(Happy feet: Muddied footwear!)
How I wished that the Boryeong Mud Festival was just in Seoul. But I wondered, if it were, could I go home to my Hannam-dong neighborhood riding the subway and the bus all muddied and dripping in gray dirt, and shunned by the rest of the passengers like I were a carrier of an incurable disease called 'mud addiction'? Ha-ha-ha!
Unfortunately, the Boryeong Mud Festival, which celebrates the local mud's therapeutic values mixed with summer fun, is held in Boryeong City in the South Chungcheon Province on the western side of the Korean Peninsula, which is a two-hour drive from Seoul.
(Happy to be a mud man!)
(A helping muddy hand)
But fortunately, no matter how far Boryeong is from wherever you live in Korea, you're sure to have a lot of fun this summer if you make it there!
I have been to the mud festival a few times already, and each visit is even more enjoyable than the previous one. Although the festival center is by the Daecheon Beach, there are also other activities at the mud flats on the other side of the city.
(Buying their entrance tickets)
(First aid booth)
At the mud flats, they hold the mud race for everyone who doesn't mind sprinting, sliding and stumbling in the mud while trying to finish the race. I didn't bother joining the race as I knew I would have more fun by just watching and taking photographs of the very competitive and muddied racers. Everyone was advised to wear disposable socks while running as the shells on the beach could lacerate one's foot.
(Participants on the muddy crawl awaiting their turn)
(Either the festival staff doesn't like the original color of her dress, or he's just muddy cruel)
(Crawling through the tunnel)
At the mud flats, they also hold what the organizers call 'mudflat extremes', where all participants wear fatigue pants and black long-sleeve shirts while being ordered by a commanding officer to do push-ups and other military-type exercises on the mud. And did I mention there was also mud wrestling?
(There goes his white tee)
And for those participating at the mud race and the 'mudflat extremes', the event organizers provide water trucks where participants can shower off the mud and dirt. Changing rooms are also provided. After cleaning themselves, the participants are ferried back to the main events area near the Daecheon Beach by bus.
But at the muddy city center, where all the action is, the Mud Square has all the less-strenuous, but equally muddy fun activities like the mud slides, mud prison, muddy tug-of-war and other challenges...all in the name of mud!
And since it's all about getting dirty, I suggest you don't wear your most expensive, white shirt or shorts to the festival. I always wore my Nike water-proof blue shorts paired with a non-white dry-fit shirt. These are very easy to wash after. Also wear rubber sandals or maybe aqua shoes for the same reason.
(Brothers in muddy arms)
(Sisters in muddy arms)
By the way, you don't need to bring your smartphone to the mud square. Just bring your point-and-shoot camera protected by a waterproof case and sling it around your neck. This way, you can still capture your muddy fun moments that you can upload later on Facebook or on your blog. Make sure the battery is fully charged, too! And don't forget to bring some cash for the entrance fees, food and drinks in case you realize drinking muddy water doesn't exactly quench your thirst. Ha-ha-ha!
Since the final days of the festival is on a weekend, I would suggest you spend that weekend at Boryeong to maximize your time at the festival. During the day, they hold the very crazy rave party at Daecheon Beach, and at night, revelers enjoy the open-air concerts within the festival area featuring well-known singers and performers. And both events are free!
So, who else is heading down to Boryeong City to get muddy this summer? This year, the fun starts on July 19 (Friday) and ends on July 28 (Sunday).
(Covering their ears from the mud)
(A free-for-all mud splash!)
You can either drive or take the bus or train to get there. Here's the official Boryeong Mud Festival website for details on how to get there and get all muddied up:
http://www.boryeongmudfestival.com/
(These ladies are saying that the Boryeong mud
is indeed good for your skin!)
The temperatures these days in Seoul are getting higher, and enjoying outdoor activities without the threat of melting like strawberry ice cream dripping under the noon time sun is impossible to do unless...you're at the beach!
But since we don't have a beach in Seoul, walking along the banks of the Han River would be a good idea. The cool breezes by the river and the cooler surroundings provided by this body of water are enough to attract a lot of people to hike, stroll and bike nearby.
But during the day, if the river is too far for you, like most people downtown, there's another natural alternative. The Cheonggye Stream!
During the lunch break, office people walk by the stream to stroll and relax during their stressful day, and perhaps, to vent things off about their bosses or their work. Ha-ha-ha!
And these office people are always joined by international tourists as the Cheongge-cheon is actually a popular tourist attraction.
At night, these office people are replaced by couples and families, who play and enjoy the quieter atmosphere of the stream. With its dim lighting coupled with the sound of the flowing stream, Cheonggye Stream affords its visitors a serene sanctuary right in the middle of the city.
So, in this summer, if you want to conserve energy by not overworking your air conditioner (and save money from your electric bill!), you know where to head to.
The more interesting route of the stream stretches to about five kilometers. That's a good, long walk. Just make sure your shoes are comfortable and your company lovable. :-)
On these humid summer nights, hundreds of Seoulites and international tourists line up by the bank of the Han River at Banpo Park. Why? The reason is popular. And colorful.
Night after night, the Banpo Fountain Bridge never fails to attract admirers to watch it dance, change color and mesmerize. And especially during the weekend, families, couples and photographers all over Seoul gather at the Banpo Park to enjoy and capture its performance.
(Couples enjoy the fountain from Jamsu Bridge)
But if there is a colorful dancing fountain on one side of the Banpo Bridge, there is also the Floating Island the other side that competes with the fountain's display of the color spectrum.
Seoul's Floating Island is actually composed of three islets: Viva, Vista and Terra. While during the day, the Floating Island looks like a mere venue for a cafe, a restaurant and other events by the Han River, at night, right after dusk, the Island's LED lights turn the floating structures into another attraction at Banpo Park.
And on the weekend when I ventured into the Banpo Park to watch some friends sweat and dance at their monthly Zumba party and picnic, I stayed behind to capture the changing colors of the Island.
I have already seen and took photographs of the Banpo Fountain Bridge several times before (and even won a prize for its photo). This time, I just let the thousands of other people get mesmerized by the fountain as I stood on the other side of the bridge, also by the bank, and joined a smaller crowd of kids and their parents also gazing at the Floating Island as it slowly put on different colors.
And each time the LED lights gradually switched from one color to the next starting from the ground floor going up, the structure seemed to also change personality and character.
While the popular fountains on the other side are playful with their synchronized dancing and music, the Floating Island is charming, serious, romantic and vogue, depending on its color.
Just like the fountains, the best time to enjoy gazing at the Floating Island as it changes colors is after dusk, when the LED colors come alive and are very lucent. You can just sit there by the park and admire it from afar just like the rest of the crowd.
Here are the photographs I took. It does change its personality depending on the color, doesn't it?
To get to the Floating Island and the Banpo Fountain Bridge at Banpo Park, you can take the Blue Bus 740 from Exit 4 of Noksapyeong Station (Subway Line 6). The same bus goes back to the Itaewon area.
