Hwaseong Fortress

A few weeks ago on my trip to Jeolla Nam Do, I met a lady who lives in Suwon. It was big joke on the trip because her name is also Cheryl M and she is also Canadian so I kept referring to her as the other Cheryl M. Anyway, Suwon is a city just south of Seoul and she told me about these fortress walls that surround it. Since I love fortress walls I decided that I must check it out. When I looked it up in my trusty Lonely Planet book I discovered that not only did it look beautiful but it was in fact a Unesco World Heritage Site. I decided that I must pay it a visit. I called up my friend CJ, and sure enough she was game for the adventure.

We caught a train to Suwon and 1 1/2 hours later we were there. We knew we had to go to a place called Paldalmun which was the south gate into the fortress, with steps leading up to the walls, but we weren't exactly sure how to get there. We headed for the tourist info booth where we met a very kind man who spoke no english. Somehow we managed to explain what we wanted and he gave a small slip of paper with the bus number that we needed to take. We were off - but where to catch the bus. Outside the train station was a row of taxi's but no buses to be seen. I did however see a man in a straw hat, with a map and I assumed that he was going to the same destination - so we followed him. Sure enough he led us right to our bus. We were a little concerned that we wouldn't know where to get off the bus but it turns out you couldn't miss it as there was a giant stone gateway in the middle of the road. Also the straw hat man got off here so we knew we were in the right place.
Hwaseong fortress was built in the late 1700's by King Jeongjo to house the remains of his late father, Prince Sado. Prince Sado was locked by his father inside a rice chest where he died. It was punishment for disobeying his command to commit suicide. Parents were so unreasonable back then. High above the fortress are the walls that total a distance of 6km around the perimeter.

At Paldamun we climbed the very steep stairs up to the walls where we began our journey under black skies and the threat of rain. Despite the grey skies the weather was very hot and humid and within no time we were exhausted but determined to walk the entire length. Off in the distance we could see a fairly large mountain with a pagoda at the top and we knew at some point we would have to climb it. We journeyed on toward the mountain ever fearful of the sky that was getting darker and darker.

The wall itself was very beautiful and well maintained. Every so often there would be look out stops with pagodas and cannons all strategically placed for the soldiers to keep watch for the enemy, the Japanese. Given the height of the wall we had excellent views over the city. After about an hour of walking we noticed the sky getting even darker and we started to feel a few drops. At this point there were some stairs taking you off the wall and I noticed some shops selling umbrellas. Since I wasn't smart enough to bring mine I thought I had better go and buy one. We still had at least an hour of walking. I bought a lovely pink umbrella and we climbed back up the stairs and continued our walk. Sure enough, simply because I bought an umbrella, the skies cleared and the rain stopped. We continued on with that mountain looming in front of us.

We had been walking for almost 2 hours when suddenly we were there. At the mountain. There were stairs straight up to the top and it seemed like an endless climb. To make it more difficult the stairs were cut from stone on the side of the hill so they weren't exactly even or evenly spaced. Somehow we made it to the top, did our Rocky dance to the amusement of others there, and looked out over the city. Down below was the fortress and we knew we had reached the end.

We walked a little further where we found the stairs down and signs to the entrance into the fortress. Outside the fortress there were crowds of people and some sort of festival going on. We got there in time to see this crazy man doing tricks on the tightrope. We watched for a little while and then decided that we were too tired and hungry to stay any longer. We made our way back to the road where we caught the bus back to the train station and the train home to Daejeon. Soemhow we managed to right bus to the train station as this time we were without the services of straw hat man.It was a fun day and definitly worth the time and effort.

Since I have complained about them a few times I have included a picture of a squat toilet. This way those of you who have never seen one will now know what I am talking about when I complain. I have actually gotten used to them and they are not so bad.

