A Trip to Andong with the Boys

Last weekend I went to Andong, capital of Jim Tak (a spicy steamed chicken dish), soju and traditional mask dancing. I was going to go alone as I had to Gyeongju, but when I mentioned my plans to my level 4 class last month, three of the students in my class wanted to go along with me. One of them couldn't go because he has a girlfriend and she wouldn't have approved (people are pretty conservative here), but the other two are single and were eager to go along with me. I hesitated at first because I didn't know how it would go, if things would be awkward and whether I would be good company since I haven't been the peppiest these past few months, but it turned out to be an amazing trip!



Neo offered to take us in his car and so met me and Peter in front of YBM at 9am on Saturday morning. It was my idea to go on Saturday morning and we paid for my mistake very dearly. The trip is normally about 3 hours long, but because of the atrocious traffic, it took us about 7 1/2 hours! It was crazy! We still had fun and they made incredible efforts to speak in English. They did quite well and I really appreciated their efforts. We chatted along the way, stopping at reststops along the way to go to the bathroom and have a bite to eat (fried potatoes, tobboki, semi-dried squid and odeng).

One thing I've been wanting to mention about Korean restrooms is the fact that in womens' bathrooms you can often find what they call a privacy bell. It's a little machine on the door of each stall that you press if you don't want anyone to hear you pee or poop. Sometimes, the bell sounds like the toilet flushing, sometimes it's music, but either way it's an opportunity for women to be modest. It's quite cute actually!




We agreed along the way to go to the Soju museum. We were pressed for time, however and didn't know whether we would get to Andong in time to visit the museum. We called ahead and found out that it was closing 30 minutes later than indicated in Lonely Planet. The last hour on the road was traffic-free, so Neo sped along and we managed to get to the museum 15 minutes before closing time. The museum is also a food museum and demonstrated traditional dishes that were and are still eaten for special occasions. There wasn't all that much to see, but we were able to see how the distillation process was done. Soju is a vodka-like alcohol made from potatoes or sweet potatoes. The percentage of alcohol ranges from 20% to 40%. The distillation process was brought over from Persia and Arabia and on through China before reaching the Korean peninsula.

Andong soju is very popular in Korea and is the strongest local alcohol. The museum allows us to do a tasting and the woman there kept the museum open later just for us. She was very helpful and friendly and gave us tips on where to stay for the night. The soju was strong and not too bad. I guess I've gotten used to the taste. Soju is definitely an acquired taste and is the drink that is most consumed in Korea. Not my favorite, though. Andong soju has a more earthy taste than other sojus and you could almost taste the ground. I guess it's because of the distillation process. In 1989, they stopped using the old distillation process and updated it, but Neo thought that was a bad idea because that's a selling point for Andong soju, the traditional process. Anyway, I think they are still doing well and Andong soju definitely still attracts its fair share of customers.



Neo, me and Peter trying Andong soju



After the Soju museum we went to find a motel. The business section of the city is full of love motels, places where people go to have affairs for a few hours. Most of the motels didn't want us because we would be staying a full night and I guess it wouldn't have provided them with enough cashflow. We finally did find a place and it was the coolest thing ever! I've never actually seen a round bed before, not in real life, but they had one in the rooms! It was so funny. What a cheesy yet luxurious place; and for only 40,000won!




After securing rooms, we were starving and really looking for the local delicacy, Jim Tak. We went to Andong Market and within it were dozens of Jim Tak restaurants. The one that had been recommended to us was full so we ducked into another place and ordered. Like many other dishes in Korea, Jim Tak cannot be ordered for only one person because they serve you a whole chicken.

 

Korea is not very friendly towards individuals, so I often have to settle for simple dishes because I can't order the larger dishes. But luckily, I went with the boys so there was no problem! It was delicious!

Awesome Andong Jim Tak

After dinner we wandered around downtown and decided to have a drink at a posh little bar called TOMO. It was nice and we chatted for a while before going to a noraebang (singing room). This place was amazing! It was brand new and there was a wonderful couch with a large flat screen.

 

This place was called multi-karaoke so people could not only sing, but could also watch movies or play video games. The guys were incredibly impressed and said that they had never seen a place like that in Seoul. Andong is very surprising. We stayed there for about an hour and then went back to our respective rooms and konked out.

The next day we met around 11am and decided to go to Sebiwon first. Sebiwon is a huge Buddha carved out of a rock face.



Sebiwon



The body was carved first and then with another rock, they carved out the head and then added it to the body. Next to the Buddha was a small temple and we went over to see. There were many tiny Buddhas placed behind a glass case with names written on each Buddha.

 

It was really cool and the monk there was super helpful. He explained that people had made wishes for enlightenment to people they cared for. It was quite spiritual. I had some questions about the bowing process and he demonstrated for me on a bench! It was amazing!



It has given me hope in strangers in Korea. Even the guys were impressed with how nice everyone was in Andong. Even the taxi drivers were nice (a rare occurence in Seoul)! What a treat!



