Jinju Lantern Festival

Even Seoul is seemingly calm in the morning. Before the sun rises and cars and people fill the streets. The sun rising over the Han River reflects off it's calm surface. The countryside is a different calm. Clouds rolling off the hills meeting with the lifting fog from the golden rice paddies. It's hard to tell if I am trapped in a cloud or just the fog itself. The leaves are beginning to turn, faint hues of red and orange dot the hillsides. Farmers alone with their crops, I with my thoughts on this sparsely populated bus. The sun squinting my eyes illuminating the beauty of Korea.

Very early Saturday morning Megan, Loren and I got a bus bound for Jinju. Jinju is in the southeast part of Korea and the bus ride is about 4 hours. I love traveling by bus in Korea because it's cheap, relatively quick and very efficient. It also allows for views of the countryside and traditional life. We got to Jinju at 11am and walked toward the river where the Lantern Festival was taking place. We found a hotel room at the Versace Hotel and then set off to view the lanterns and find some lunch. We crossed the river on a floating bridge and found a food tent for some bibimbap and beer. A perfect lunch on the banks of the river under the clear blue sky.

Later, we wanted to check out the bullfighting and after catching a taxi and arriving at the bull ring we discovered that there would be no bullfighting on Saturday. Kind of sad, but we checked out the Jinju Fortress instead. The fortress had great views of the river and the lanterns floating on it. The day was very serene and calming and the weather was absolutely perfect. After checking out the fortress we went to a silk store to see the famous Jinju silk and then headed to MiniStop for an afternoon of soju and chatting along the roadside. Later, we took a nap and then headed to the night time festivities at the Lantern Festival.

The lanterns looked awesome lit up on the river and I wish my pictures had been better. The place was packed with people waiting for the firework show and just checking out the lanterns. All of the lanterns are made of silk and it's pretty impressive to see what people can do with a little silk and wire. We saw the Statue of Liberty, kite fliers, lotus blossoms, tigers, entire buildings made of silk. The fireworks started at 8 and lasted only about 20 minutes. However, it was possibly the best firework show I ever seen. Plus, right across the river from us, a fire broke out. It was highly entertaining. After fireworks we got samgyopsal (BBQ) and called it a night.

It was a great weekend with friends and I am so glad I have the opportunity to take weekend trips around Korea. It's so nice to get out of Seoul sometimes and breath fresh air and see how the rest of the country lives. I love it!

Here is a collage of pictures, more can be found on my Picasa page.

Damyang and Boseong

This past weekend I went to Damyang and Boseong with four other people. Two of the people, Kristin and Loren, I had met at the Spanish group two weeks ago. We were met in Damyang by Nate and Courtney, whom I had never met but they were awesome company. At 9:00 on Saturday morning Loren, Kristin and I got on a bus headed for Gwangju, the capital of Jeollanam-do province. We didn't spend much time in Gwangju because we were headed for Damyang and the bamboo forest. When we got to Damyang we found a place to stay for the night, left our backpacks and headed for the forest. It was a gorgeous day, nice weather and the bamboo forest was incredible. It was so nice to see nature again, we saw banana spiders all over and trees and amazing views of the surrounding mountains. After wandering around the forest for awhile it was time for some food and we had read about a place that served daetongbap (see left), rice cooked inside of a hollow bamboo stem and the rice takes on the subtle flavor of bamboo. It was very good and served with about 10 different banchan or side dishes. The lunch was very good and afterward we decided to walk around by the river and we found a serene sculpture park with frogs and flowers and people reading in a little pagoda-esque gazebo. I would have loved to curl up with my latest read (Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris), but I didn't have it with me and time didn't necessarily allow. The walk along the river became a peaceful stroll and it sparkled in the diminishing sunlight. We found a place to walk across the river on stones and saw a white heron (maybe a crane) and some geese or swans of some sort and it became apparent to me that Korea is a beautiful country. Outside of the hustle and bustle of Seoul lies an abundant source of traditional Korea, an untouched mecca of language, food and housing. No sky high towers or foreigners (I believe we were the only 5 in town that night) and a sense of the way things used to be and will always be.

After our river walk, we headed back to our love motel (don't worry, it's not as sketchy as it sounds) and chilled for a little while before deciding on dinner. We decided to have samgyopsal (삼겹살), a thick cut pork, not unlike bacon, that you grill right at the table along with garlic, mushrooms, onions and shrimp (I've been told shrimp isn't necessarily the norm). We also threw some kimchi (김치) on the grill. After it's all cooked the pork is placed in lettuce and all the grill stuff is added plus spicy bean paste and an array of other things. Each wrap can be the same or different. I opted for the different option, but it was very tasty and the first time I've had bacon in probably 18 years, I have been missing out. To top the meal off we also had bamboo soju to commemorate the bamboo forest and when that went dry we had normal soju.

On Sunday, we went boarded a bus to Boseong where the green tea plantations are. The drive there was as gorgeous as I had hoped. Winding roads through rural areas, shallow river beds and sun soaked farms. Everything was so green and fresh and the random chilies drying in the middle of the road made for interesting attractions. Boseong itself was marvelous. The green tea fields were high up on the side of the mountain and the trek was well worth the final result. The view was amazing and it smelled wonderful. I took many pictures, but none of them can do an actual trip any justice. It was an amazing sight. The fields themselves were flanked by Cyprus trees and what I believe were bonsai trees. The whole atmosphere was peaceful and we topped it off with a lunch of bibimbap (비빔밥) with green tea rice (nokcha bibimbap). After a day of bus trips and green tea amazement, it was time to board one more bus back to Gwangju and then another back to Seoul.

I think I could have stayed in Boseong for a few weeks, maybe a few months, but not permanently. As much as I love nature and a great view and amazing experiences, I have grown quite fond of Seoul. I proudly call my apartment home and I see Seoul as my city. Whether in my neighborhood or traveling around, Seoul is an adventure waiting to happen. The weekend trip was nice, to be free of smog and thousands of cars and funky smells made me appreciate the beauty of this country and the world, which is exactly why I embarked upon this journey in the first place. People are simple outside of Seoul, English isn't spoken in the small towns, but we ran into plenty of kind, Korean people who helped us find our way. Hand gestures and body language spoke volumes this weekend and a simple smile can go a long way. I am falling in love with this country more and more everyday and now I know why Korea is truly sparkling.