So I realized that I never finished the vacation summary, and we went somewhere else new last weekend, so I have lots of catching up to do! First things first though, the last day of our vacation.
**Ok, so total fail by me...I started writing this and then got distracted....and omg, it's almost like a month later. Ack, I don't even have any good excuses....oh well, here goes...again...**
We packed up and took pictures of the house where we stayed to show what a traditional Korean house is like. Very little furniture (the table is low to the floor since that's where you sit to eat, and the legs fold up so you can tuck the table away when not in use), no beds since you sleep on the floor, and no separate shower - just a shower head in the corner of a sunken bathroom.
We got ready to head out to Andong for our last day, but before we left one of our traveling companions found some bamboo that had fallen overnight. We borrowed a hacksaw and took some lengths for pencil holders, special soju, and bamboo rice. (Just a sidenote...we tried soju that was aged in bamboo for a few months at a restaurant last night and it was delicious! Slightly sweet and fruity...have to get out that bamboo and try to home brew some.)
After some sawing and drumming with our new bamboo pieces, it was off to Andong - and more specifically the Hahoe folk village on the Nakdong River. According to wikipedia, "The Yu clan of Pungsan established the Hahoe Folk Village in the 16th century during theJoseon Dynasty and has been a one-clan community since that time. The village is notable because it has preserved many of its original structures, such as the village Confucian school and other buildings, and maintains folk arts such as the Hahoe Mask Dance Drama('Byeonlsin-gut') which is a shamanist rite honoring the communal spirits of the village."
Unfortunately for us we missed all of the mask dramas by like 2 weeks, which could explain why the entire village was empty save one or two other families. It was beautiful though and we definitely want to go back and explore more.
S. the acrobat is back, showing us the Korean seesaw or nolttwigi. Traditionally in the village, women were kept separate from men by means of stone walls and separate buildings. The women would use these nolttwigi and swings to get glimpses of life outside the walls of their compounds.
Ok, so once again S. has been talked into demonstrating traditional Korean culture for us. Here he is showing us a punishment for wetting the bed. Evidently children would have to wear this rice winnower (Is that a word? Its a shallow basket used for separating the grains of rice from the chaff) on their heads and then go to the all the neighbors begging for salt. Not sure about the efficiency of it, but it does make for another lovely picture of the white guy.
Lunch was an Andong specialty - dak jim, or chicken, potatoes, noodles, and other veggies in a spicy soy sauce based sauce. Delicious.
And finally, some random O. pics from the day....enjoy!
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