After Sebiwon, we finally went over to the main attraction: Hahoe village, a traditional village where the home of mask dancing is. First we stopped for lunch and had GanGoDungOh, broiled salted Mackerel. It was very good, but I agree with the guys, the rest of the food was nothing to write home about.



We headed over to the village right after lunch and happened upon a graveyard of gargoyle/totems carved out of wood. The first time I saw them was in Buan, last September. At that time, we were driving and I couldn't bring myself to ask Son Mi's father to stop the car. They were pushed into the muddy shoreline and if I remember correctly, they were used to ward off evil spirits.

In Andong, the guys and I took lots of pictures and I was shocked to see some of them with penises attached to them. Korean society is very conservative and sex is never discussed in public. Here they had penis fountains. It was crazy! There are still so many things about Korea that are a mystery to me.



We then headed over to the mask dance. It was super crowded and it was very difficult to take pictures of the dancers/actors without having peoples' heads in the way. I did my best though. I bought a little booklet explaining what each story was about and that was really helpful. Here is how things panned out.



Imae: The Fool



The musicians

From the booklet:

Dance #1: Mudong Madang

Lady Kakshmi appears on the shoulders of another performer asking people to make offerings for their blessing and wealth. She is the personified long goddess, so can therefore not touch the ground. By welcoming Kakshmi, the villagers please the goddess and pray for peace and an abundant harvest.



Kakshmi



Dance #2: Chuji Madang

A male and female Chuji (lion) appear, dancing and playfully fighting. The female wins, promising the village high productivity and an abundant harvest for the year. The mask doesn't look at all like lions, but instead shows the creativity of people who had never seen any real lions. Lions are supreme creatures in Buddhism.



Chuji



Dance #3: Paekchong Madang

The butcher enters with his bag and tools and when he sees a bull come in, he dances with it and then kills it, cutting out his heart and testicles.



The bull sprayed real water at the audience!



He asks the spectators to buy either one.



The butcher



The act satirizes the authoritative attitudes of the ruling class toward sexual life, removing the sexual taboo. When the spectators laugh, the butcher has won over their sympathy.

Dance #4: Halmi Madang

An old widow appears. She had been widowed only three days after her wedding at the age of fourteen. She sits down and weaves a bit before dancing and bemoaning her ill-fortune, all the while asking for donations. The mask reveals the poverty and the face of a woman of the world as well as the conflicts between social classes and the pain of life for the common people. The open mouth on the mask indicates her readyness to take in food and pour out lamentations.



The widow

 

Dance #5: P'agyesung Madang

 

Young Pune dances and looking around to make sure no one is watching, squats and releives herself. Chung, a wandering monk, happens upon her and is arroused by the site.

Chung

He runs away with her on his back and is seen by Ch'oraengi, the busybody.



Ch'oraengi



This act criticizes religious corruption of that time period. (I bought the Chung mask for myself afterwards).

Dance #6: Yangban and Sonbi Madang




Sonbi


An aristocrat (Yangban) and a scholar (Sonbi) appear, each trying to outshine the other in his knowledge and status. The are mocked by the busybody, Ch'oraengi, and lose face. The butcher appears and offers to sell them the bull testicles. At first, they hesitate, but when the butcher informs them that it will increase their sexual energies, they fight to buy them. The old widow arrives and laughs at their behavior, thereby reconciling their differences. Ch'oraengi joins them and they all dance together. This act encourages the ruling class to reconsider its real place in society, while the commoners let off a little stem, alleviating conflict between classes.



All in all, I loved the show, but Koreans tend to talk a lot during shows and that was a bit off-putting. There were many kids complaining to their parents that it was boring, but I enjoyed the live druming and dancing. Peter liked how they used their shoulders when dancing. Traditionally, only men perform in these dances and such was the case on Saturday too.

After the show, we wandered around the village and happened upon many a beautiful sight. Old buildings that had partially crumbled into ruin, a view of the river winding around the village, incredible trees sprouting in every shape and form. It was a very peaceful, if windy area. The sky was clear and calm and everyone was having a good time.
 

We decided to spend our second night in the village and so went about trying to find a minbak that wasn't too expensive. We tried about four places before we found something. It was a very old house with an almost equally old owner, an adorable withered grandmother who very obviously lived alone. It was kind of sad that she lived alone, but she was very sweet.


Our minbak with our very own grandmother!



We rented two rooms, each room 30,000won. What I found most amazing was that each room was fitted with a TV! Who would have thought! The doors were incredibly small and when I stood inside my room, my head nearly reached the ceiling. Traditionally, Korean homes were heated from the floor boards and in this house, both modern and traditional heating systems were used. Both, however, were heating from the floor boards. The boys had a traditional room in the sense that wood was burned under the room and therefore heated the room that way. It's really quite cool and their room was warmer than mine. In modern times, they use a boiler system with water to heat apartments. This system makes much more sense than how we heat apartments in the west. As heat rises, your feet are never cold in the winter and since I sleep on a mat, I remain quite warm in the winter. This house also used mats. The toilet was basically an outhouse with a modern seat placed on top. It smelled like a regular outhouse though!