I've got Seoul

So today I decided that it was time to get out of Daejeon and pay another visit to the big city of Seoul. My last visit to Seoul was less than satisfying. I ended that trip feeling like I hadn't seen any of the city and looking back on it, it was because I hadn't. This time I decided to travel alone. That way I could follow my own agenda and visit the places that I wanted to see. So at 9:08 am I boarded the superfast KTX train to make the 50 minute journey to Seoul. Going to Seoul is like going to a different world compared to Daejeon. For one thing there are foreigners (aka white people speaking english) everywhere. The city is very tourist friendly with english signs on everything and the subways announce all the stops in english. It's a very easy city to manouver your way through. I arrived at Seoul station at 10am and decided that my first stop should be to one of the many Palaces spread throughout the city. According to my trusty Lonely Planet Guide to Seoul there was one close by. How convenient, it was only one subway stop away. I navigated my way through the throngs of people and managed to push my way onto the subway. One stop later I elbowed my way back off the subway. I had reached my destination - DEOKSUGUNG PALACE.

This palace is situated right smack in the center of the city. Although it had a bit of a park like surrounding it was a little strange to be looking at these ancient buildings and then look up to see the skyscrapers behind it. The Palace was typical of most in Korea with the main building and alot of little buildings around it. They were all traditional Korean style with ornate designs and angles. What was more interesting than the buildings though was the ceremony taking place in front of the palace - the changing of the guards.

This takes place at various times throughout the day and is done with much ceremony (for the tourists I am sure). The guards are dressed in very ornate, traditional Korean clothes. They had a man playing on a giant drum while another group played flutes and various instruments while the guards change places. It was interesting to watch but what was more interesting was watching the people afterwards running up to have their pictures taken next to one of the guards. It was all the Koream people doing this while the white people hovered on the sidelines debating whether they would look too foolish doing it too.

After an hour or two of wandering around this place I decided that it was time for the real reason why I came to Seoul - INSADONG. Insadong is an area of Seoul that is known for it's shopping. Bascially it's a giant market with stores and vendors selling everything from traditonal crafts to tacky souvenirs.

Before I headed to Insadong I thought I had better take a sidetrip to the restroom. I stopped into the one at the subway station (it's not like Toronto it's actually safe to use the toilets in the subways here). Anyway, I wait my turn, enter the stall, of course it's a squat toilet, and on the wall beside it is a big, red button with an arrow pointing to it and some korean writing. After I finish I didn't see any levers to flush so I thought hmmm maybe that is what the button is about. So I push it. Next thing I know there is a man talking to me in Korean through a speaker that I had failed to notice before. That's when I see the button on the floor to flush the toilet so I pressed it and ran as fast as I could out of the bathroom. In my hasty retreat I could see all these Korean women looking at me like I was crazy and I could hear the man still talking through the speaker. Thank God I will never see these people again.

Back to Insadong - it was marvellous. Basically it consisted of one main street, about a km long, full of shops and street vendors selling various crafts. It was packed with people but I had the best time wandering from shop to shop looking at the variety of goods. I had gone there with the intention of buying some gifts for people and I was not disappointed with what I found. The only downfall to the visit was the heat. The sun was out in full force and it was hot.

The highlight of my visit to Insadong was a certain purchase that I made. I wandered into this store that sold these beautiful printed fabrics, wooden carvings and fans. At the back of the store they had these hangings that were bordered by fabric and then hand painted on top. One in particular immediatly drew me in and I knew I wanted it. I looked at the price and it said 200,000 w ($200). I knew it would be pricey but that was a little steep. I wander the store but my eye keeps going back to that print. I wanted it. I kept going over in my mind the reasons why I should get it. Sure it was expensive but I could afford it and this was something that I would keep forever as a memory of this exeperience. I talked myself into and I told the woman I wanted it. She said she would only take cash and I was like who carries 200,000 w around with them. That's when she said "No it's only 20,000 ($20)." I had misread the label. I now have this beautiful print hanging on my wall, bought at a reasonable price.



With my purchases clutched in my hand, sunburnt and exhausted, I decided it was time to go home. I made my way back to the train station and boarded the KTX back to Daejeon. On my journey home I decided that I was very lucky to live where I do. I love Daejeon - it has everything I need minus the crowds of Seoul, but when I want a taste of the big city it's only 50 minutes away.

