Caribbean Bay Everland

Last month I went to Caribbean Bay, Everland's water park. It was a sunny humid day, and everyone agreed with us that it was the perfect day to go....so many people! Krista joined me from Jinju, and we started our day off with breakfast at McDonald's, "50's style".

 On the bus to Everland.

 Made it to Cabi!

 So many people!

 The wave pool...also full of people.

 One of the fun waterslides there. We actually only ended up going on one slide...after having waited for 3 hours to go on. We wanted to go on more, but didn't want to wait so long...plus there were a lot of interesting restrictive rules. We did enjoy the lazy river...no lines! We didn't want to come out as it was so relaxing.

 With YeJeong and Krista. Tuckered out after a long day in the sun and water.

It was a fun day, but along with all other water parks in the world...go on the off season and definitely not on weekends.

Korean Wedding and City Hall

I was invited by a member from my church to attend her son's wedding. She wanted me to be able to experience a Korean wedding. I noticed that there were several things that were different than how we traditionally do weddings in the states. They've adopted parts of our wedding ceremonies and added their own twist.
First of all, weddings don't take place at a church. They take place at a wedding hall, where there are usually at least 2 or 3 weddings going on at the same time.

When you arrive at the wedding hall, you give a money gift and in return you receive a ticket to go eat at the buffet. The amount you give the couple is determined by how well you know them. If they're acquaintances, you give 30.000w (about $27). If they're friends, you give 50.000 (about $45). If you're close friends or family, then you give even more or maybe give a personal gift. It is considered a social faux pas to give anything other than $ unless you're a very close friend or family member. No wedding registries here.

The buffet takes place before the wedding ceremony. There are two types of weddings here. Those that have a buffet before or after the ceremony, and those that have a sit-down meal during the ceremony itself. There was a lot of good food and some new stuff I had never tried before.

The wedding ceremony itself is short and sweet and is completed in less than 30 minutes. Many times, there will be guests standing in the back, as more guests are invited than there are seats. From what I could tell (since I don't know enough Korean) it was a nice service.

At the end of the ceremony, the couple greeted their parents and then cut the cake. I got a kick out of them cutting the cake with a giant samurai sword. Not only that, but they didn't eat any of the cake! Who doesn't eat cake at weddings?!?! Also, only the top layer is real cake, the rest is fake...so the venue can keep re-using it. Basically the purpose of cutting the cake is for the pictures and not eating.

A couple of venue assistants shot off streamers as the newly married couple walks down the isle.

With Grace, the groom's mom. Usually the moms of the wedding couple wear hanbok, traditional clothes during the ceremony. I believe there is another private ceremony that takes place afterwards that follows more of the traditional Korean style, but that is only for family and close friends.

After the ceremony, we were invited to have coffee on the top floor of Daejeon City Hall. It is the highest building in Daejeon, and you get a great view from there. There's a little coffee shop on the top floor, as well as a room where they hold small concerts.

I love that rooftop garden.



You've Got Mail

I got a package in the mail! It was very special to receive some comfort foods from the states. My friend, Roxy, and her church's Sunday school group (K-6) put this package together. The kids also wrote me letters which made it all extra special.

Hwaseong Fortress & Haenggung

The same day I went to the Suwon Folk Village, I also went to Hwaseong Fortress (Brilliant Castle). Hwaseong Fortress surrounds the centre of the city Suwon. This fortress was built from 1794 to 1796 by King Jeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty to house and honour the remains of his father, the mad Prince Sado, who'd been murdered by being locked alive inside a rice chest by his own father King Yeongjo after failing to obey the command to commit suicide. Located about 19 miles south of Seoul and enclosing much of central Suwon, the Fortress includes King Jeongjo's palace Haenggung. 

We didn't have the time to walk the 3.5 mile length of the wall, so we just visited Haenggung. Haenggung, meaning detached palace, is a palace built within the walls of Hwaseong to house King Jeongjo when he was away from his palace in Seoul worshipping at his father's tomb. When he was not in residence it was used by his delegated official as a base of government. The palace was built in 1789, but was later expanded to house 600 compartments and in doing so became the largest haenggung in Korea. This detached palace is a collection of 22 buildings, excluding the servants' quarters, arranged in a rectangular layout. The entrance to the palace from the centre of town is the main gate, Singpungnu.