After securing rooms, we went into town to buy some alcohol and then returned to the village where we had dinner at a restaurant. It was quite nice because we had our own room to eat in. It was 100% private in that we could screen ourselves into our room with papyrus doors and that was really cool. It was quite cold by that time and we walked our way back to the minbak where we went to the boys rooms and had some bokbunja (a Korean liquor made from wild raspberries; sweet but delicious). We went to bed and planned to leave at 7am the next morning.

That was the end of our trip and it was wonderful. There had been no awkward moments and we got along really well. The boys really took amazing strides to speak in English the whole weekend and they are really sweet and went along with everything I wanted to do. I didn't have to compromise a thing and that's quite rare when you travel with others.

The only thing that I would have wished to have done would have been to see the Mask Museum, but we ran out of time. Perhaps, if I return to Korea one day, I will get a chance to travel around and see some more things, but until that day arrives, I have to remember the good and the beauty I have seen up 'til now and cherish those memories to the best of my abilities.

Next month I plan to visit Seokcho, a coastal town where I want to eat raw fish as well as visit one of the most famous mountains in Korea, Soraksan. I look forward to that next adventure, but until then, I will keep these memories close to my heart as the clock counts down the months until I leave Korea.

Gyeongju on a Long Weekend

On the weekend of May 3rd, I went to Gyeongju, the former capital of Korea during the Shilla Dynasty. Originally, I was going to go with a person who is very special to me, but things didn't work out and I ended up going on my own. But that's alright, I'm used to being alone and if there is something I know, I know how to travel alone. So I set out on a Friday night after work and took the bus from The Express Bus Terminal. It was a midnight bus and though I had heard that the trip would take 4 hours, it only took 3 and a half hours. Originally, I naively believed that I would stay up and watch the sun rise, but when I arrived in Gyeongju, I was dead tired and so set out to find a motel.

I walked around for a while, not having planned anything for this trip. There is a certain freedom in that. I finally found a guest house called Tae Yang Jang. It's very clean and quite cheap(30,000won). It was perfect. The owners were helpful and it is close to the bus station and quiet as well. I slept in really late, feeling a little guilty, but I had to remind myself to stop doing that to myself. I finally left the motel at 2:45p.m. and went exploring. I wanted to see the dance performance that is on Saturdays, but it started at 3p.m. and I didn't want to rush, so I gave it up. Instead I went to Gyerim Forest with a view on many ancient graves set under huge mounds. They are definitely conspicuous, but beautiful. The park was very peaceful and there were many gorgeous trees there. It felt good.
 There were many couples walking around together, it was a very romantic place and I smiled at them and their lazy mini-holiday. That was just right. Perfect weather, perfect wood, who wouldn't want that?


After Gyerim Forest, I went over to Anapji Pond, a pond that had been constructed in 674 by King Munmu during the Shilla Dynasty.
 The pond itself was quite beautiful, but the building around it was nothing special. I didn't stay very long. After the pond, I carried on to the Gyeongju National Museum. It is quite an impressive place, with many buildings dedicated to different things. At first I went to see what Lonely Planet called the Emile Bell. I don't understand why they called it that because it is not at all Korean sounding. Anyway, it is one of the most precious Korean National Treasures and I believe is the oldest bell in Korea.


Emile Bell

  I've seen many bells though and so this one doesn't stand out that much more, but there were some interesting carvings on the bell that the camera did not pick up very well. You'd have to be there. The pressing interest in the museum was what had been recovered from Anapji pond. Apparently during the Shilla period, many random things were thrown into Anapji pond, I guess like a kind of garbage can. In a way it's too bad, but in another way, I'm really glad they did that because it allowed scientists to discover these treasures when they drained the pond in the 1970's.

There were all kinds of random things in there, including porcelain cups and saucers, candle snuffers and jewelry.
 

Strange things to throw out, but what can you do? After visiting the Anapji building, I went to see the golden crowns. In the Shilla period, crowns were made out of almost pure gold and had a few different shapes, most particularly a style that resembled antlers. They discovered a very well preserved crown by accident. They wanted to do a test run on one tomb, to see how they could access it without destroying it. The tombs were constructed in such a way that they were supposed to cave in if anyone tried to go inside. While doing this test run on a tomb that they thought was insignificant, they discovered the bones of a king as well as his crown. It was a great discovery and it looked absolutely amazing!
 

You will have to go see it sometime. Another plus, for some reason, is that the museum was free. I'm not sure whether it was a fluke, but still, it was a really nice little treat.


After the museum I started to walk back to the motel, but I was hungry so I stopped at a restaurant and had dolsot bibimbap, bibimbap served hot. It was quite good. I think I was the only person eating there alone. People stared at the foreigner eating and reading alone at a table. Koreans do not like to travel alone. It's taboo. Everything must be done in twos or groups. If people have no one to go somewhere with (including the movie theater), they tend not to go at all. Women will go to movies with other women, but men will not generally go unless they have a girlfriend. They miss out on so much...it's kind of sad, really.