Happy birthday Budda! My adventures in Jeolla Nam Do

Last friday was Budda's birthday and since there are many buddists in South Korea, it was a holiday. This was the first long weekend since I have been here so I decided to take advantage of the extra day off and do some travelling. My friend Kristina and I booked seats on a 3 day tour to Jeolla Nam Do, which is one of Korea's southern provinces.
The tour was scheduled to leave from Seoul at 11:30pm on thursday evening. After school on thursday I raced home, grabbed my pack and my sleeping bag and hiked over to Daejeon station to catch a train to Seoul. It seemed that everyone in Daejeon had the same plan to get out of town because the train station was insane. Fortunately we had the foresight to prebook our train tickets, so while others were scrambling to find rides and waiting in massive lineups, we were sitting on an air conditioned KTX train. We arrived in Seoul at 8:30 and since we still had 3 hours we caught the subway over to Itaewan for a send off Mexican meal. Itaewan is a strange area of Seoul because it is so packed with foreigners that you don't even feel like your in South Korea. At 11:30 we met the other 43 people on our tour (mostly other teachers from various parts of Korea) and by midnight we were on our way.
After driving all night we arrived at 6am at our first destination, Hyang - Iram. We were supposed to be there at 4:30am in time to see the sunrise but traffic prevented that. It was a long and sometimes scary bus ride. There were a few times when I was convinced that the bus driver was falling asleep as the bus seemed to swerve on the road quite frequently but we made it alive.
Hyang - Iram is a small temple and monastery perched high on a cliff on the southern tip of Dolsando Island. We disembarked from the bus and started to make the trek up to the temple - and what a trek it was. First we walked up a steep hill to reach the bottom of the stairs. From there is was 350 steps up to the temple. The steps wound through the mountain and at times it was just a narrow passageway through the rock. Given that it was Budda's bithday the entire trail was lined with decorations and lanterns and all the way up you could hear the chanting of the monks. Despite the hard climb it was very peaceful and serene and the views from the top made it well worth the effort. Upon reaching the temple you could look down over the harbour below and the views were spectacular. After appreciating the views Kristina and I pulled out our sleeping bags and had a little nap until it was time to leave.

After leaving the temple we headed to Yeosu harbour for a 2 hour boat cruise. Once again we were rewarded with spectacular views of the water and the rocky cliffs on the shore. The breeze from the boat were much appreciated as it was turning out to be the hottest day I have seen here yet. Thank God I had packed some sunscreen or I am sure I would have been burnt to a crisp.

After the boat cruise we headed out in search of some lunch. We were given two choices, a place that sells raw crab or the food court of a local department store. Since I am not a big fan of raw seafood I opted for the chicken burger at the Lotteria.

Our departure from there found us going to Odongdo Island. This island is basically a large park or botanical garden, with fountains that move to the music and trails through the woods. At this point we were all exhausted from the bus ride and heat so we didn't explore the island too much but instead found a shady spot to wait until it was time to leave.

Our last destination of the day was to a place called Sun Cheon Bay, which is an ecological park surrounded by rice fields. This park has a 2km hike up to the observatory where we had planned to view the sunset. We headed out on the trail to the observatory and then saw the thousands of people headed on the same path. We could barely move the path was so packed with people so we decided that it wasn't worth it. We instead walked along another trail that ran alongside some rice fields. We realized as we were walking that we would get spectacular views of the sunset right where we were so parked our butts and decided to wait. We were not disappointed.

Finally we headed to our destination for the night outside the Nagan Folk Village. We occupied 3 guest houses and I shared a room with 4 others. The rooms were Korean style which basically means no beds and just a mat on the floor. At this point we were so exhausted that none of us cared. I woke up earlier than the others and decided to explore around the folk village.

Nagan folk village is one of the best preserved fortress towns in South Korea. It is a village consisting of tradition Korean houses surrounded by a stone wall. Originally this wall was built as protection against Japanese pirates. The houses are still used. Some of them are restaurants and gift shops, others can be rented to stay in and others are lived in by families. You can walk along the tops of the walls and get glorious views of the village below.

