Ice Fishing Festival

So this weekend we went to Hwacheon, a lovely city in the mountains, to the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival. Sancheoneo is the river trout ("a fresh water fish that is only able to live in the cleanest water and tastes with firm, chewy flesh and a nutty as well as sweet.") that lives in the rivers up there. So they dedicate a festival to them, and to other icey activities. According to the brochure we were given, it is "one of the biggest funs of your life." There were many "unique events." To quote the page-turning brochure, "Why don't you have a good time at Eolgomi castle, snowman photo zone and New Year's folk town? You can enjoy Sancheoneo Ice Festival at everywhere. Have you seen those gorgeous sceneries of rural village? You can meet also marvelous events there." A lot to live up to, no? But I assure you, it delivered.

The weekend began dark and early Saturday morning as we had to be in Seoul by 7am to catch the bus. Long subway ride followed by Burger King breakfast and a long bus ride. Stopped at a village on the way up the mountain to get lunch and booze (gotta have soju to keep you warm.) We got to the festival around noon and proceeded to the ice fishing area.

We had to dig our own hole using a t-shaped "drill" that was more like...a chipper.

And then scoop the ice chips out of the hole using our fishing rods.

Here is a hole I dug all by myself. Sadly, it did not yeild any fish.

And here's me fishing.

After we tried our hand at real ice fishing (Hannah was the only one who actually caught a fish) we decided to partake in the bare hands fishing event. Which was really the highlight of the weekend for me.

Basically they had a pool of water with some fish in it and they gave you shorts and a t-shirt and you jumped into the icy water and tried to catch a fish with your bare hands. Sounds easy, right? Well, we all thought it did. I was bound and determined to come out of that pool with a fish since I didn't catch any the traditional way.

Here you can see me, Hannah and Pip huddled around a wood stove to keep warm before it was our turn to go in the water. (These pictures are all from the tour website, so I don't know any of the other people.)

Here we are all lined up. I bet so many white legs were never seen before in Korea!

There's me in the back and fellow villager Mike in the middle, up to our shoulders in ice water. We were hard-core.

I did not actually catch a fish, though I had my hands on many. My fingers were too stiff from cold to grab hard enough to keep the fish from wiggling away. But I was rewarded these two for diving into the water. I wanted to represent Saskatchewan girls and prove that we are no woosies!

And just to emphasize my point...here's me in my Saskatchewan shirt. Represent!

I took one of my fish to the sashimi tent so we could try it raw.

It was really delicious. Very chewy but not too fishy. Yum!

We also checked out some of the other things at the festival before we had to take off...

There was an ice tunnel aka tunnel of death as the floors were so slippery no one was able to keep their footing. And I didn't even have any soju at this point!

And here's me hugging a polar bear. Naturally.

After the festival funs, we went to check into our cabins which were an hour away. It was a beautiful spot in the mountains. We had to walk about 15 minutes up a mountain trail that the bus couldn't make it up and by the time we got there it was already dark and it was amazing to be able to see it. Actual dark, not neon buzzing dark, not streetlight dark, actual dark. And hear silence. I'd forgotten what both of those things were like.

We met some other teachers from Suwon just by chance and bunked with them for the night. Luckily they were super cool and we ended up fast friends, aided of course by a game of flip-cup.

There was a great meal of roast pig (yes, the whole thing) and Korean sides where the soju flowed...

After dinner there was a bonfire and wrestling and such things. The next day there was the option of going on a hike (which I opted out of...headache and all) and then it was back down the mountain and onto the bus.

Here's the whole group we went with. I'm sure I talked to all of them at some point, but I'll be damned if I can remember it! (We were standing on a frozen pond to take this picture and just as we did we heard a huge crack and felt a shudder under our feet. We dispersed pretty quick!)

And here's team Villagey at the festival. (Not sure why I appear to be falling over...)

Lots of the pictures I've posted here were from the website of the tour group we went with. There are tons more if you want to see them. Go to www.adventurekorea.com and click on the photo gallery.

I also have a facebook album if you want to see that too.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=82373&l=05d70&id=890700076

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=82375&l=83bfd&id=890700076

Happy New Year!

2008 already? How did that happen? And the coming of the New Year also marks my 8 month anniversary in Korea. So that means I have 10 months left. Looking back on how the first 8 months flew by, I can only suspect the next 10 will go by even faster.

We spent New Year's Eve at our favourite "Self Club Bar" the Crazy Duck. We're regulars there and the owner knows us and there's a good pack of other regulars we're getting to know by site if not by name so we thought it would be a good place to ring in the New Year. It was a night of rum buckets, dancing and fancy dress. And good fun. Sadly, there was no countdown to midnight, we just kinda watched the clock and when it changed to 12:00 we started cheering and kissing.

Here are some photos of the highlights of the evening:

Here's me posing in my sexy sequined hat.

Here's some of the group: Pip, Rupali, Mike, Myself and Collin in front.

Posing again. Love this pic. I look like I'm waiting for a martini or something...but should also be checked into a mental home.

Hannah enjoying the creepiest mask in the world.

One of the best things about the Crazy Duck is the regular who we call our "helmet-haired spirit guide." He's always there in a strange costume of some kind making balloon animals and schmoozing, though he can't speak a word of English. He gave Mike a business card once, and I guess he's like a clown for hire. But anyway, he made me these wings. I was so overjoyed with them...it seemed like a good omen to welcome the New Year.

I brought them home and gave them to Hue. He is still wearing them, though they are slowly losing air.

At school on New Year's Day we had a western-style New Year's Party with the kids. We had Time Square live from New York on the big screen and played games and had party hats that the kids made and noise makers. At "midnight" sang Auld Lang Syne and tried to get them to kiss their friends. (Not likely...)

Here's me pouring some apple juice "champagne" for the kids. (Look closely and you'll see how red eyes are. The lack of sleep and the emotion of missing everyone at home kinda got to me...)

Happy New Year!!!! toast.

New Year's babies chillin with Father time just before they crash the party and Father Time gets kicked out.

It was pretty fun, anyway. I don't know if the kids understood what they heck was going on, but they like playing with balloons and juice is always good...

Some exciting things have happened since New Year as well...I finally got a new ipod after getting the run-around from my insurance company and many fruitless trips to the repair store who never have regular hours and always seem to be closed whenever I take the hour and half trip into Seoul to go see them. So it's been a month and a half sice I broke my old one. Naturally I was pretty happy to see the new one.

I bought tickets to see Bjork in Seoul in February. Once in a lifetime opportunity...

I have also bought a jangu. Remember the hour glass shaped drum I fell in love with at the Korean Folk Village? Well I found a place in Seoul where I can take lessons to learn to play it so I spent my Christmas money to buy one. The lessons don't start until March and I can't wait!

Getting a little artsy with the photos lately...

Isn't he shiny and beautiful? I have no name for him yet...

And the most exciting news: I have a new nephew! My sister and her husband had their second child on January 2nd. I won't post pictures because I don't know how they would feel about their son being put on the world wide web...but trust me he is the most handsome baby in the world.

So Happy New Year everyone! Going ice fishing next weekend so I'm sure I'll have some great stories from that!