Anyway, back to the subject. I went to the bathroom and when I went to wash my hands, the soap was on the counter and there was a Coca-Cola cap stuck in it.
 I found that really strange, but then I realized that they used the metal from the cap to act as a receiver for a magnet. There was a holder above the soap where you could stick the soap and it suspended from the holder through the use of a magnet. Wow! I bet you Coca-Cola has no idea how inventive their products can be!

I walked back to the motel in a round-about way, not wanting to take the same path. I stopped at a convenience store to buy a few things and then set about trying to find the motel. What I hadn't realized was how incredibly difficult it was to find motels in this city! It was crazy! The streets have names, sometimes, but no one uses names to find anything here. You just kind of have to know. I tried to find it on my own and then ended up going around in circles for over an hour. By then, I decided to suck up my pride and ask someone. I had the motel's business card and started asking people how to get there. It took me another 30 minutes before I finally found it. It was really ironic. I have a really good sense of direction but Gyeongju really tested my confidence in that area.

I remember visiting Amsterdam several years ago. With the girls I traveled with I found a coffee shop that I really liked. I didn't retain the street name, nor did I remember the name of the shop. I just remembered that it was on a corner at the edge of a canal. If you've ever been to Amsterdam, you know that there are canals absolutely everywhere! About 8 months later, I returned to Amsterdam where I met up with a really cool friend, Walter. I wanted to show him the coffee shop I had been to so I took him on a little scavenger hunt for that one coffee shop. It took me about 30 minutes to find it, but I did find it and it was very cool. I was really impressed with my memory after 8 months, but here I was in Gyeongju and I couldn't find my motel less than 24 hours after arriving! It was an embarassingly funny situation. By the time I got back, my feet were killing me.

I went to bed and the next day forced myself to wake up earlier so that I could go to Bulguksa. My friend Steve had suggested that I hike up the mountain to see Seokguram Grotto over by Bulguksa. When I arrived at the bottom of the mountain after a 30-minute bus ride, I had lunch and set off to the tourist office. They informed me that the hike would take 1 hour. I cringed and she smiled. Koreans are expert hikers. People of all ages do it and they hike really quickly. It's quite embarassing for me because I remember lagging behind all the middle-aged people who hiked up Halla Mountain in Jeju Island a year earlier. It took me and Seung-Ah 4 1/2 hours to reach the top, but other Koreans did it in 3 hours. So when the woman told me it would take an hour, I was expecting a much longer trek. I was soaked in sweat as I hiked up the mountain, but it was quite peaceful and I had my MP3 player for company. I managed to keep a slow, but steady pace and to my surprise I reach the top of the mountain in 40 minutes! I've got some juice left in those muscles! When I got to the top, there was a Pagoda type building with a bell. I took a picture and then continued on to Seokguram Grotto. It was another 10 minutes, but the path was level, so it wasn't tiring. When I got there, there was a line a mile long.
 Luckily the line moved quickly and I was able to get to the grotto within 30 minutes. It's considered a world heritage site and I can honestly say that I agree. Once you get inside it's magical and mystical. Unfortunately you can't take pictures inside, so you'll have to settle for a description.

The stone Buddha is recessed and in the foreground, to the sides, are reliefs of different people, but guarding the Buddha are two statues who look like they can really do the job. Well-lit, the fierceness in their stance and expressions is easily seen. They are the Deva kings. The Buddha itself seemed to be made of marble (though it is stone). It is so smooth-looking and it glows as though from the inside out. Even with the bustle of people being herded through, I was able to stand back for a moment and inhale that glow. You need to be there to understand. I'm glad I did the hike.

I walked back down the mountain and then headed to Bulguksa Temple. Temples are like churches, they all look the same after a while unless something extraordinary sets it apart somehow. I guess that's what religious places tend to be like. But the pond at the entrance was really beautiful and I spent a moment there, admiring the view.
 The rest of the temple was like many other temples I've seen. Beautiful, of course, but nothing really different from what I had already seen.

When I got back to Gyeongju I thought I remembered the motel. I first decided to buy some Sansachune (a kind of Korean liquor; sweet). Afterwards, something came over me. A will I hadn't felt in a long time: fight. So, I decided to find my way back to the motel another way. The night before it had taken me about 1 1/2 hours. That night, it only took me 20 minutes! I'm was quite proud of myself, though I have to say that I was having some doubts as I went about trying to find it. I felt that there were many elements of deja vu working against me then. But it was an improvement!

The next day was Monday and I was leaving at 2:00p.m. I had some time to take a last look around so I left my bags at the motel and headed back over to the Gyerim Forest area. I finally went in to see Cheomsongdae Observatory.

