Chuseok

September 14, 2008

Chuseok is a sort of a Korean Thanksgiving. We got the weekend off and took off to Bigum-do for some end-of the season sun and surf. We rented some cabins to stay in with 14 other people that he have become friends with here in Mokpo.

The weekend was so much fun, except for the sunburn I got despite all of the sunblock I put on. We went swimming a lot as well as sunbathed on the beach. The owner of the hotel we stayed at provided us with some “servica” which is something Koreans often do. It means that they often add on something extra when you purchase an item or service. In this case, he decided that he would drive us for free along a tiny road to heart beach, which is the most popular beach on Bigum-do. It certainly was pretty.

Both nights we gathered enough wood for a small fire and hung out around the fire while we worked up the courage to go night-swimming. When we finally did both nights it was worth it because there is phosphorescent plankton in the water that leaves trails of sparkles when you swim through them.

There were only three bad parts about the whole weekend, my sunburn, Cody and I accidentally broke our camera, and the weekend had to end eventually. I have decided that Bigum-do is one of my favorite places to go so far for beaches, but I can’t really decide because I haven’t visited any other beaches.