MudFest 2008

Yeah. MudFest rocked.

It takes place every year about 2 hours south of Seoul, in a place called Boryeong. Well, more specifically, it's at Daechon Beach. Basically, Boryong's claim to fame is a giant mud field that is used to make very expensive facial masks, creams, and other things I couldn't care less about. Well, sometime ago they looked around and came up with the brilliant idea of carting tons of this mud to a nearby beach and creating "MudFest", billing it as a celebration of skin care.

Genius. Pure genius.

Boryeong's entire Chamber of Commerce should be given their own sections of Korea to rule over. It's that good of an idea. Each year tens of thousands of people descend upon the beach for a weekend of fun, mud, food, and other such things. The pictures speak for themselves, especially since I figured out how to add captions, but I will share a few things I found particularly interesting. Don't worry, I have more pictures too.

I'll start with the best description. It comes from a new friend, Michelle Honeybun. I don't know if that's her real name, but the Brit shared it with me, and so she gets her name however she wants it. I should call the Chamber of Commerce and see if they'll throw me a township for (what should be) their new slogan:
Paradise- covered in mud and soaked in alcohol.

I know, I know... I'll share the township...

When it's not under three feet of silt, Daechon Beach looks a lot like Daytona. A little dirty, a little tacky, but not a bad place to spend a day. The Yellow Sea sure looks like the Atlantic, though. The biggest thrill for me was right when we first got there. The smell of the beach and the feeling of the saltwater on my bare feet was absolutely amazing. I didn't realize how much I missed it.

And then there was this. Check out the sign on the top right. I found it more than a little disconcerting, and I have to tell you that it's not the first time I've seen something like this. It's actually a very interesting look at the sociology of our two cultures. My generation was taught that any and all segregation was evil. Period. There may be places where you aren't welcome, be it because of your color, lifestyle, what have you, but the closest you get to out and out segregation these days is Ladies Nights, and even that's been called into question. In Korea, however, there is no such qualm. As I've wandered the night scene I've noticed a few places that catered to one group or another. A sign outside one club proclaimed that foreigners were free, Koreans had a $10 cover, and GI's were not allowed in. Another time Jen and I wandered into a nice looking bar, only to be told it was for Koreans only, and we had to leave. It may seem like it all evens out, and to be fair it probably does, but being told I wasn't welcome because of my race just about ended with me giving them a better reason to not allow me in.

If you're concerned, I did no such thing. I left peacefully, if a little louder than absolutely necessary, and found another establishment happy to take money without distinction. I've got a lot more thoughts on this topic, but I'll save it for a blog that doesn't feature the word "Fest" in the title.

Bonus: Here's what the rooms looked like.

This is pretty standard Korean fare. Bare floor, some blankets (they were folded neatly upon arrival), and a small fridge if you're lucky. The rooms had about 5 people in them, usually 6.









And then there was our room.





Only room with a bed on the entire floor, not to mention the kitchenette (which we didn't use). And the random stranger who was suppose to be sharing the room never showed. Yeah. It rocked.









Alright, I'm going to get this bad boy posted. But before I do, I have to make one final comment on my weight loss: While I was porking out back home my mother was constantly encouraging me to eat tons of food high in fat and cholesterol, as well as forcing me to drink gallons of soda every day. She told me that if I didn't get fatter she wouldn't love me. Then she kicked an infant down a flight of stairs and set fire to an orphanage.

The scary part is that not all of you are sure if I'm joking.

Love ya mom! (Told ya I'd do it...)
-Al