Blogs from Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea, Asia - page 6

OK so I guess following my last update and the messages I have received from many of you you’re all awaiting to hear about the “Penis Park.” Typical I come all this way and the thing you are most interested in is a park full of phallic sculptures. Well I was half expecting to see statues of most of my mates there but as hard as I looked I couldn’t see Marty, Gav or Ed anywhere, you boys must have been well hidden. The Penis Park or as it’s actually known Haeshindang Park is to say the least a little strange, but it’s an easy conversation starter because there was always something popping up. There was even a cannon like penis that rocked up and down, you’ve got to love the time and thought someone has ... read more

From Feb. 2nd until Feb. 6th is new year holidays in Korea. In Korea, we, Koreans use two calendars. one is a western style calendar, a solar calendar, Gregorian calendar. the other is a Chinese style calendar, a lunar calendar. In Korea, the western style calendar is used in official things-an enrollment, a graduation, an official trip and meeting, a business schedule and so on. but the Chinese style calendar is used in private things- to choose the day of a marriage or an engagement, birthday party- some people want a solar calendar- , ageing, a fortune telling of men and women in the early of the new year, house moving , traditional holidays and the worship for ancestors. the first day of this new year in a Chinese style calendar is Feb. 3rd in a ... read more

(Delayed blog) The bullet train that took me from Seoul Station to Dongdaegu station lasted a mere one hour and forty minutes, at its top speed travelling 297 kilometres an hour(!) Wow! Getting out of the station, I decided to drop my backpack in a locker (7000 Won) to explore and find a place to stay before rushing into some overpriced love hotel. Not feeling tired due to the excitement of being in a new place again, I walked out and soon discovered that Daegu (obviously) was not Seoul. I think I must've walked south a bit at first. The streets were hilly I noticed and not as clean and developed you could say as its northern capital neighbour. It just sort of gave the idea of being a 'second rank' city. After not much time ... read more

Hello everyone! This blog is to share with you some of what we've been up this past month. The first weekend of May we went about 3 hours south of Seoul to a city called Andong, where the 14th Annual International Mask Dance Festival was held. We went with a tour group through the Royal Asiatic Society - Korean Branch (RAS). There were only about 10 of us total on the tour, so it was always very nice and personalized. Also, our tour guide Jennifer used to live in Andong with a Korean family - so she had a lot of great information for us! As you can see from the pictures, the weekend was a nice combination of history (For example, we saw the oldest and biggest brick pagoda in Korea...) and festival (One of ... read more

Wanting to experience a more traditional Korea, I went to a town named Andong near the center of the country. The town itself is like most urbanized cities in this country, although smaller, but the draw was the nearby Hahoe Village, where the villagers still live by farming and the village maintains ancestral ties with Joseon Dynasty architecture, folk traditions, ancient texts. Temples and huts with straw roofs dot the streets. There's a river and hills that surround most of the village. Apparently this village really got noticed when the Queen of England visited during a trip to the country ten years back. It's registered as a UNESCO heritage site. The vast majority of the villagers have the surname Ryu. I walked the area for a while, and in the afternoon there was a customary show ... read more