Monday, June 9, 2008

Insadong, Everland, Korean Folk Village, etc


I haven't gotten any comments on this blog yet, so I'm not even sure if anyone is reading it. I guess I'll keep writing just for my own memories anyways.

Three days ago I spent the day at Insadong Market with Sungah and her mom. It was really crowded because it was the Korean Memorial Weekend. I bought a shirt and a pencil case with hangul on it (the Korean alphabet) which was really cool because every other piece of clothing here is only in English. We saw some traditional demonstrations, such as King's Candy (honey pulled so thin that it becomes hard and stringy) and making dd'ok (rice cakes) with a sledge hammer and a grinding bowl. That night I met up with some more of Sungah's friends and we went to a bar. I ate some dried squid with them, but I wouldn't touch the part that still had legs on it...too weird.

The next day I left early with Sungah's dad, mom, and little brother and drove about an hour and a half to Everland, the Korean Disneyworld. My travel book described it simply as "an expensive amusement park" and that seemed about right. I've never been a big fan of amusement parks, the rides make me sick and the costumes freak me out, but Sungah's little brother loved it. I posted a lot of pictures on Facebook for those who are curious.

Afterwards we went to Minsokchon, a traditional Korean folk village. I'd read about that in my textbooks, and it was fun to see a lot of the history I'd heard about or seen in movies. Plus they had a lot of live demonstrations and "try it yourself" things, such as old games like seesaws and swinging (except we did both standing up.) I went horseback riding, and the guy leading my horse thought it would be funny to make the horse run really fast. I almost fell off a few times - it was pretty scary.

Then we went back to Everland to see the fireworks/ light show. It was really impressive and they even acted out a little play, but I couldn't really understand it. There was a lot of fire and explosions and fancy pyrotechnics.

Yesterday, Sunday, I went with Sungah and her friends for brunch and then to a swimming pool. They were all pretty lively so I had a good time. We went to a public bath and sauna, which is much hotter than in the states. Plus everyone goes naked there, which is not something I'm used to seeing at a public swimming pool. Afterwards we went to a bar where I learned some more drinking games, and then of course we finished the night at the noraebang where I sang horribly as usual. :-)

4 comments:

Melissa said...

i read it!!!!

Dragon said...

We are really glad you are doing this blog! We finally had a chance to read it. Hearing about what you do everyday makes us feel like we are sharing in your adventure.

Sounds like you are doing really well over there.

Your Dad and Mom

Miranda said...

I also read it. Thanks for letting me know. From the new hair look to the excursions, it all sounds like a fun, positive experience. Good to know Conserve alum are really out there in the world.

MaryK said...

I really enjoyed the pics on Facebook, especially the ones of the historical village. You look really good as a Korean guard!