It is the oldest observatory in Eastern Asia. On Saturday I didn't go in because I had seen a sign that said it cost 8,000won to enter and I found that ridiculously expensive so had decided not to go inside. But when I went back on Monday, I realized that the real price was only 500won. I'm glad I went back! While inside, I saw a man setting up a tripod to snap a shot of him and his family. I offered to take the picture for them, it would be easier that way, less time consuming; but he refused! You know, Koreans as strangers are not friendly at all and it kind of hurt because I was only trying to help! My students have told me before that Koreans are kind of afraid of people traveling alone, they find it strange. When I recounted that story to my high level students last week, the girls said it was because the man was with his wife and that she would have been upset with her husband if he had accepted my offer. I don't know if I believe that, but I just have to accept that I guess I'm not always appreciated. The male students thought that the man probably refused because he thought that I wouldn't take as nice a picture as the tripod automatic system would. Whatever...

I wanted to see the ruins of the castle Banwolseung, so I wandered over there after the observatory. The path had called to me on Saturday but I had prioritized other places. When I arrived there, there were no ruins left. The whole castle had been destroyed. The only thing left is an ice storage building which was pretty cool.

The forest area is pretty nice and quiet so I isolated myself and sat down for a while. It was a bit chilly under the shade of the trees so I didn't stay long.

After the ruins, I decided to walk through downtown for a while, check it out at my own pace. On my way back, I was taking some shots of the trees in bloom when a car stopped and asked me for directions to Chomseongdae Observatory. When I turned around, they realized that I was a foreigner and kind of gave up, but I gave them directions in my broken Korean anyway and they thanked me in English. It felt good to help out. It kind of canceled out the rejection to my offer earlier that morning.

As I headed back to the motel, I finally stumbled upon Daerumuun (Tumuli Park)!
 This was indicated on the very attractive but poorly made tourist maps of the city, but I had not been able to find them anywhere! I paid for the entrance fee and it was quite an impressively large park. I wandered through it and took lots of pictures of trees. The trees in this country are fabulous. I'd love to make a photobook just on the trees I've taken pictures of in the past 10 years. It would be so much fun! I exited the park at the far end of the park and realized that the exit gave out on Gyerim Forest! It had been there in front of my face the whole time, but I hadn't see it! These are the things I love about traveling...the little surprises and discoveries.

All in all, a very successful trip. This past weekend, I went to Andong, but that's another tale. Soon to come!

Bu Huang - The Art of Korean Massages

Back in March one of my co-workers told me about a massage place that gives 2-hour massages for the ridiculously low price of 70,000won. I was immediately interested in trying it out. I'm always up for a cheap massage.

The owner of the place was a student at YBM and she did the massage for me personally. Korean massages are not your relaxed Swedish-style massages where you fall asleep with the rhythmic movements of an artist's hands. No, Korean massages are rough and the massage therapists work into your muscles with fervor.

For roughly an hour I was given a dry massage. They provide a t-shirt and shorts and massage over the clothing. It wasn't relaxing and was kind of painful, but I knew I would feel better after the fact.

Later, the oil was brought out and a slightly softer version was administered to my aching muscles. I really enjoyed it, having been subjected to the rougher versions of massages in the past 5 years or so (Thai, Aryuvedic...).

Then came the Shiatsu-style massage. She got on top of the table. There were poles bolted to the ceiling and as she held on to them, she used her feet to give me a deep tissue massage. Interesting how the feet can work out those kinks. In addition to her feet, she used her elbows.

This little woman, small of stature and thin as a rail, had such power in her body it was hard to imagine how she was able to possess such strength, but my body felt the effects.

It was quite good.

And then the clincher...She used what we call in Korea "Bu Huang", which is basically cupping. In European history, leeches were placed on the skin and a cup was fitted on top of the leeches, creating suction. The leeches would then do what leeches do and suck out what was thought to be bad blood.

In Korean culture, bu huang is used in traditional Korean medicine. I used to go to a clinic twice a week to get treatment. Bu huang was among those treatments. They would prick my skin with small needles to get the blood flowing and then place glass cups over the skin. Some kind of suction device was then used. It is a painful process and as my skin is particularly sensitive, I would lie there, trying to breath through the pain, hoping this process would help relieve the chronic pain in my neck, shoulders and back.

In the massage parlor, she didn't prick my skin first, but she did use the cups to create suction on my skin. Not the best part of the massage, I must admit.

Afterwards, though, I did feel better. Two hours of massage will do that to almost anyone. The problem, however, was that my skin was so bruised that even wearing a shirt was painful. Imagine trying to sleep afterwards!

In the future, if I can, I will definitely do it again, but I'll forego the bu huang. I want to have a good night's sleep.

Another Korean Experience!

Chuseok - Or, Korean Thanksgiving 2007

I've been wanting to express to you the time I spent in Jeon-Ju and Buan for Korean Thanksgiving for a long time, but I've been so incredibly lazy and I let my little life and world get in the way.

It was an amazing time and a great opportunity to visit another part of Korea. I was lucky enough to be invited by, my then, Korean teacher to spend time with her and her family in her home town. This brings back my first memory of being invited for Thanksgiving. It was my first year of university and I had been invited to Moncton (Canada) for what I would consider a “real” North American Thanksgiving. It was that; I’ll always have fond memories of it.

Thanksgiving in Korea is considerably different. Here’s how it went.

