7.25.2011

Like a pig in mud: Korea 18

This past weekend was the 14th annual Mudfest in Boryeon, a beach side town about 2-3 hours from Seoul. Bright & early Saturday morning a group of 16 of us set out from Seoul for a weekend of mud, sun & sand. Unfortunately it was rather cloudy so there wasn't much in the way of sun. Somehow my face still managed to get a little pink despite constant cloud cover.
Boryeon
Our hotel wasn't quite ready when we arrived in Boryeon so we all left our stuff on the bus and ambled about looking for lunch. We nibbled on chicken kebabs, walked in the sand and splashed through the ocean. Once the hotel was finally ready we changed into our mud clothes and set out. After a beer or two on the beach we ready to get muddy.
Entrance to mudfest!
The mud used at Mudfest is rumored to be quite good for the skin, which is part of the reason why the festival is held annually. Mudfest has morphed though and now includes concerts and inflatable obstacle courses.
Rides at Mudfest!
On our way into the obstacle course area we stopped at some big barrels of mud to kick start the muddy party. After thoroughly coating each other in mud we were ready for some friendly competition. We did two of the obstacle courses: one was a three person race and the other we never quite figured out the rules to. That somehow didn't stop us from trying our best & giggling like fools.

After playing in the mud we made a run back towards the beach to rinse off. We splashed in the ocean for a while before heading back to the beach to hang out a little more. Eventually hunger got the better of us so we left the mud and beach behind to change and search out dinner. We ended up at a tent near the beach that served all kinds of delicious Korean barbecue.
Most of the group sitting on the steps by the beach, ready for a night out
Korean barbecue is quite different than American barbecue. Here they bring you slices of meat (sometimes marinated, sometimes not) that you cook at your table. There are onions and garlic cloves to cook along with the meat and lettuce leaves to wrap it all up in. You can also top your barbecue with some rather delicious red chili sauce.

We ate and drank all throughout dinner, laughing the whole time. After dinner we sat on some steps overlooking the beach to chatter some more before attending a concert going on near by. Unfortunately teh concert was short lived--the rapper performing spent a lot of time just talking and not actually rapping. Eventually we got bored and wandered off in search of karaoke, which was its usual blend of chaos, boy bands and bad singing.

After karaoke the group split into smaller groups. I ended up with two others. After attending yet another concert we decided that once again we were hungry so we found our way to another tent for a delicious (even if it was undercooked) kimchi pancake. Finally it was time to call it a night.

Sunday was a bit tamer--we were awoken by a thunderstorm that put a damper on the morning. There were 7 of us staying in the same Korean style hotel room. Instead of having beds and what not like a typical American hotel there were mats and pillows for floor sleeping. Waking up after a night of sleeping on the floor was a touch on the rough side so the three guys staying in my room ran to the 7-11 to pick up lots of options for breakfast. We ate sitting on the floor before packing up and heading out. After a quick lunch of delicious (if overpriced) fish soup it was time to head back to Seoul.
Walking along the beach Sunday morning
Overall it was a fun, if exhausting, weekend. Mostly it was just nice to escape the city for a day or two and frolic along a beach. Oh and course play in the mud.

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