This past weekend, TH and I took a bus down to the Boryeong Mud Festival and it was pretty epic! The town was very touristy but it was nice to get out of Seoul and drive through a bit of the Korean countryside. I also really enjoyed swimming in the sea! I think the photos describe it best so feel free to check out my album on facebook. Here is one shot of me in my purple and green muddy glory!
One of my reflections about travel in general came from our experience riding the bus down to Boryeong. We didn't know what to do once we got to the bus terminal but sure enough, we met a really nice Dutch guy and a Chinese girl who could speak fluent Korean. It's amazing how quickly your luck can change from being a clueless tourist to making new friends and finding your way. TH and I seemed to have excellent "mojo" with this as we even lost the couple at one point in the crowd and were a bit worried that we would be screwed to get back to Seoul without their help...but we found them again on the beach and everything worked out perfectly. I know that one's luck can just as easily swing the other way and nasty things can happen in an instant but I choose to believe that everything will work out for the better and it usually does!
Today TH, LV, and I tried to go to the Pifan film festival in Bucheon. I think it's still part of the metropolis of Seoul but is technically another city so it took us about an hour and 15 minutes by metro to get there. In the end, we were about 15 minutes late and were told it was "impossible" to enter the theatre. Boo! However we had quite the adventure taking the train there and now I can proudly say that I have been on Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and the Bundangseon line of the Seoul Metro system! I also had the privilege of having my ass grabbed by an old Korean man. Now I can only look forward to being groped on the subway in Tokyo!
Because we were determined to see some kind of movie, we ended up going to a DVD bang and watched a really great Korean film called "A Bittersweet Life". To sum it up in 1 sentence, it's a mobster movie about an enforcer who disobeys his boss and bloodshed ensues. It had some really beautiful cinematography and one of the greatest comeback fight scenes I have ever seen. I highly recommend it if you can stand gore.
As for the rest of this week, my plans are to see a baseball game (Doosan Bears vs. Lotte Giants) and head to Itaewon for ladies night on Thursday. It's hard to believe I've almost been here for 1 month already...I'm really enjoying Korea so far and I could see myself coming back here someday.
Until next time, 안녕!!
