Korean Best#2 Festivals!

  

Korea has many awesome festivals!
Today, I am going to introduce the best three festival, of course, it is ranked by me :)

#1 Bo-ryeong Mud Festival

 Korea has a great mud flat which is scarce all over the world. Our western side sea, the Yellow Sea is famous for big tides and broad mud flat. So, Boryeong city in Chung-cheong province, are hosting a big mud flat festival in Daecheon beach. Last year, it attracted 3.2 million visitors, and almost 10% of them are foreigners. It is held usually during 8 to 9 days in July.
 There is a mud spa, mud sliding, mud prison, mud ski, military training experience at mud flat. Visitors can enjoy mud massages, body painting, fireworks festival, and several performance there. See the pictures! You will be covered fully by mud! However, you know what? Mud is really good for your skin, after having really crazy and happy time here, your skin become really softer! For sure, it is temporarily, if you want to keep your skin soften, you could immigrant here :) The mud in this festival are purified before moving to here, so you don't have to worry about it! Come to Boryeong Mud Festival and enjoy one of the most unique moment in your life, and take a bunch of good pictures!








 #2 Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival





 Yudeung is a lantern fueled by oil. This is a beautiful night show on the river. This is originated from the first Jinju castle battle during the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592. In October, 1592, General Simin Kim won a signal victory with 3,800 soldiers and the people agianst 20,000 Japanese soldiers. In the war, the general float lantern on the Nam river with other supporting army like raised in the cause of justice in order to block Japanese Army from crossing the river. In June 29th, 1593, there was second Jinju castle battle, finally the castle was fallen and almost 70,000 people died. After this war, Korean start to this event to comfort the spirits and pray peace of the country. There are many exhibitions like traditional lanterns, world institutions and customs, performance reproducing the battle, and parade. Visitors can make their own lantern and look around wonderful lantern display.








#3. Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival

Sancheoneo

 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival is chosen as the Seven Wonder Festivals of the World by CNN. You can enjoy fishing, delicious Sancheoneo cooking, sled, and bobsleigh.
Sancheoneo is a kind of trout which are belong to salmon family and living in clear water.
 The river is two meter depth and really clear, so you can see many swimming Sancheoneo below the thick ice.

 The main event is ice fishing, catching fish with bare hands. This fish has been recognized as specialty and health food for a long time. Usually visitors can get one or two fish easily because there are 12,000 ice holes and 1 to 2 tons of Sancheoneo is there.

 The bare hand fishing is really interesting because you should catch the quick moving fish by bare hand! You can use free BBQ grill to make baked fish or use some close Sashimi center which fillet your  fish. The sashimi of Sancheneo tastes really soft and chewy. During the cold winter, how about visiting here with your precious people and seizing the amazing day!

Traveling Korea#3 Busan

 

Busan is second biggest city in Korea. It is famous port city and locates in southeastern part of Korea. Busan people is famous for speaking brusque but actually having many human affection. Busan food is famous for the wonderful tastes in Korea. There are many modernized area and romantic sea, so visiting Busan would be a great choice to you!



#1 Gwangallli Beach

Gwangalli Beach has a beautiful bridges. Some Korean says it is more beautiful than Golden gates in San Francisco. At night, several LED light makes the bridge look different at a time. This beautiful beach has many fancy restaurant, cafe, sashimi restaurant, so you can enjoy the sea conveniently! I bet drinking beer here is really awesome!

 On every October, there is 'Busan International Fireworks Festival' which is the biggest scale firework festival in Asia. To see this, approximately more than one million people visit here every year.











#2 Nampodong PIFF street & Jagalchi Market

Ssiat-Hodduk

 In my opinion, Nampodong PIFF street is a downtown where you can feel 'Busan' very well!
Here is a commercial complex full of market, department store, theaters. It is famous for a lot of street vendors.You can enjoy shopping, walking around, eat delicious foods. I recommend you
try SSiat-Hodduk on the road. This is like a pencake with black sugar, peanut, sunflower, and amber seeds.

Jagalchi Market

Jagalchi market is at the opponent side of the PIFF street and next to sea. It is popular seafood market in Busan which has 70 years history. You can look around this exotic Korean seafood market and eat some seafood you buy there! The merchant will guide you some small restaurant that will cook your fish or shells.












#3. Centum City



Centum city is a cutting edge multi complex which function as a place for Information Techonology, Media, Entertainment, and International Service. Here are exhibition center, shopping center, cultural facility, and park. It has many good hotels, if you go there off-season, you can accommodate with very reasonable price! Hope you enjoy mordernized city in Busan!

Sinsegae Department Store

This is Sinsegae Department Store which has the biggest scale one all across the world! You can enjoy fancy Korean-style spa, Ice Rink, IMAX movie theater, too.











#5 Haedong Yonggoongsa (East Sea Dragon Palace Temple)

 Haedong Yonggoongsa is a Buddhist temple locating next to sea. It was built in 1376 and has great view. Original name was 'Bomunsa'. But while the chief priest had prayed for hundred days, he dreamed that Goddess of Mercy was ascending to heaven by riding the dragon, and then changed the name of the temple as 'Haedong Yonggoongsa'. Here are many statue of Buddha and symbolic places you can pray for specific wishes. For example, it has 108 stairs meaning you will live longer until 108 years old. Also, Here is a Duknambul. When you touch its nose and belly, you can have a son!