Eventually my friends joined me. It had started to rain so Kristina and I bought straw hats to keep the rain off. We ended up being the envy of everyone else on the trip and my hat is now hanging on my wall as a souvenir.

After the folk village we went to an organice green tea making farm where we would learn the art of making green tea. First we were sent out into the fields to pick the green tea leaves. Armed with our baskets, hats on head, we ventured into the pouring rain to gather our leaves. It was so wet that we ended up soaked to the skin but it was worth it for the experience. After we picked enough leaves we headed inside where we were served hot green tea and were taught the proper way to drink it.

Then the fun began. We were divided into groups, given special aprons and gloves to wear and began making green tea. First we had to cook the leaves in a big pot. You don't want them to burn so 2 people have to constantly be turning the leaves with their hands. After about 10 minutes the leaves are taken from pot and laid on a special mat where they have to be rolled and pressed inorder to get the waxy film off the outside. From here they are again cooked and then again rolled. This process is repeated numerous times. It was hard work and I have great respect for those who do it daily.

Our stop for that night was at a beachside condo but it was raining so hard that we couldn't appreciate either the beach or the views. However, there was a sauna in the basement that we made use of. The sauna was fabulous and contained a green tea bath which felt so good after being in the rain all day. Once again the rooms were Korean style which meant we slept on the floor, but that was ok.

In the morning we woke early, paid another visit to the sauna and then headed to the Boseong Daeha Dawa Green Tea Hills. For me this was the highlight of the trip. When we arrived it was green tea hills everywhere you looked. Since it had been raining it was very misty out and you couldn't see the tops of the hills through the fog. The only way I can describe it is breath taking.

We wandered around the green tea hills for a while and then headed over to the Juk Nok Won bamboo forest. This was essentially a bamboo forest with various trails that you can follow through the bamboo. It was rather busy there but it was still beautiful.

After the bamboo forest it was time to head back to Seoul. At this point Kristina and I started scheming about ways to get the driver to drop us off in Daejeon, since we were going by there anyway and it seemed silly to go all the way into Seoul and then come back. We eventually stopped at a roadside stop near Suwon, south of Seoul where we decided to leave the group. The traffic into Seoul was bad and this way we could get a taxi to the subway, which we could take to the Suwon train station where we would catch a train to Daejeon. There were 5 of us that opted for this. However taxi's would not come to the rest stop as it was on a toll road so we had to find a way to get across the freeway to a gas station that had a back road leading to it. We hiked along the side of the road, in the rain, for about a km to an overpass that we could see in the distance. We thought we could climb up it and walk across. I am sure we were the talk at many dinner tables that night. You won't believe what we saw while we were driving on the freeway - some crazy white people walking in the rain. The overpass turned out to be a railway crossing so we headed back to the start but along the way found a path to a tunnel that led under the freeway. We made our way to the gas station somehow got the attendant to understand that we needed a taxi and were on our way home. We got back to Daejeon 2 hours earlier than we would have, had we travelled into Seoul.

It was an exhausting but thoroughly enjoyable weekend.

Destination DMZ

So, after having been here for 2 and 1/2 months I have finally left Daejeon and ventured into other parts of Korea. I came to Korea with the intention of travelling as much as I can. Afterall that is what I do. Having visited 30 plus countries I believe I have earned the label of world traveller and yet I haven't seen much of Korea. When you live in a foreign country it's very easy to allow yourself to become cocooned in the area in which you live. Afterall you've become familiar with that place and the thought of adventuring beyond those borders is a little scary. However I took my first steps this weekend, mind you they were baby steps, but they were steps nonetheless. I went to Seoul for the night on saturday and then went on a DMZ tour on sunday. I will leave my impressions of Seoul for another blog and focus today on the more interesting part of the trip, the DMZ tour.
For those of you unfamiliar with this term, the DMZ is the demilitarized zone seperating North and South Korea. Since the Korean War has never officially ended, they are only at a ceasefire, this border heavily guarded by both sides. The DMZ itself is a 4km wide stretch of land seperating the 2 countries. Since this area is virtually sealed off from people it has become an environmental mecca and a haven for wildlife. The views of it were spectacular.

