Farm Fun

As we arrived early for the Lantern Festival in Jinju, my friends and I decided to go explore the countryside - this provided the perfect opportunity to play with my camera's (surprisingly powerful for such an old point and shoot) macro function. Enjoy the resulting pictures below!

Couldn't resist this shot. Possibly the best Korean kimbap (korean-style non-fish based, sushi-like seaweed (kim) rice (bap) rolls) shop name I have ever seen.
(For those of you that can't read it, it says "Lee: Kim to the Bap")

Jinju Namgang Yudeung Lantern Festival

Lanterns on the Nam River (literally South River) in front of Jinju Fortress. 

This past weekend also boasted Jinju's Namgan Lantern Festival - busy weekend, I know! Fortunately, Jinju  (진주) lies only 2 hours southeast of Gwangju, making it possible to visit two festivals in one weekend. The Namdan Yudeung Festival is held every year in October to commemorate the use of lit lanterns as a military strategy to protect Jinjuseong (진주성-Jinju Fortress) from night attackers coming across the river during the Japanese invasion of 1592.

A balloon advertising the festival floats about a colourful fountain on the south side of the Namdong.

A lovely dragon lantern. Many of my lantern photos were taken during the day for lighting purposes but, I assure you, they were equally, if not more lovely, at night.

A lady bug! and entire bamboo forest had been set up with lanterns - many of them in pairs located in... shall we say, compromising positions.



The entryway to one of the three temporary floating bridges crossing for crossing the Namgang during the festival.

A vie of the river and one of the bridges from the east.

Jinjuseong is not just a fortress, It is a fortress with a  history.  During the Japanese invasions, Korean General  Kim Si-min was said to have held the fortress against 30,000 invaders with only 3880 troops of his own. Sadly, when the Japanese returned, they brought 100,000 soldiers, killing many of the 70,000 Koreans who were by then stationed there. The story does not end there, however, and the fortress is now home to a shrine dedicated to one Nongae. Nongae was one of the girls selected to 'entertain' the conquering Japanese generals. Rather than submit willingly, Nongae lured Japanese General Keyamura up to a supposedly lovely vantange point on the cliff and jumped, bringing him along with her.

Poor guy just looked like he needed a break!

An outdoor torture chamber.

Fall too adorable. We all ended up piling in at one point too.

Period Re-enactments.

Tombstones.

The remains of the Dragon Bridge, once the scene of an ill-fated romance between a governors daughter and his servant. 

Lantern soldiers guard a look-out pavilion.

Jinju's famed musical fountain.

Thousands of golden Buddha at one of the temple shrines in the fortress complex.

Lanterns at night! Reminding me of just how much a love pumpkins.

Everything in Korea is a photo-opp :).

Holding the fort.

A final view.

Kimchi Festival

To most people, there are few things more quintessentially Korean than Kimchi - well, okay, except for maybe Psy's Gangnam Style. For those of you who don't know, kimchi (김치) is Korea's traditional national dish. It is typically made of fermented or pickled spiced cabbage, although many other vegetables can also be used and seasonings vary widely across the country.

Some very finely chopped cabbage kimchi

This past weekend, Gwangju played host to its annual International Kimchi Festival. On offer were free kimchi tastings, gourmet kimchi supplies, a kimchi museum, free shows, many kimchi themed meals, kimchi pot making and art for the kids and, for the international visitors (though I saw many Koreans there as well), kimchi and kimchi meal making lessons!

Held near the Gwangju Folk and Art Museums, even at 5pm on a Sunday the festival was a thriving place to be.

Some of the varieties of kimchi on offer. Furthest away sits un-spiced (but still spicy) white kimchi. Next furthest is traditional cabbage kimchi. A little closer there is some young radish kimchi (my favourite). And, finally, green onion kimchi.

While I don't usually like Jeollanese kimchi - a problem since I live in Jeolla province - all of the kimchi I sampled at the festival (well, with the noted exception of ginseng kimchi - not a fan) was delicious!

Pottery class!

Traditional kimchi pots, still widely used to store kimchi while it ferments, sit outside of the Kimchi  Making Experience Hall.

One of many possible kimchi ingredients, a green pepper gets his groove on.

Pots for sale!

Our personal guide to the Five Senses Kimchi Museum. His English and knowledge of  kimchi were wonderful!

The typical ingredients of Jeollanese cabbage kimchi.  Napa Cabbage, raddish, green onion, and a paste made of salt, chilli pepper, ginger, brined and fermented anchovy, and anchovy paste (the latter two ingredients are not included in kimchi to the North.)