Traveling Korea#2 Jeju Island

 Jeju island is the biggest island in Korea. It is also volcanic island but dormant. So Jeju has a tall volcanic mountain providing a good chance for hiking. Jeju is at the bottom of South Korea, and therefore has warm weather.  Jeju island has been famous for many things such as, stones, wind, and women historically. Jeju island has a beautiful nature and real-fresh seafood, many good accommodations and tourist attractions. Jeju people are very peaceful and kind. I love Jeju's beautiful sea, seafood, peaceful moods. There are many horses because roughly a thousand year ago Mongol invader started to raise horses in the meadow in Jeju. So you can see many horses on the nice meadow and try horse riding. This island is designated as the world natural heritage, World Biosphere Reserve, and Global Geoparks by UNESCO.



#1 Seongsan Ilchulbong


 Korea government designate this place as a natural monument. Seongsan Ilchulbong is the mouth of a volcano. Volcano exploded under water and erupted beyond the water, it was finally formed. You can walk around and feel the blowing sea wind along the beautiful trail near Seongsan Ilchulbong.


This also has been famous for the sunrise from old times.



#2 Ollegil (Trekking course)

Ollegil is trail in Jeju island. Olle means an narrow alley, usually indicates narrow road from main road to gate of house. The maker of this road was inspired by Camino de Santiago in Spain and made this trail. Like Camino de Santiago, you can get stamp on passport and see many landscapes all over the trail. It has 21 courses whose distance is usually 15 km and take 5~6 hours. It connects alley, path on mountain, field, and coast and Volcanic Cone along coastal area in Jeju.



















 #3 Hanra Mountain

 Hanra Mountain contains most of domain of Jeju. Its height is 1950 m and is a  dormant volcanic mountain. So don't worry!  At the top of this mountain, there is a crater lake called baekrokdam. This means a place where white deer drink a water. Unlike many rugged mountain in Korea Peninsula, this has very gentle slope, so hiking here is not hard and everyone can enjoy it! There are 5 hiking courses which has all different angles for beautiful view.







 #4 Sesokak


 This is a river which is formed where sea and river meet. The water has especially gorgeous emerald color because the rain water soaked in basalt area, rise at Sesokak and then finally mix with sea water and fresh water. In here, you can enjoy kayaking and Teo (Jeju tranditional fishing boat). Watch out! the Kayak's bottom looks a little transparent, so you can feel scary there!






#5 Jeju foods
 I cannot skip to talk about Korean food when I introduce about Korea tour. I am from Busan, which is the biggest port city and famous for seafood, but I think Jeju's seafood is amazingly refresh! Because Jeju is island, there are more kinds of seafood in Jeju. It is a paradise of seafood lovers.

Jenbok Ddukbagy  (Abalone Stew in a Hot Pot)

Sashimi Course

Spicy Seafood Stew

 You can enjoy all of those with Jeju's special alcohol, 'Hanrasasn'! This is kind of Korean Soju, but it has own taste. I guess you can feel it is deliciously sweet when you drink! 

Traveling Korea#1 Seoul

Seoul is a capital of South Korea. It has been a capital city since 1394. Seoul is the mecca of politics, economic, society of South Korea. Han river flow along the middle of Seoul and several mountains like Mt. Bukhan, Kwanak, Dobong, and Bulam surrounds it. So, the geography of Seoul is basin. Seoul is famous for its high population. The extent of Seoul is only 605.27㎢, which is 0.6% of South Korea territory, but there is almost ten of million people. South Korea has more than fifty of million people so there is almost one-fifth population of Korea. Therefore, in Seoul, you can enjoy fast and convenient urban lifestyle, enjoy cafe and bars (I guess you can drink and hang out almost 24/7 in Korea!), get anywhere with comfortable transportation system, and have some outside activity near Han river or many mountains.



 Touristic place
 #1 Namsan

 Namsan is a mountain at the center of Seoul. Its height is 265m so you can get the top of Namsan easily. You can also take a cable car and look down Seoul. The tower in the picture is N Seoul Tower which allows you can see all part of Seoul. At the top of Namsan, you can get some foods, fasten your locker at particular space and enjoy beautiful and dynamic night view of Seoul.

 #2 Hongdae

This is one of the hottest place in Seoul. Some artists are playing music or talking about comedy on the street. Here are many young people enjoying bars, club, cafe, restaurant, and shopping. Hongdae looks very dynamic and never boring place. Your eye will be very busy to see and where to go and have a fun at night!


#3 Gangnam


 Does everyone know Gangnam Style from PSY? Actually, Gangnam is quite big area and technically district area. But Korean usually called area near Gangnam station Gangnam. This is the most hottest place and one of two biggest business complex in Korea. Here are a lot of skyscrapers which headquarters of many companies are located in. Gangnam has wide business district, so here are also famous for dating, clubbing, drinking, hanging out, meeting, and dining out. This is fancy area having a lot of luxurious restaurant, hotel, and fashion shops. If you visit here, you can see the most dynamic and modern place in Seoul.

 #4 Cheonggyechen

 This is another biggest business complex area in Seoul. So here are tons of big buildings. That is why Cheonggyecheon is surrounded by many buildings. This is a place where many Seoul people can take a rest and hang out with friends or family in the city center. Many people dip foot in the water, see some special exhibition and outside performance.

 #5 Bukchon Hanok Village


 Bukchon Hanok Village is tranditional residence area in Seoul. High-ranking officials and royal family had lived here during our last dynasty period. Here are full of Korean traditional style houses and you can see what is Korean beauty. You can walk around this village peacefully and have a time to meditate. Bukchon Hanok Village also have many traditional style cafe where you can enjoy our own design and tea. Hope you have a great time here!