The most hilarious moment during my weekend, a summer camp with the kids from my taekwondo class in Daehyeon Beach in Boryeong, was this 17-year-old personal mystery finally solved:
Behold, the fate of taekwondo boards once they’re broken. The masters reuse them to fire up the barbecue grill to make bulgogi (Korean barbecue). Cycle complete.
Late last week, on a much needed break from the studio, my friend Kate and I visited Changgyeonggung. It’s a palace I previously visited and nicknamed the Feminist Playboy Mansion, as the first female royal physician was there, as were a lot of concubines. It was very soothing to see the palace so green, since my last visit was in winter. In the middle of our visit, Kate pointed out a family of ducks who were about to jump into a pond.
For a few minutes, we watched as the little ducklings practiced swimming.
So, so cute! And quite fast, too!
Ok, now back to work.
Today’s hike was Bukhansan, the mother of all the mountains in Seoul.
This is mountain #44 for me. I’m so close to finishing this project, I can almost feel the Korean sauna I’m going to head to right afterwards. Hwaiting!
Each year, Eumseong, a city in Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea, holds a Pumba Festival. (Fun fact: this is where United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is from.) “Pumba,” which doesn’t relate to The Lion King ( you will hear this joke ad nauseum from the expat community), means “beggar” or “vagabond.” Historically, back when Korea was poor, pumbas would roam the country.
They let us pick our costumes.
As with most festivals in Korea, there is a parade with people dressed in very colorful, almost clown-like outfits, with their faces painted. There were gakseori, people who perform traditional dances and play musical instruments. There was also a “beggar opera” in an open-air auditorium that was packed with people.
Locals painting themselves.
In the beginning, I confess I had misgivings, because having lived in and visited developing countries and impoverished areas, I had no inclination to “celebrate” poverty. But during the festival, I realized that it was really more of a joyful occasion that got everyone in the province together, young and old alike. And like most festivals in Korea, it has to hearken back to something historic. As South Korea is one of the most developed countries in the world, this is a tradition that to me resembles a cross between a mime festival and Mardi Gras. In a country that celebrates perfect porcelain skin, it was refreshing to see brightly colored faces.
Ajummas: always the best dressed anywhere and anytime in Korea.
Also, as a modern “vagabond” myself, I do kind of relate to this idea of moving around and having to entertain people and struggling to survive.
These kids were among the best part.
If anything, the most unsettling part of the experience was this army of ajusshi and some ajumma who were decked in hiking gear and DSLR cameras, taking photos of the costumed people who were mostly foreigners like me. Apparently, there was a 1-million won prize for the best photograph. And so we were followed by paparrajusshi all afternoon.
Yikes. Paparajusshi.
They could get quite aggressive and would dive in the strangest positions that I believe yielded the most unflattering shots. I mean, come on.
I kid you not.
And so I wanted to turn the tables and took a lot of photos of them. Like so.
DSLR heaven.
I didn’t really mind, since most were friendly. However, I only posed for one. An ajumma. I don’t get the impression that women here have a lot of rights. I hope she wins the million won.
In Rolling! an ongoing exhibition about visual art in Taiwan at the Seoul Museum of Art, this piece was impossible to miss. In Barbarians Celestine: The Monuments with the Sacrifices of the Faunas, the Yao Ruei-chung reflects on Taiwan’s consumer culture and materialism, using images of Taiwanese civil ceremonies.
I love art with layers of meaning, and even more, a golden headless dinosaur. A golden headless dinosaur!
When you fall off a horse, the best thing to do is to get back on again. Yesterday, I hiked the mighty Gwanaksan in the south of Seoul. Along the way, I saw these awesome jangseung, or Korean totem poles with very expressive faces.
I smiled when one reminded me of a Y chromosome.
It’s caterpillar season, and there were plenty of them on totem poles, rocks, or hanging from a tree.
Yesterday, I hiked Suraksan, my 27th mountain in Seoul. Like an idiot, I miscalculated the time, and ended up speeding down the mountain to beat the sunset. The remaining 10% of my hike was pitch black, and because it was a rocky stream, I lost the trail, was close to sheer panic, and was even closer to concussions, sprains, and—I wince thinking about this—death.
The top of Suraksan
I stumbled over dry leaves and through sharp branches. Thank goodness for GPS and the flashlight on my phone. But most of all, thank goodness it was Buddha’s birthday, because the temple at the end of my hike had these glowing paper lanterns, helping me find my way.
Oh bless these monks.
On the way down, I vividly remember passing by two ajusshi on separate occasions. They didn’t look like they cared about the time. I really hope they made it back.
I am extremely grateful for well-kept traditions, modern technology, and friends who would come over to give you ice cream and remind you to hike smarter. I have 10 more mountains to go, you know.
Happy birthday, Buddha. And many, many thanks.
… is what they call this terrifying practice of getting screaming children (and occasional adults) to run after adorable farm animals, who do not look as though they’re having fun. The event, which I saw in Hampyeong’s butterfly festival, also had an enthusiastic emcee. Perhaps it’s me being a waegukin (foreigner), but I was quite horrified.
Check out the ears of the poor bunny:
This is a blurry shot, but I think it deserves to be published. I call this photo, “The Pig Won.”
In Hampyeong, in the southern part of Korea, there is a butterfly festival every spring. The festival is quite impossible to miss, especially if there are flowers planted in the shape of a butterfly on the hill in the back.
Hey, there’s even a Ferris wheel.
I spotted this island while walking along the coast of Jindo in South Korea.
This looked so familiar.
It kind of looks like this illustration from The Little Prince, no?
Catherine Sarah Young 