All seasoned and wrapped for fermentation. 

While clay pots are still used by many for klimchi fermentation, most urban Koreans store their kimchi in specialized 'kimchi fridges' which allow them to both control the temperature and ensure that the rest of their food doesn't come to smell like kimchi. My kimchi is currently sitting in a special double layered plastic container in my fridge for precisely that reason... or some of it is anyhow. I already seem to have eaten a great deal of it, cooking things such as kimchi-fried rice with peppers, mushrooms and local greens and kimchi ramyeon (라면 - Korean style ramen noodles) with tofu and rice cake. Turns out I much prefer my Jeollanese kimchi unfermented or boiled -who knew!

Our kimchi making instructors.

Oh, and regarding Gangnam Style? I guess some things just go best when together ;).

Bulguk Temple & Seokguram Grotto. Gyeongju Day 2

After spending the night at a Jjimjilbang on the shores of Bomun Lake in Gyeongju's resort area. It was time to head off to the ancient Buddhist Temple of Bulguksa and it's accompanying grotto.

The backside of Cheomseongdae Jjimjilbang. No soothing bathing pools here, but they did have these huge tumuli-like saunas. I don't think I've ever before been in anything quite so hot. I barely lasted 10 seconds - and I've been to the Sahara in August!

The view of Bomun Lake from the front. I swear Jjimjilbangs always have the best views! This one also had something I've never seen before - designated sleeping rooms! One for men, one for women and one mixed. Unfortunately, even women snore. Family run, this place also had delicious food.

Founded in 528 AD, Bulguksa (불국사) was built at the time when Buddhism was first adopted as the state religion of the Silla Dynasty. Like many other such temples, it was destroyed during the Japanese invasions of 1953, remaining in disrepair until the 1970s. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

One of the two Stone Pagodas from the unified Silla Period. This one is much more ornate than many from the period. A single stone line, the only one of four that remains, is perched at the top of the steps. 

A collection of shoes outside the lecture hall where monks come to learn everyday. 

A stone prayer among many.

The remains of a hall.

I just loved the colours of this!

A heavily worn lucky bronze pig. The boar is one of the animals believed by Korean tradition to represent  longevity.

A view of "Four Bridges". Two flights of steps leading from the earthly world to that of the Buddha. They are national treasures and, so, cannot be climbed.

An ancient flag post. Flags announcing festivals, events and  Temple news were hung vertically from a rod which would have connected the two stones at the top. (You can see the slot in the leftmost pillar.)

I always claim that I'm going to refrain from climbing mountains and yet somehow that never seems to come to pass. A pavilion at the Seokguram Grotto Parking Lot, most of the way up Mount Toham. Buses were available, but they only leave once an hour. As I'd just missed one, I opted to make the 30-45 minute, 3km hike instead :).

The view from the Pavillion

Patrons can pay 1000won to visit the pavilion and ring the bell for peace. It was an offer I obviously couldn't resist. Much more fun than actually ringing the bell however, was placing your hand on it and feeling the vibrations go through your whole body as someone else rang it.

Seokguram Grotto (석굴암) is a hermitage that is home to a giant stone Buddha and attendant guardians housed in a temple that is built into the mountain. Unfortunately, in order to protect the site, there are no photos allowed and a pane of glass (which can be difficult to see through due to reflections of light from outside) separates visitors from the statue. Still, it was worth seeing (I went through twice). And the location offered some stunning views of the East Sea.

Attempting to capture the roof and rocky mound of the grotto.

After enjoying the sights of and from the grotto, it was time for me to head back into town. Unfortunately, I found that I had, once again, just missed a bus. I figured I was left with two options: 1) hike back down, and 2) continue upwards for the 1.7km to the top. Naturally, I chose the latter.

The view from the top.

Once back in the city, I found I had about an hour to spare before my bus ride back to Gwangju. So naturally, I chose to spend it eating Gyeongju Bbang (경주빵 - literally, Gyeongju Bread), a type of barley based sweet bread filled with sweetened red bean paste - far more delicious than it sounds - and relaxing among the tumuli in the free Noseo-ri and Nodong-ri parks.

er... rather, on the tumuli...
(Archaeological Disclaimer: warning, this is most definitely NOT allowed.)

A mother and son. Seeing them up here is what prompted me to join. So glad I did.

A sad departure. The little boy didn't want to come down. I know exactly how he felt!