We started the tour at ImjinGak which is as far north as civilians can go without permission. When the war ended there were there were many families that got seperated, some in the North and some in the South. This place was established to console those who had to leave their homes and families in the north behind. Within ImjinGak is an alter called Manngbaedan, which is where people who have been seperated from their families get together and pray. It is mostly visited on New Years Day and Chusock (Korean Thanksgiving).

Also in ImjinGak is the peacebell which was erected during the 2000 millinium and is meant to signify a wish for peace and reunification between the 2 countries.

We were also able to walk on the freedom bridge which was given it's name because it was where prisoners were exchanged after the war ended.

After ImjinGak we visited the 3rd tunnel. This was a tunnel that was discovered in 1978 and was built by North Korea to infiltrate South Korea. They also found 3 other tunnels but they believe that there are many more. The tunnels all go under the DMZ and into Seoul and could allow 30,000 soldiers to invade South Korea within 1 hour. Their discovery was by accident when S. Korean soldiers disccovered vapours rising from the ground. When they started digging they found the tunnels and were immediatly fired on by N. Korea. The walls inside the tunnels had been marked with coal so that they could argue that were actually coal mines. Other tunnels were found after an engineer from North Korea escaped and gave out the information on other tunnels. It is believed that North Korea, to this day, is continuiing to build tunnels under the DMZ.

We were able to walk down inside the 3rd tunnel and what a walk it was. We were given helmets to wear because of the low ceilings, which of course didn't bother me - I didn't even have to duck. We then walked down an extremely steep hill for about 10 -15 minutes. When I say steep, I mean steep. When we got to the bottom we entered into the tunnel. The tunnel was about 2 feet wide and very damp. Basically we walked to the end, maybe another 10 minutes, saw some barbed wire that was blocking the exit, turned around and walked back. We then had to climb back up that extremely steep hill and it was not easy. Although the story of the tunnels was very interesting, it was not worth the effort of going down and seeing them.

After the tunnels we headed to the most interesting part of the tour, the Dora observatory. This is the closest that you can come to North Korea and given that it was a clear day you could actually see Kesung City, which is the 2nd largest city in N. Korea. Unfortunatly you weren't allowed to take pictures of the DMZ here but the views were spectacular. Since the area is virtually uninhabited, it was very serene and beautiful. It looked like a painting. I won't even try to describe it here because words won't do it justice. Off in the distance you could see the only 2 towns in the DMZ zone. The first one is called Daesungdong or freedom village, which is located on the S. Korea side. The people who live in this village pay no taxes and the men are exempt from military service (in South Korea all men must serve 2 years in the military before they turn 40). The other town you can see is called Kijongdong, which is a propoganda village built by North Korea. No one actually lives here but it was designed to give visitors the impression that North Korea is prosperous. Apparently it contains giant loud speakers that blare out propoganda messages 6 - 10 hours a day, although we couldn't hear anything while we were there. According to one of the soldiers that we spoke to neither country is allowed to enter the DMZ zone or do anything in it without telling the other, however North Korea continously breaks this rule.

After the observatory we went to our final stop which was the Dorasan Train station. This is the most northern train station in S. Korea. It has trains that leave once a week to Pyongyang. It was very surreal because, of course, the train station was completely empty. It is under construction with tracks eventually being opened to connect to China and Russia. Someday if the 2 countries are reunited then this will be the station used to reunite families that have been seperated.

It was a very interesting tour and it made me realize just how real the tension is between the 2 countries.