On the first day, we took the KTX (high speed train) to Iksan and then transferred to a regular speed train to Jeon-Ju. It was dark and raining by the time we got to Jeon-Ju. We were picked up by Son Mi’s parents who immediately took us to a restaurant. I, who hadn’t had a cold since April, was sick and getting sicker by the hour. I was hoping it would pass. We had dinner with her parents’ friends. They were celebrating a birthday. Five couples in total plus me and Son Mi. I tried Hong Oh for the first time.

Now, hong oh is skate (looks similar to sting ray, I think) that is marinated in this foul-smelling and fouler tasting ammonia-based something or other. It is basically rotten, uncooked fish prepared on purpose for this particular flavor. You eat it with a piece of pork and kimchi to make a trio. That particular trio is called “sam-hap”.


Sam Hap: fish on the bottom left

  

At first, it seems okay until the taste permeates your mouth. Afterwards, you can’t get the taste out for hours. Son Mi likens it to a kind of minty flavor. I wouldn’t say that exactly, but that’s the closest description I could think of. This is probably the first thing that I actually hated. I don’t like all Korean food, but most of it, I either love, like or can tolerate. This one, I’m happy to never eat again. The main course was some kind of fish stew. Kalchi (a kind of fish) stew. It was okay. Nothing special. After dinner I really needed medicine and her parents were nice enough to help me find a pharmacy open at 9:30p.m. I immediately took the medicine and started feeling better within the hour.

All I wanted to do was go to bed, but then her mother asked us to do some work. We had to separate the heads (and therefore poop) from the bodies of I don’t know how many pounds worth of myolchi (anchovies). It started off pretty tedious, but it was cool after a while because I got the hang of it. The anchovies were dried, of course, and we were doing this in front of the TV. The movie “The Island” was on, which I had never seen. Son Mi has a much shorter attention span than I do so she quit a few times as I continued. I felt a strong sense of duty was involved because they were housing me and paying for everything (transportation included), so I carried on, as I can when I put my mind to something. We went to sleep around 12:30a.m. and had to wake up at 7:00a.m.

The next morning we got dressed and then met up with two of the couples from the night before, and their kids. We left the city to go have breakfast at a restaurant famous for their soondubu (soft tofu stew). It was really good, but too copious for me that early in the morning.

Soondoobu

We returned to the apartment (by the way, the apartment is really extravagant and posh) and finished working on the anchovies. It felt good to finish all of them! We later went downtown to where the old buildings from centuries ago still stand. It’s the place in Korea where most of these old building (around 800) still exist in one place. It was where the aristocracy lived. We toured that area and I took lots of pictures.

Downtown Jeon-Ju

We walked around quite a bit and though it was drizzling, we kept on the lookout for cool experiences. We found an old house that was inhabited by a rich Jeon-Ju family. It was quite ironic to find a basketball hoop peeping out over the top edge of the stone wall; a weird sign of modernity set before such a historical backdrop. I had to take a picture. Even if you embrace the past, the present creeps up nonetheless.

A basketball hoop in a traditional home

After visiting that house, we turned up a small cobble stoned path where we encountered a cultural site. It was an area that celebrated the past of this wonderous city and one of the houses in that complex had traditional wedding hanboks we could try on. It was cool. The headdress was really heavy!



I was the bride and Son Mi, the groom


We were also offered some green tea and my favorite Chuseok treats “songpyon”: steamed rice cake filled with sesame seeds and melted brown sugar. Delicious!

Afterwards, we kept wandering about and came upon a paper shop. Basically they make all kinds of things out of paper, including ties! What’s so amazing is that for some of these, you would think it was real fabric! Jeon-Ju is know for this particular type of paperwork. They made some beautiful pieces and I bought a few as mementos and gifts.

After noon, we met up with her parents and had lunch. We had the ever famous Jeon-ju Bibimbap and I have to say it lives up to its name. It was excellent! I wasn’t really impressed the first time I had bibimbap because the vegetables were raw and the rice was cold (this was in Seoul), so it wasn’t really impressive. This bibimbap was served hot and the veggies had been steamed. It was great!

I was later to learn the difference between regular bibimbap and dolsot bibimbap, the latter which is served hot in a special bowl that keeps the ingredients warm for a long time. I never ate regular bibimbap again. Once you go dolsot, you never go back!



Jeon-Ju Bibimbap. Yummy!


Lunch being over, we got in the car and headed to Buan, Son Mi’s father’s hometown. There I met the extended family. Her father is the oldest of 4. Three boys and one girl, if I remember correctly. The grandmother lives with the youngest son, which is pretty rare, they usually live with the oldest son, but since he lives in Jeon-Ju, I guess she opted to stay there. The second oldest son has a mushroom farm. I didn’t meet him until the next day.

It was quite an awkward setting. The youngest son has a wife and three daughters. The two oldest (teenagers) are well versed in piano and were continuously practicing or studying. The youngest was around 7 and took taekwondo. She showed off her superior skills to us ( we were still beginners in the martial art at that time, so she knew more than we did!). They didn’t speak any English, except for the youngest son (who, regardless, pressured me to speak Korean) and the daughter (who was an English teacher and spoke quite fluently). Imagine stepping into someone’s home where you only really know one person and being introduced to 14 new people all at once. People grilling you with questions that you don’t understand, trying not to offend anyone, being helpful and dealing with a cold all at once! Oh my god! It was quite the experience.

