Hows it going people!
This blog entry is another article I've written for The Gwangju News. We went to the annual Mud Fest in super style. A great weekend. Sloppy stuff: enjoy!
Down Right Dirty – The Boryeong Mud Festival
Let’s face it: cleanliness can be overrated. And the Boryeong Mud Festival didn’t hesitate to prove that. Although it ran for nine days, it took only one weekend to show its teeth and bring out the filthiness of all in its path. As thousands descended upon Daecheon Beach for the 13th annual event, it was a case of every man, woman and child for themselves.
As you can imagine, the mud is trucked in by the tonnes. Historically, the plains inland from the beach were thought to hold mud that contained minerals which are beneficial for the skin. This theory was backed up by several research institutes over ten years ago and the town has not looked back since. Last year saw around 32,000 visitors flock to join in on the madness. Not only holding the festival, which generates big income, but also packaging and exporting several skin and facial products has helped put Daecheon on the Korean tourism map.
Day and night certainly held its contrasts on the opening weekend. Saturday saw rain and winds in the afternoon, which did nothing to deter the people. The beachfront held a greeting of mudslides (fantastic idea if not for the 4 hour line up), mud pits (great for a bit of rough and tumble) and plenty of random mud being hurled around carelessly. There is nothing like getting smashed by a flying aerial assault of earth’s finest and not giving a stuff. What was great to see was a mud painting te
nt, which literally covered people head to toe in all different colours. Some people looked like they had just walked off a horror movie set.
The destination is perfect as the sea was all too inviting. Choppy waves were helped along by careless jet skiers who were acting like lifeguards (maybe they were..?) Contrary to what was initially thought, sand proved to be a bigger problem at the end of the trip.
As the weather calmed and day rolled into night the scene was set for the perfect concert mood. The opening ceremony displayed some traditional Korean mud dancing and several other great performances on the main stage. One notable act was a Korean beat-boxer who was very impressive, and extremely humble with his talent. But the most memorable moment were the fireworks. Unbelievably good. A spellbinding display which seemed to last forever and, if they repeated the same every night, would make for an insanely costly exercise.
The Sunday saw the weather turn it on. A great day to check out the events. This is worth a mention: morning is definitely the best time to go. Most people are still in bed nursing hangovers, the mud is fresh (if you know what I mean), the lines are shorter and there is a greater sense of filthy freedom.
It wasn’t all roses and picnics however. There are certain areas with plenty of room for improvement that could help add to the event’s longevity. A few event staff agreed that there weren’t enough facilities. Also a few more mudslides and painting tents wouldn’t go amiss. When trying to find the back of the line during the day, a simple “no way am I getting in that” was the answer. Also the hunger of motel managers was at full scream. Whispers of people forking out up to 120,000 won a night for a small room left those without bookings with little option.
Don’t bother with taking any items for the day.
Leave the whites at home!
For those with glasses. Take plenty of contact lenses.
Try and check out the morning, you’ll get to see and do a lot more.
One word to sum up; Freedom. The Mud Fest is a simple idea with profound impact. If you missed out this year and will be around for 2011, it is well worth the experience. There is no doubt this event will get bigger, let’s hope the organisers realise this and get on top of it sooner rather than later. One thing’s for sure. You’d hate to be on clean up duties. 
This blog entry is another article I've written for The Gwangju News. We went to the annual Mud Fest in super style. A great weekend. Sloppy stuff: enjoy!
Down Right Dirty – The Boryeong Mud Festival
Let’s face it: cleanliness can be overrated. And the Boryeong Mud Festival didn’t hesitate to prove that. Although it ran for nine days, it took only one weekend to show its teeth and bring out the filthiness of all in its path. As thousands descended upon Daecheon Beach for the 13th annual event, it was a case of every man, woman and child for themselves.
As you can imagine, the mud is trucked in by the tonnes. Historically, the plains inland from the beach were thought to hold mud that contained minerals which are beneficial for the skin. This theory was backed up by several research institutes over ten years ago and the town has not looked back since. Last year saw around 32,000 visitors flock to join in on the madness. Not only holding the festival, which generates big income, but also packaging and exporting several skin and facial products has helped put Daecheon on the Korean tourism map.
Day and night certainly held its contrasts on the opening weekend. Saturday saw rain and winds in the afternoon, which did nothing to deter the people. The beachfront held a greeting of mudslides (fantastic idea if not for the 4 hour line up), mud pits (great for a bit of rough and tumble) and plenty of random mud being hurled around carelessly. There is nothing like getting smashed by a flying aerial assault of earth’s finest and not giving a stuff. What was great to see was a mud painting te
nt, which literally covered people head to toe in all different colours. Some people looked like they had just walked off a horror movie set.The destination is perfect as the sea was all too inviting. Choppy waves were helped along by careless jet skiers who were acting like lifeguards (maybe they were..?) Contrary to what was initially thought, sand proved to be a bigger problem at the end of the trip.
As the weather calmed and day rolled into night the scene was set for the perfect concert mood. The opening ceremony displayed some traditional Korean mud dancing and several other great performances on the main stage. One notable act was a Korean beat-boxer who was very impressive, and extremely humble with his talent. But the most memorable moment were the fireworks. Unbelievably good. A spellbinding display which seemed to last forever and, if they repeated the same every night, would make for an insanely costly exercise.
The Sunday saw the weather turn it on. A great day to check out the events. This is worth a mention: morning is definitely the best time to go. Most people are still in bed nursing hangovers, the mud is fresh (if you know what I mean), the lines are shorter and there is a greater sense of filthy freedom.
It wasn’t all roses and picnics however. There are certain areas with plenty of room for improvement that could help add to the event’s longevity. A few event staff agreed that there weren’t enough facilities. Also a few more mudslides and painting tents wouldn’t go amiss. When trying to find the back of the line during the day, a simple “no way am I getting in that” was the answer. Also the hunger of motel managers was at full scream. Whispers of people forking out up to 120,000 won a night for a small room left those without bookings with little option.
Here are some tips for next year:
Book early and with a group you trust (not with a random group of people from Seoul who crammed 15 people in a 20 square metre room… when you booked back in April).
Book early and with a group you trust (not with a random group of people from Seoul who crammed 15 people in a 20 square metre room… when you booked back in April).
Don’t bother with taking any items for the day.
Put enough cash into a small waterproof bag and leave it in your pocket.
Leave the whites at home!
For those with glasses. Take plenty of contact lenses.
Try and check out the morning, you’ll get to see and do a lot more.
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