I am glad I went, it was a very fun trip. I didn't know anyone who was going this time, but it turns out that there were a couple people there I knew from past trips, so it was good to catch up :) We stayed in 130 year old house that had belonged to a rich family.
It had servant quarters, a library and such. It is still owned by the family and is now used as a type of hotel. It was very beautiful and had great gardens, my mom would have loved it.
Once settled in we went to look for pine mushrooms. Now, you must understand that pine mushrooms sell for between $200-$300 a kilo. So they told us we were going to the forest to look for them, but surprise, surprise we didn't find any. Now my thought on that is that they probably harvested them all long before we got there -- who is going to let a whole bunch of foreigners go trampling through a forest looking for mushrooms worth between $20-$50 EACH. For all the ones we found we would probably step on 10 so it was a much better idea to not let us free in an are where they were plentiful. But we did find it funny that there was a sprinkler in the forest -- mushrooms like the damp :)
After our fruitless search (but wonderful time in the forest) we went back to the little town for dinner. This was not the smallest town I have stayed in in Korea, but it was pretty tiny. We all split up and went to different restaurants from dinner. Then some of us sat outside one of the little convenience stores and drank and talked -- it is just what you do in Korea. Most of us were in bed before midnight as there was a very early morning planned.
We were woken up at 7 in order to leave by 8 and go hiking. The specific group I shared a room with and I stayed right beside the kitchen, and we think we stayed in a room the family actually uses. 
So as were were leaving the woman of the house gave us some traditional breakfast rice drink stuff. It was delicious.
On the way to the hike we were taken to a 'mysterious road'. There are a few of these in Korea. There are also a couple in Canada. Essentially things on the road travel in the opposite direction then you would think. In Canada it is supposed to be because of magnetism -- it is does work -- cars travel uphill in neutral. So that is what I was expecting to see -- forgetting I was in Korea. So we get to this place and Seokjin squats down looks at the road and says -- see the road is going uphill right?? We all look and say NO! He looks again and assures us that it is. So we all squat and look. But to all of us foreigners the road is going downhill. So when the bus rolls downhill it is not too impressive. But, funny none the less, to see us all squatting there looking at the road. I guess if we were Korean we would have believed that the road was going up when we were told that -- but we were not Korean. (pictures of this to come)
So we all got back in the bus and went to Cheongnyangsan Provincial Park for our short 3 hour hike. It was a pretty simple one. Although I have come to realize that the first time people go hiking in Korea they always think heading straight up a mountain is difficult. It was a nice hike, with a beautiful temple complex and a great view from the top.
Afterwards it was off to lunch -- BiBimBap. It was good, but the spicy tofu and miso soup was great! Then it was time for the festival. Now here is where the trip get totally interesting. Seokjin had told us that we would be participating in a tug-a-war with the towns people. Then afterwards we would be able to enjoy the festival. It sounded cool to us. Then as we were getting closer Seokjin said they had 'prepared a uniform' for us. Now this got us wondering. But hey who knows. We are also late (not a surprise) and the town is waiting for us (ooopps). We get there and are handed cotton hanboks and told to put them on over our clothes. Then we are given shoes made of straw and told to put them on.
It is insane! Then a procession of people carrying giant ropes starts to head up onto the street we are on, and we are told to walk with them. The girls and guys are split up, as the teams are women (ajumas) against men (ajoshis). There is a whole procession going on. We are carrying the giant ropes that are all linked together. The town is out to watch us. The mayor of the town is announcing. The ajumas around us are fixing our clothes for us. And adding extra shoes to out waist bands -- why? Who knows. Although all we really know is what we can see.
We are participating with no idea what is happening. We carry the ropes back and forth and back and forth (trying not to bump into anyone, but unaware of when and why the directions are changing) and finally the large loops at the front of the men and women are linked together and attached using a large pole -- now the competition begins. But before we start to pull we put down the ropes and do some bowing. All the foreigners trying to bow and watch at the same time -- rather funny. We finally begin. Now I think there is no contest. Anyone in Korea knows how strong ajumas are -- so we women won yea! Then we started to throw our extra shoes in the air -- like throwing hats at grad. But things didn't end there. We hear the announcer calling all the woegugin (foreingers) to come to the centre -- thankfully the ajumas gesture to us so we know what to do. When we get to the centre they paparazzi us like crazy and then teach us how to bow. Craziness!
When it is all over we get to keep our hanboks and enjoy the festival. So we wander. Look at arts and crafts. Notice the mushroom bowling :)
Then we come across a row of mushroom sales booths. Before the row begins there is a sign showing prices.
Now imagine the comma is a decimal and you will essenctially have the price in US dollars. Yes that is right $281 per kilo! Here they are.
The amazing part was the number of people walking around with the boxes of them.
What a day :)
No comments:
Post a Comment