An attempt to go back in time
Trip Start
Aug 28, 2009
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Trip End
Sep 28, 2010
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Where I stayed
My studio apartment in Maetan-dong
Suwon, Gyeonggi, Korea Rep.
Friday, September 11, 2009
The folk village was quite large, and set around a river. Over the course of a couple of hours we saw a temple, school, shrine, market, noblemens houses and commoners houses. It was quite interesting to look inside the houses at the furnishings and tools, but despite the authentic look about the place, it certainly didn't have the life I imagine some 'real' villages in the countryside have.
Perhaps more interesting were the free performances. We saw three during our time there, including equestrian feats, farmer's music and dance and acrobatics on a tightrope. I'm sure none of these took place back in the day when these types of villages were common place, but they were fun to watch. We also saw a folk museum which recreated and displayed a variety of cultural materials from the Joseon period. Here we saw displays of clothing, food and dwellings, annual customs, rites of passage and folk festivities. We only spent about 10 or 15 minutes in here, and saw enough to get the drift.
I was somewhat excited by the fact there was a little vegetarian food on offer for lunch, but less so once I actually bit into my leek pancake. Ania's cold noodle soup was worse though, and on trying it I nearly vomited. I knew for sure at this moment that Korean food was not going to set my world on fire like Vietnamese, Thai or Cambodian, and I'd really struggle to find good food when we were out.
Saying all of this, it was a good half day out, and despite still being within the city, it did feel like we were in a more rural area. One thing the visit did do for me was make me want to get out and see a little of the real Korean countryside. So far I'd only seen the area between Incheon Airport, Suwon and Seoul, and for the most part it was tower blocks. Our time would come.
