Boryeong Mud Festival

Woooo! WooWooo!

We did not turn into "woo" girls, but we did have a blast!

The Boryeong Mud Festival happens on 7.14-7.15 and 7.21-7.22 and draws a massive crowd, of mostly foreigners, to its shore. There are a lot of events you can participate in, such as mud wrestling, mud slides, mud fights, mud painting, and even a mud prison. If you get too dirty, there are showers and a bath they provide on site, but who wants to get into a tub of dirty water that waaaay too many other people have been in? Thankfully, there is also the sea. If you remove the copious amounts of alcohol that some people consume, it's actually a pretty cleansing festival (externally).

The festival started because of the supposed health benefits of the mud (which is quite clay-like, in my opinion, and I do know that is good for skin), and if you lather yourself up, let it dry, and rinse off in the salt water, I'd say you're doing your skin a favor. I like to think my skin is smoother... :)

Unfortunately, it was a little cold, overcast, and rainy this past weekend, but that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves! Or from getting sunburned. There are three things I would recommend bringing regardless of the weather: insect repellent, sun screen, and a mud-proof/water-proof bag that you can put your camera in. I really wish I could have taken pictures of everything! But I didn't want to risk my camera getting ruined. There were those who had no qualms about grabbing a stranger's face and smearing it with mud!

So how did we get there? Where did we stay? We went with a group called Seoulite, and for 65,000 won (64 USD, appx.) you were provided with a bus there and back, as well as a place to stay that was a really short walk from the beach. I would say that it was good for a first time trip because we didn't know where we were going, if we could get a room, or if there were even other ways to get there. If I go again next year, I think I would take the KORAIL (the regular train) down and back. That would be about 14,000 won if you could get standing tickets. Even if motels and hotels are charging more because of peak season, a love motel between myself and a friend would still be less than 50,000 won each. It would be a cheaper route, but also a bit more risky route. Who knows if you could get a room? But if you do, you will have a bed. A BED! The pension we stayed at had a terribly hard floor and only provided thin blankets; they didn't have any of the thicker mats that the other places I've stayed have had. So there's that. You may even have a bath tub!

Oh- one more random recommendation: Don't wear mascara.


Here is the video I put together from our journey to the festival! Thanks to Anna for letting me use her photos!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2aEDLOzb3I&feature=youtu.be



Tata~