As I left class on Friday, before the long holiday weekend, my boss gave me a Seollal gift: A box with canned peaches, and a box of denmark ham. Its common for people to exchange gifts of fruits and canned goods on the holiday, or even a nice set match of drinking glasses with some traditional drink. I didn't have anything for him, but since I did give him a gift for Christmas, I figure we're about even.
This was the weekend immediately following my food poisoning, so I didn't have very much planned. Friday night it felt like I was going through an exorcism, but by the next day I felt a lot better. I decided to take it rather easy over the weekend, but by the time monday came, I was feeling energetic enough to go out with some friends.
By Tuesday, I was feeling like my old self, and was up for some more adventure. The weather outside was outstanding, 14 degrees and sunny. So my friends and I decided to take advantage of this good fortune and do some exploring about the island. Our first trip was to go check out this hot-air balloon near the World Cup stadium.
The balloon is anchored to the ground, so it doesn't move other than up and down. After paying our admission fee, we decided to head over to a nearby coffee haven, OZB. Its probably one of the best spots for coffee on the island, and it comes highly recommended.
The guy that runs the store imports delicious and authentic coffee from all over the world, taking the time to choose the perfect beans for the perfect cup. Unfortunately we only had a few minutes before our balloon was supposed to take off, so we were in a bit of a rush; somehow, our urgency didn't seem to waver him at all.
The coffee was delicious, however, when we got back to the hot-air balloon we had discovered that they had stopped for the time being because of the wind. They kindly refunded our ticket, and we decided to continue our journey. Our next stop was this small cafe, bordering this river in the resort area of the island, Jungmun.
We found that it had a great view of Halla mountain, so we stopped to take a few photos out on the balcony. There was this really elaborately designed bridge just off in the distance, making for a great picture.
The cafe itself was really nice, and I would have loved to spend more time there, but we only had so much time on our hands and thought we would put it to better use by exploring the park near the bridge. After grabbing a quick cup of tea, we were off again, moving up the hill towards this bridge and viewing area.
We stopped to smell the roses along the way and take another few pictures.
There was this interesting fountain near the bridge. It had a bunch of different heads: one was a dog, another a snake, a turtle, and a lion I think. Supposedly if you can throw a coin into the pouch thats shooting out water, it'll bring you good fortune. Each head I've been told represents something different, like longevity, etc.
After getting a few more photos, our next stop was the Ma Park: a Mongolian horse theme park. Its a pretty remote area on the West end of the island, so we drove out there in a cab, however, the park itself was quite busy. It was such a nice day and a holiday, so I guess we weren't the only ones that thought it was a good idea.
The show takes place in this newly constructed arena, which was made specifically for these Mongolian performers. The show chronicles the life of Genghis Kahn, probably the most famous Mongolian of all. There are two shows a day, and also an amazing (and cheap!) buffet available. We got there just before the show was about to start, so we didn't get the chance to indulge ourselves.
The show starts out with the Mongolian crew doing a few stunts for the crowd: backflips, running alongside their horse, and other interesting maneuvers. After they make a few rounds, everyone exits the stage area. Then these kids riding ponies come out, portraying Genghis Kahn's childhood with his best friend.
The next bit seems to be a celebration of Genghis Kahn, perhaps his birthday or something. There is this dance routine followed by a few rounds of stunts again. There is also this part where they setup these targets and they go running at them full speed with swords and spears, trying to hit them.
When the celebration finally ends, everyone leaves the stage area again for another chapter in the story. The narrator gives a synopsis to the crowd and a group of female riders enters from the right. Suddenly, a group of bandits emerge chasing after them. The riders of course are skilled archers and make quick work of the bandits.
After this chapter, Genghis Kahn and his best friend both ride out together, apparently their friendship isn't as strong as it used to be. Kahn is declared by a shaman to one day be future king over the lands, and the greatest warrior ever. His friend doesn't take too kindly to this claim, and decides to raise his own army against Kahn.
In this next sequence, Kahn and his friend ride out with their armies to confront each other for supreme control over the land. Following behind Kahn is his spirit flag, represented by a man dressed completely in black on horseback.
Both Kahn and his friend talk a bit, and then send out one warrior at a time to confront each other. A kind of duel between great warriors before the all out battle breaks loose. An interesting tactic to say the least.
Finally, after the warriors face off against each other, the armies are unleashed and the real battle begins. This next video is just awesome, although I almost get hit in the head with this guy's spear when he comes blazing by the rail where I'm standing.
When all the fighting ends, Genghis Kahn comes bursting out of this tent on horseback looking like Gandalf the White. Soon after, all the rest of the cast join in and they ride around the stadium for an applause.
In all, the whole show is only about 45 minutes, but definitely worth the 10,000 won admission fee. We gathered our things and made our way out of the arena. The cast was out front, posing for pictures. So Mike and I thought we would take one with our hero, Genghis Kahn. He gave us a high-five; awesome.
Since we didn't partake in the buffet, and it was now over, we were all quite hungry. So we got back in a cab and headed off to our favourite foreigner friendly spot, Gecko's.
We all ordered steak, but apparently they undercook everything in Korea; my medium-rare was borderline rare. It was still delicious, but something to remember for next time.
It was getting close to sunset, both Brian and I thought that some sunset photos would be the perfect way to end the day, so we got back in a cab and went down the road a few minutes. We were dropped off near this bridge, which was also next to this hill with a Halla lookout at the top.
After climbing for a few minutes, and almost giving myself a cramp from the food we just ate, we arrived at the perfect lookout for sunset.
As the sun set on the first day of the new year, I took a few moments to reflect and think about how far I've come already. It was such a great day, and a good way to start the new year. I only hope the rest of the year is as fulfilling.
Photos by Brian Miller
2 comments:
Excellent story, enjoyed your videos so much. Your friend takes fantastic pictures. He's got a great eye and ability as a photographer. What kind of camera does he have ? MMM
He uses a Nikkon something or another...he has a huge lens for it too, which is the length of my forearm. His pictures are of very good quality, a good reason for him to making a book with them.
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