Jinju Lantern Festival

On Friday, the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education sent about 40 of us English teachers to Jinju (진주) for the annual lantern festival held there. In the 16th century, the Japanese tried to invade Jinju. Scouts alerted Jinju's militia to the invasion by using lanterns. So every year thousands of Korean people come to Jinju to celebrate sticking it to the Japs!

Most of us went there straight from school. We were picked up by a coach outside the Lotte Department Store in Seomyeon. By the time we got to Jinju it was already dark. There were dozens of floating objects on the water, representing all forms of Korean culture, all waiting to light up at 8pm. When at last they did, there was a spectacular fireworks display which included flying bird shaped things with fireworks coming out of their arses, and a fireworks display coming of the bridge to make it look like a waterfall.

When the fireworks were finished, we were taken across a floating bridge to the other side of the river, where we bought lanterns, wrote our wishes on them, and put them into the Nam River (남강).

We were then hurried off to our accommodation for the night. We stayed at the Jukgok (족곡) Hemp Village museum, which, as you can imagine, got us even more excited ahead of our tour of the museum the next morning. Luckily, there was a karaoke machine in the kitchen and we had bought some ale from the shop on the way there. 

We needed the alcohol, because for our cultural experience we were sleeping in the traditional Korean way, on the floor. Not just any floor, a heated floor. Maybe heated is the wrong word. A burning floor! The thing was bloody roasting. But the Koreans swear by it because they say it is good for your health. The longer I stay in this country the more I realise that Koreans think everything Korean is good for your health. Korean men will drink a ton of Soju and smoke a forest of ciggies. But because they're Korean it's good for your health.

In the morning we were provided breakfast in the Karaoke kitchen. Salty fish (I could definitely get used to that), then given a fascinating tour of the Hemp museum. I love spending hungover Saturday's in a cloth museum!

This was followed by a fascinating trip around the Jukgok Bronze Age Museum. 

We were ahead of schedule, so on the way to a restaurant for lunch we stopped in a field full of flowers for some great photo opportunities. 

Our lunch was Jinju Bibimbap (진조빕빔밥), raw beef and rice. When we left the restaurant, we were given a small green fruit each in exchange for a ciggie from Calum by a crazy old lady. She then began drawing something on the road with her finger. Nuts!

All in all, a great couple of days :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA5MtAmT24g&feature=fvst