But they were all very nice. We sat down to dinner around two low tables which couldn’t fit us all, so there was a very obvious split. The men sat down to eat first and since I was the invited guest I got to eat with them, while the women and girls waited until there was space. Here we are back to the sexist vision of who gets to eat first. The wife of the youngest son was basically the one only cooking for 14 people and I saw her cooking all afternoon and into the night with some of the other wives and children helping out from time to time. I offered my services but was politely refused. I felt bad just sitting there like a man waiting for the food to be prepared.

Anyway, after it was all over (it was very good, by the way) the tables were cleared and the games came out. There is a very popular type of gambling game that Koreans just love called "Go Stop". It’s a card game with specific drawings and designs on them that have their natural suites. But when you play, they are matched up with other designs and then you play this all with money. It was so complicated! And though they tried to explain it to me, I didn’t get it and they eventually gave up on me!

Another game was brought out instead, an old game from hundreds of years ago, played with a board and sticks. I forgot the name. Sorry! This is a very easy game to learn and lots of fun. I had found my groove and we played with the younger members of the family while the adults kept gambling. I was later (about a month later, by a student) given this game as a gift.
The next morning, we all woke up on our own (though I have to admit that the sound of the vacuum cleaner at 8am doesn’t really allow you to wake up when you want) and that’s when the women and female children of the house got down to work. We needed to prepare for the Chuseok dinner that night. It was quite the experience and I was stoked to take part and contribute to the process.

We made all kinds of fried foods dipped in a batter and fried in a special electrical pan. It was quite fun and the women were fairly helpful, though I think that they didn’t think I would be able to cook quite as well as them. I spent most of the time watching.

Fried fish and vegetables in batter

I guess this was inevitable because earlier in the day, we made "sook songpyon", which is songpyon made with a green plant whose name I keep forgetting in English. I much prefer the white ones, but they only made the green ones. This was a complicated process. The dough was pre-made by the wife of the youngest son, so we had to take a piece and roll it into a ball and then make a hole into which we poured a small amount of sugar and sesame seeds, the mixture also pre-prepared. We were then to close them up into a crescent shape, much like a moon. The first few I did were quite horrible compared to the others but as I continued, I think I got much better. The others didn’t think so, though, and were systematically laughing at me. It hurt a bit, but I guess that’s the lot of the foreigner trying to cook Korean food. That’s life!

Later in the afternoon, after the food had pretty much been prepared, I was kind of bored. Son Mi had gone into one of the rooms and was reading comic books and had left me in the living room watching Korean TV. I felt really out of place. Around 3p.m. or so, Son Mi and her father told me that we were going to go sightseeing.

I got dressed and we set off. I didn’t know what we could possibly see in this area. It’s a small town. But I was amazed. Our first stop was at the great dam that had been built. This is, apparently, the biggest dam in the world. The idea is to make Korea bigger. So they have planned to cut off some of the ocean and turn it into land so that factories can be built in that area. It is quite a sad thing, actually. We humans have done so many crazy things to this earth, and here is yet another thing to add to it. The locals have been very much against this project, which started in the 70s, I think. They protested for years and the government stopped it for a while when they realized the consequences of such actions. In the end, however, they went through with the project because the damage had already been done and going backwards was no long worthwhile.

All the water to the right of the dam will be turned into land

After that sad experience, the sun started to come out (it had been raining earlier in the day and the sky had been overcast) as we drove out to the beaches.

Love this picture! Unfortunately, the power lines got in the way

The small roads were lined with delicately-colored gorgeous flowers called “gossmoss”. Some of the beaches were founded on stone and as we walked over the uneven ground, I took some interesting pictures of the wave patterns that had been carved into the stones over centuries. Tide pools were everywhere and quite a few people were enjoying the mild weather.



Sitting on the uneven ground. A man is fishing in the background



On the sandy sections, seaweed had washed up on the shore. Large sacks were placed there and people were picking up the seaweed the ocean had discarded. This would then be used for cooking soups. It’s always amazing to see how the earth gives with such generosity and yet we go to the supermarkets and purchase these same items for astronomical prices.

Washed up seaweed

The beaches checked off our list, we went to a movie set. When I was told about this initially, I was not at all interested in seeing it, but I was pleasantly surprised. Soap operas in Korea are a completely different affair from western-style soap operas. Over here, the most popular are shows that take place in the olden days, like during the Joseon dynasty. People are dressed in the garb of the time and the setting is in old castles. The Korean soap opera is not a sex-based affair, rather it focuses more on human life. This set had been built to look like kingdoms of that time period and I felt like I was walking into another time. It was quite cool, actually. Son Mi’s father paid for our tickets and we went inside and walked around. There is a popular show being filmed there these days, but since it was Chuseok, no one was working.



