Picture from here.
I feel pretty worthless for taking the weekend off and not doing much of anything. I was too tired and too cold to make it over to Hampyeong for the last days of the Chrysanthemum Festival, but you should still take some time to look through some of the pictures other people have taken because it looks really nice. Other people complained to me, though, that the 6,000 won entrance fee was a bit much, like how they charged 15,000 won for the Butterfly Expo.
The Namdaemun replica was perhaps the centerpiece of the festival. Then there's this:
Yes, 신기한 indeed. More photos available via a Naver search, which will turn up some news stories and tons of blogs like this one and this one. A Cyworld search will lead to more good ones.
You'll remember that Hampyeong put up a cardboard Obama as a "photo point," or something, next to that Namdaemun gate. Here's another picture of that, made twice as good by the incorporation of couple tees.
Another one of the festival's attractions? Moon bears (2), probably from the local ecological park.
On Sunday I managed to get off my fat ass and go to the Gwangju International Food Fair. It was an okay way to spend a couple hours, but they have a very loose definition of "international" as there were only a couple of booths of non-Korean products. The American table had nachos, there were a couple tables of Australian diet supplements, a table or two of miscellaneous snacks, plus of course those Turkish kebab guys. I had a chuckle at this unintentionally ironic booth from a Russian Federation country.
And I know all my Polish fans will object to this exhibit:
Everything else was local specialties such as Boseong green tea, Naju pears, and Yeonggwang gulbi, and the like, as well as kitchen equipment. There were free samples of these local products to be had, but when I heard of the festival last month I thought it'd be more filling, rather than just bite-sized pieces of fruit, spices, and ginseng. The Turkish guys must've made a killing as they were one of only about two booths where a filling snack was available. There were long lines for some of the more popular samples, such as coffee and soju, respectively. I love the old people squatting in line.
That allows me an opportunity to photoshop this white guy in with one of the mascots.
One of the more interesting exhibits was of crackers and breads built and molded into interesting scenes, such as a cathedral, Namdaemun, and a lizard, among others.
I had to rely on my cellphone camera for the day, so I'll spare you the agony of the rest and will instead just refer you to a Naver search for more.
Michael, formerly of Speakeasy and currently of The Underground Grocers in Gwangju, gave me a bit of a warning on my original post:
I go every year, for obvious reasons, but it usually blows. It is full of old people and children. There are constant fights as they all try to get free samples of yet another Korean taste treat.
It is supposed to be an opportunity for vendors to find new outlets for their products but it is really a tourism event. I have only made one contact and even that guy gave up on trying to sell his products in Korea when he realized that there were really no potential buyers other than two or three whities.
I guess the city of Gwangju has to justify the construction of the Kim Daejung Convention Center somehow.
Heh, that's pretty much it. Something to do, and a good filler if there's no way you're dragging your lazy ass out to Hampyeong, but disappointing if you're expecting "international" or "food." Interestingly, also sporting the "international tag" is the "International Senior Fair" coming up next weekend at the Convention Center which will proudly feature senior citizens from all over South Korea. Because Gyeongsang people are really weird.
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