Sport's Day at Wadong Elementary School

Today was sports's day at Wadong Elementary school. I was told over a month ago that this was happening today, so unlike most things in Korea, it didn't come as a surprise. What did surprise me was the amount of preparation and ceremony involved. I shouldn't have been surprised by that, afterall this is Korea, a country that prides itself on ceremony and tradition.
I arrived at school this morning expecting a fun day with the kids playing a few games and having some good natured competition. I was taken aback when I had to walk past the food vendors and cotton candy stands to get to my school. It was no longer a school but rather a carnival. The playground had been transformed from a dirt field to a stadium. There was a stage at one end for the Principal, Vice-Principal and other important people to sit (the royalty of the school). There were tents set up along the edges of the field for parents, grandparents and other visitors to watch the games.
At exactly 9am the ceremony began. The kids marched onto the field, dressed in the schools colours of blue and white, where they lined up in perfectly straight lines, according to their grades and teams. The entire school had been divided into 2 teams (blue and white) with students from every grade level on each team. Let the competition begin and in Korea there is no such thing as good natured competiton.
The ceremonies started with the national anthem followed by a speech by the principal welcoming the families and officially opening the games. This was followed by warm up exercises led by a teacher who was formally in the military, and it looked like a small army on the playground. They did calisthenic exercises all in complete unison. It was a little wierd and reminded me of the propoganda videos you see from N. Korea with everyone moving in sync.
Finally it was time for the fun. The kids competed in a variety of events some of which were similar to games in Canada and some that were very different. They had relay races and 100m dashes to see who was the fastest. They had one game where they had long poles with balloons on the top. On top of the balloons there were giant balls and the kids threw bean bags at it until the ball broke open. The first team to break their ball would win. It was different. I think the most exciting part of the day was the last relay race between the grade 5 and 6 students. It was a close race and the winning team only won because a girl on the opposing team dropped her baton.

Overall it was an excellent day, the kids had fun, and I was impressed with the number of parents that came out to cheer on their children and participate in the games. The day ended with another round of calisthenics and the children singing the school song.

Let's get naked ... my night at the Jjimjilbang

Last night, with much hesitation, I decided to do something that is a very common Korean pastime, but something that would make many westerners uncomfortable. I visited the jjimjilbang (korean bathhouse / spa). These can be found all over Korea, in almost very town. In Daejeon alone there are probably hundreds (ok overexagerration but at least 20 or 30). Basically it's a public bathroom where you go to bath amongst many other people.
My friend Kristina and I decided to give it a try as we had heard wonderful things about it. I was very hesitant to go because as a white person I already garner enough stares so I could only imagine what it would be like as a white, naked person. However, I swallowed my pride and told myself that I am here to experience Korea. We arrived by subway to the Yusong spa district area of Daejeon. This area is known for it's natural hot springs and abundant spas. We weren't too sure where to go once we got there but when we stepped out onto the street we were inundated with hotels and signs advertising their saunas. We chose the closest one and walked in. As we descended the steps we were met by a very lovely woman who informed us that the cost would be a measly 5,000 won (about $5.00). We were given a key for a locker, handed 2 towels, instructed to remove our shoes and shown to the change room. The change room itself looked like anything you would see at a pool or gym, with rows of lockers, the walls lined with mirrors on one side and women in various stages of dress blow drying their hair and applying their makeup. There was an old woman behind a counter selling various bathing products, soaps, wash cloths, packets of face masks and body lotions.
We could feel all eyes on us as we walked into the change room and found our lockers. Of course the lockers we were assigned were at the very far end of the room. This later turned out to be a good thing as we were next to the door to the pool so we didn't have as far to walk in our nakedness. Taking a deep breath we removed our clothing. At this point I realized that people had lost interest in us and no one was even looking at us anymore (or at least that's what I told myself). We gathered up our bathing products and made our way to the pool area. The room we entered had a giant tub in the middle (it looked like a big hot tub) that could hold about 30 women. Around it were other smaller tubs, all with digital displays of the temperature. The temperatures ranged from 44d down to 23 d. Along the sides of the room were the actual showers. Before you can enter the main pools you have to bath. We each found a shower and preceded to wash, using our soaps and shampoos etc. Amazingly I very quickly forgot that I was naked and no one seemed to be paying any attention to us.
After the bathing ritual was completed we made our way to the pool. We chose one of the hotter ones (34d) and it was so relaxing. Apparently the water contains special minerals that are good for your skin. It felt like sitting in a giant hot tub. Over in the corner there was a spot where you could pay for massages and other things. There was a sign advertising the different options but it was in Korean so we weren't really sure what they were offering.
We spent the next hour wandering from pool to pool, combining hot and cold. All the pools had jets that you could turn on and off and some had fancy fountains in the middle of them. They also had 2 different saunas. We spent some time in the cooler sauna but after a few minutes I decided the heat was too much for me. As I found refuge in the cooler pool, Kristina headed into the even hotter sauna.
Reluctantly after about an hour and a half we decided that it was time to leave. We were both tired and hungry and as much as we wanted to stay we knew it was time. After a quick shower, we dressed and headed back out into the city.
It was a great experience and one that I will definitly be repeating, very soon. For $5.00 you can go and stay for as long as you want. They are open 24 hours and quite often people will go and sleep there. If you are travelling to another city, rather than spending money on a hotel many will just check into the jjimjilbang and sleep on one of the many lounge chairs around the pool.