Movie set



After we left, Son Mi’s father had one last place to show me. He had saved the best for last, in my opinion. We went to a Buddhist temple called Nae So Sa. Usually temples are up in the mountains and you have to hike to get to them, but this one is about a 10 minute walk from the road set away from any towns. It was heaven on earth. Though there were many people, we walked through a tree-lined path, dark due the canopy of trees above us and it felt like we were entered another world, which would soon be revealed to us.



View of the tree-lined path from the entrance of the temple



When we got to the entrance of the temple, there was another, wider path lined with Japanese maples (one of my favorite trees in this world!) leading up to the gates. This temple was originally built in 633AD, but has been restored several times, usually due to wars. A fabulous tree towards the entrance is said to be 1000 years old.



1000 year-old tree



There was a peace there that made me want to come back on my own for a long weekend. Many of these temples in Korea offer a templestay, which is the opportunity to go and stay in a temple for the weekend. Many times, you have to be silent during those weekends. That’s no problem for me. I spend so much time alone and with my own thoughts that I don’t need to talk. The temple is surrounded by mountains and I saw pictures of it in the winter. That would be the ideal time for me to go there. Blanketed in snow, it is a silent haven.

View of the mountains from Nae So Sa Temple

Though I have never returned to Nae So Sa Temple, I still hope to have a templestay experience in Korea before I leave. There is no downside to it.

We (I, reluctantly) returned to the apartment after that, only to go out again to the cemeteries of Son Mi’s grandmother’s parents so that they could bow to them. The sun was setting and it was getting pretty dark so the pictures I took are not perfect, but it was really interesting.

Cemetary of Son Mi's grandmother's parents

In Korea, the burial system is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. People are not buried in coffins and then placed six-feet below ground. Instead, they are buried and then a mound is built on top of the body. In Korea, if your family has enough money, you are not buried in a communal cemetery. Instead, you purchase land on the side of a hill and bury your loved ones there. As we drove around in the countryside, you could see hundreds of mounds dotting the landscape next to fields of rice and other agricultural goods. This tradition is devoid of religion, but definitely stems from Confucianism. About 50% of Koreans have no religion, but even those who do still carry on the traditions of honoring the dead.

That night we returned to the apartment and had a large dinner. The next morning, bright and early, we set up the offerings for the Jaesa, the official act of bowing and honoring those who have passed. This Jaesa was to honor Son Mi’s grandfather. Traditionally, it is the men of the family who are responsible for doing the actual bowing etc… but the younger generations were also included in this ritual. They even included me in it! I was uncomfortable, but they were more than happy to show me how it was done. The youngest son even took a picture of me bowing. When bowing to the deceased, you must put your right hand above your left hand. When bowing to the living (such as during a wedding) you place your left hand above your right hand.

Here I am bowing in the far left

The tables were laden with food for the spirit. Fruits were placed in little piles and the tops were cut off so that the spirits could eat them. There is a special placement for every type of food. It is so precise that the newspapers put out an article every year at this time explaining the exact placement of every food item, including a helpful picture to make it foolproof. Son Mi's family consulted the picture in the newspaper to make sure everything was perfect.

Offerings for the deceased

The theory is that in the morning you do the Jaesa in the home. At this moment, the spirit comes to the home because you have called to it. There is an elaborate tea service prepared where the men drink the tea. This knowledge is passed down generations, men to boys. Today, things are changing and some families allow women to perform this, but in Son Mi’s house, they were still pretty traditional.

Interestingly enough, it seemed as though the women were completely exempt from the bowing. They made the food and that was it. Son Mi’s grandmother didn’t even bow to her husband. It was all kind of confusing for me because I don’t understand the intricacies of the roles of men and women, but I took it at it came.

After doing Jaesa in the house, we set out to the actual burial site of Son Mi’s grandfather. It was a hot and sunny day. There were two mounds on the plot. One was surrounded by a little cement wall, the other went without. I asked who was in the other mound. I was told that it was in preparation for Son Mi’s grandmother. That’s kind of eerie. Here we are, the whole family, bowing down to the patriarch of the family with another mound just waiting for the matriarch to join in the not so distant future.

We spent some time there and the family had a little picnic with the food that had been prepared and I took pictures of many other families that were doing the same thing in plots not too far away from us. We were in the middle of fields of rice, but we were also giving our respect.

Bowing to Son Mi's grandfather

We returned to Seoul later that afternoon and took an interminable bus ride there. It took us over 7 hours to return because of traffic (normally it takes 3 hours). And keep in mind that buses have special lanes on highways! It was crazy! All in all, a really cool experience that I will not soon forget. If you ever get to Korea, pass by Buan; a cute little town that might not say much, but take a little ride out to the coast and there are some sights that will make you smile. It was well worth it and I’ll be forever grateful to Son Mi’s really cool and wholly generous family for inviting me into their homes.

Next week I’m off to Gyeongju, the oldest town in Korea where the Shilla dynasty once had its capital. I will be traveling on my own, so I think it’s going to be a new and exciting adventure. I’ll keep you posted!