This place wasn't just built as a memorial for the mad Prince Sado, but also as a response to the collapse of the Korean front during the Imjin war. It is believed to have been built very scientifically using bricks, pulleys and levers. The wall was built with holes between the bricks just big enough to fire guns or arrows through in case of an attack.

Yeomingak (Bell Pavilion). Bell towers are only established in capital cities. King Jeongjo established Yeomingak with the hope of moving the capital from Seoul to Suwon. This bell pavilion is located in front of Haenggung palace.

Flags at the entrance.

If a TV show or movie/drama has been filmed at a specific location, they like to put up signs. Maybe as a claim to fame or to increase interest in historical sites? This particular one is for a show called "One Night Two Days."

Picture with the palace guard. Why oh why did I choose to stand behind the tall people? 

Royal stamp anyone? 

 

I love these rooftops.

There's a bronze censer and container located on the corners of the King's office. This container holding water and was thought to ward off evil fire-causing spirits. These buildings were made predominantly of wood, therefore easy to catch on fire. I believe these are located at all the palaces.

King's quarters

Attendants

Kitchen

A mural portraying the King's procession.

Up by the fortress wall.

Great view of Haenggung palace and the city of Suwon.

Pounded tteok...specifically injeolmi (tteok coated with red bean powder or roasted soybean powder). It is made by pounding glutinous rice with a huge hammer.

Injeolmi. Be careful not to inhale the powder or take too big of a bite or you may find your teeth glued together.

When we returned to Daejeon that evening, we went to Unhaeng-dong (old downtown) for dinner at an Italian restaurant, the Flying Pan. The lasagna was pretty good. We got free pizza with our order, but why in the world do they serve pickles as a side dish? I know this is Korea and they like their pickled vegetables here, but pickles do not belong with Italian food. Sacrilegious! Seriously people.

          

Korean Folk Village

Last month I went to the Korean Folk Village located in Suwon, with a group of people from the Daeheung Baptist Church English congregation. This is a typical village of the Joseon period that has been recreated on a 243-acre site regarded as a propitious location according to the principles of feng shui, with a river flowing in front of it and a mountain behind it. Here, 260 traditional Korean houses have been relocated from the various regions of Korea and you can participate in re-enactments of the ancient way of life. The Traditional Folk Village is located just south of Seoul.

With Anita and Eunjoo.

Can you tell that they get visitors from all over the world?

Wish rocks. People write a wish on a piece of paper and tie it on to the ropes on the rocks. On New Year's the wishes are collected and burned. Your wish will then come true.

With the group from church.

Entering the folk village.

The smith hard at work. The goods they make are for sale. They take special orders too.

One of the farming plots.

A grain mill.

One of the many village buildings.

Waiting for the show to start.

Farmer's Music and Dance Performance.

With Eunchong and his cousin.

The villagers are enjoying the show too.

Acrobatic Performance on a tightrope.

Equestrian Feats

The announcer...and no, microphones did not exist in the Joseon period.

The courage test. Holding a flower in your mouth while another snaps it off with a whip. Gotta have a lot of trust in your teammate.

Acrobatics on horses.

Shooting at targets.

Bet you can't do that.

 Heading to a nobleman's house for the Traditional Wedding Ceremony.

Entrance of the groom.

The bride and groom greet each other.

After the wedding, there is a procession through the village to the couple's new home. The groom rides a horse at the front of the procession and the bride rides in this box.

One of the buildings was closed off as there was a historical movie being filmed while we were there.

At the hospital.

Watch your head! This doorway is quite low.

Different herbs and medicines.

Where medicines are prepared.

Walking around the village, enjoying the sites.

 Bathroom anyone?

At a nobleman's house.

There have been many historical dramas that have been filmed at the folk village. There are a few cutouts of movie/drama characters around the village that you can take pictures with.

Ovens

Villagers making and selling straw products.

Villager selling homemade rock candy.

I'm not sure what these statues are for. Maybe to protect the village from evil spirits?

Drying herbs.

Another mill.

Besides the village, there are also some restaurants that serve traditional Korean food.

Oh the garlic...this restaurant loves garlic.

If you cross the river, there is an Amusement Family Park, where families can take their kids for kiddie rides and shows. You can also go on a boat ride on the river, or try your hand at craft making.

After the Folk Village, we went to the Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, but that's for another post.