Chuseok Celebrations

We were lucky this year in that the most important Korean holiday, Chuseok, mainly fell midweek. With another random holiday day also falling on this week (probably related to liberation, revolution, or both), this resulted in being off on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Some schools subsequently stay closed for the Wednesday, and our director, never one to pass up an opportunity to do even less work, gladly obliged.

We spent the early part of the week catching up with Denis and Aneta, who we hadn't seen since the K1 fight, and taking advantage of the weather which was still nudging 30 degrees. Not bad for October. It was perfect weather for relaxing in Lake Park with a healthy stash of beer and music. We also realised that there is a Museum of Toilets in Lake Park. I can't believe we're almost at the 8 month point and have thus far failed to take in the splendour of this attraction! Soon....I promise.

However, we were adamant that we wanted to do something productive and worthwhile during this holiday, and not just drink, eat flesh, and sing badly, no matter how fantastic that combination is. We wanted to travel to Andong for the famous folk festival, but are plans were hampered by Chuseok itself. During this holiday, the majority of Koreans travel to their ancestral homes, most commonly outside Seoul, meaning it's impossible to secure passage by bus or train without prior booking.

Instead, we decided to climb the picturesque and rugged mountains which so strikingly frame Gyeongbokgung Palace. That's a little bit like saying "The Law Hill" I guess, as "gung" means palace. Anyone reading this, not native to Dundee, will be thinkin "What the fook is he on about?!"

It's picture time! Which means less to read for you lucky people. Also, it's 7 am, I can't sleep, so am uncapable of injecting much more than a midget's piss of humour into this post, so the less said the better. We started our journey at Sajik Park in Seoul, where we enjoyed watching an entertaining early morning game of "Footennis", for lack of a better word. Typically, two of the participants were two Seoul Kyeongchal (policemen), keeping the city safe with the accuracy of their overhead kicks. Although I don't doubt the Korean police know how to crack heads with those wooden swords they carry, it still looks a little ridiculous that most of them seem to wander around with ice lollies for most of the day. Or even arm in arm!



After a short, steep walk up a road winding out of the back of the park, we reached the start of the mountain trail. The mountain in question is Inwangsan. This 338 meters-high mountain was known during the Joseon period as the “white tiger mountain” due to the great number of tigers that inhabited the area. Apparently, these tigers were fond of attacking Gyeongbokgung en masse, and responsible for quite a few deaths. However, today, tigers have become extinct in this mountain, instead there are a swarm of small Buddhist temples, a shamanist shrine and a uncanny atmosphere like nowhere else in Seoul. The mountains surrounding Seoul were all (and in most cases, still are) used as some mode of defence over the years, and much of the hike up Inwangsan follows the old fortress wall.




As you can see, we picked a good day for it. It's quite rare to have good visibility around Seoul.




The tackling of the relatively easy Inwangsan was in some ways a practice run in preparation for a trip to Bukhansan. Therefore, while there were some fantastic views of the city, I was more interested in reaching the top and getting a glimpse of Bukhansan itself, taunting us in the distance.




As we reached the peak, we realised that we hadn't eaten, and had foolishly brought only a bottle of water and a packet of crisps. As we hiked onwards anticipating this picnic fit for a king, we were beckoned to join a large Korean family in their Chuseok lunch. This is very typical Korean friendliness. Only one of them spoke any English, and our limited Korean is mostly centred around food and drink, so we happily indulged our appetites and complemented them on their food. As you do, they had brought with them a bag of pig trotters, which, after some initial trepidation, turned out to be very tasty.



South Korea is a country always prepared for war, and many mountains have discreet military installations and trenches, just in case.



The road back down. Pretty effective camouflage! Apart from the yellow reflective patch, I guess even hardened soldiers take road safety seriously!



After getting a little bit lost, we arrived beside Gyeongbokgung. I've already blogged this place, so there's nothing new to tell. But it was the first time we were there on a nice day, so it's worth posting some pictures.



As we walked into the centre of Seoul, it became obvious that there was a distinct air of celebration, and the whole downtown area was host to many festivities and attractions. After watching a lot of traditional singing and dancing along Cheonggyecheon (the stream running through downtown), we came across a huge stage set up in City Hall Plaza. At this point we decided the best plan of action was to go and buy a load of beer and find a nice spot to sit. It was a nice end to the day, and the festival was an interesting mix of music and trditional performances, including an impressive dance performed by a group of woman with huge fans. Many of the children were wearing their finest hanbok, the traditional Korean clothing worn by many on days of importance.






In other recent news.....

Further explored my local mountain. Found out its real name is Gobongsan, so I can't call it Kurisusan anymore. Dammit. Anyway, I took an invigorating morning hike and discovered a very cool old graveyard nestled away in the trees. I also arrived at the Buddhist temple just in time to hear the monks perform their prayers and chants, which was a very special moment.

Myself and Denis have set a date for our inaugural puppy feast. Next weekend we will get drunk and eat Lassie, so I will report back on the experience soon afterwards. It seems there are a variety of tastier ways to get some mutt into your gut, such as barbequed with chili sauce, but we will be strong and go for the old classic, boshintang (dog soup). Apparently it smells and tastes like wet dirty dogs. Fantastic. It's actually technically illegal here now, but the law is not enforced!

Ross, Amy, Northy, Lynne, and myself went to a gig last weekend in Hongdae. It was a showcase for 8 local bands, and turned out to be a really good night. Which ended with Amy chasing Northy down an alley kicking him. Priceless. Well if she didn't do it, the old rocker who accused him of trying to set his hair on fire probably would have.