It's a pink world ...

Spring has arrived in Korea and it came in a gust of pink. Not only has the rain finally stopped, and the yellow thing has returned to it's place in the sky, but the cherry blossoms are in full bloom ...and they are everywhere. There aren't words to describe just how beautiful this city looks right now.

Last saturday I headed to the north end of Daejeon to place called Sintanjin, with my friend Kristina, to attend the annual cherry blossom festival. I wasn't sure what to expect but I was very excited. I was envisioning cherry blossoms everywhere and walking under a canopy of pink flowers. Imagine my disappointment when I arrived and saw nothing but bare branches and white tents. We quickly learned that because of the cold spring the blossoms hadn't bloomed yet. Basically we were at a cherry blossom festival without any cherry blossoms.

We decided to stay and make the most of the day anyway. There were mile of tents lining the street, all of them offereing a variety of food. The air was ripe with the smell of bbq and chestnuts being roasted. There were giant pigs being cooked over flames, mounds of clams the size of dinner plates and piles of octopus, squids and other sea creatures that I couldn't even name. We wandered the street checking out all the unusual things in every tent. The fact that we seemed to be the only foreigners there did not go unnnoticed and many of the tents owners called out to us in broken english encouraging us to come and try their foods.

We wandered off the street and into the main grounds where the actual festival was being held. The festival is sponsered by and held every year on the grounds of the Korean Tobacco and Ginseng company (strange combination) and I think they are the main industry in Daejeon. On the way into the festival there were booths inside handing out free samples of ginseng tea and bottles of water. Inside there were more cherry blossom trees, minus the blossoms, and I could picture in my mind how pretty it would look in a weeks time.

What surprised me were not only the amount of people but all of the families. Spread across the lawn there were families, kids, parents, grandparents all doing activities together. I don't just mean little kids, but kids of all ages right through high school and they seemed happy to be there. It's not like in Canada where once a kid hits adolescence you have to force them to be seen with their parents. Korea is a very family oriented culture but never was this more apparent to me than here. We had fun watching the different events, including a paper airplane contest, where old men lined up to see who could throw theirs the farthest. We tried some unusual foods including some kind of cucumber drink that tasted like nothing more than the juice out of the pickle jar. I had to force that one down. We wandered for a few hours and went home tired and only mildly disappointed at the the lack of cherry blossoms. However I vowed to return in one week when I knew they would be in bloom.

A week later I returned to the scene of the festival and it looked like a different world. It was exactly the way I imagined it would be with canopies of pink everywhere. What did surprise me was the fact that the white tents were still there. The festival, which was supposed to have ended last week, was still happening. There were still pigs on the bbq's and octopus on the tables and the amount of people there seemed to have doubled in a weeks times. What had changed was that the bare trees were now covered in cherry blossoms. They were everywhere and it was spectacular.

I wandered for an hour or so up and down the streets lined with these pink blossoms, just in awe at the sheer beauty of it.