized, it was a holiday in Indonesia too.