NaNoWriMo Busan 2012! Launch Party Sun. Oct. 28

Launch Party Sun. Oct. 28, 5-7 pm, Starbucks Gwangan Beach near Millak, 3F

Calling all writers and would-be novelists in the Busan-and-surrounding areas! Come join us this November for NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo is a 30-day-long global event where participants attempt to write 50,000 words (the rough equivalent of a novel) during the month of November. Why? For fun, cheap thrills, and to proudly tell others, "Why YES, I have written a novel"! 

Along with two friends, I've made myself a self-appointed organizer for NaNo Busan 2012. We are having a Launch Party this Sun. Oct. 28 from 5-7 pm at Starbucks on Gwangan Beach, 3rd floor (near Millak NOT Geumnyeonsan, directions & map below). Come out, meet some new people and fellow writers and find out what this event is all about!

Sign up for NaNo at www.nanowrimo.org, it's free or by voluntary donation and join the "Asia: South Korea: Busan" forum for questions and updates. We also have a Busan Nano group, where we will post about events, including this Sunday's Launch Party, write-ins, a Halfway Party, and the TGIO (Thank God It's Over!) Party.

Feel free to contact us through the NaNo Busan facebook group. Share this event and hope to see you Sunday, Oct. 28, 5-7 pm at Starbucks on Gwangan Beach near Millak, 3rd floor!

NaNoWriMo Official Site: www.nanowrimo.org
Nano Busan:https: www.facebook.com/groups/300624540310/?fref=ts

Directions (7-9 minute walk from Gwangan station):
- Take subway to Gwangan station (stop #209 on Line 2, Green line).
- Take Exit 3, and walk DOWN the main cross-street towards the beach.
- Take a left when you reach beach boulevard.
- Walk past Lotteria, and a burger joint.
- Starbucks will be on your left. It has a porch facing the beach, 3rd floor.

Map: http://maps.google.ca/maps/myplaces?hl=ko&ll=35.155017%2C129.120346&spn=0.00318%2C0.004801&ctz=-540&t=m&z=18&start=0

An Icy Adventure at the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival

South's Korea's northernmost province Gangwon-do is home to the city of Hwacheon and one of winter's most exciting events: The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, or Mountain Trout Festival.

I traveled with a our group to reach Hwacheon. Arriving, we saw that the festival "grounds" weren't really on ground at all, rather the festival takes place on a long stretch of the Hwacheoncheon, "cheon" meaning "stream." Exiting the bus, we could see hundreds of people already engaging in the festivities. The most popular activities are traditional ice fishing and barehanded ice fishing. 

Ice fishers, hard at work

My friends and I decided to give ice fishing a try, and after receiving our poles we then sought out a fishing hole in the special foreigners' fishing area and settled in for some good, chilly fun. We let the line out until it touched the bottom and alternated pulling the fishing line at slow or quick speeds, as instructed. We spent more than a few minutes peering into the fishing hole to make sure that there were fish, and indeed there were. We just weren't catching any. Across the way, in the Koreans' fishing area, we could see what successful fishing looked like, as Koreans young and old (and serious!) caught their lunch.

My model for fishing success!

I worked hard, checking for fish, but my line still came up empty  :(

Following our failed attempt at ice-fishing, two of us decided to join the bare-handed fishing competition for foreigners. We suited up in some orange festival shirts and shorts before walking barefoot to the basin. At -15°C, we were feeling frozen before we even jumped in the water! 

Ooooh, it's chilly!

We were given just five minutes in the water, and believe me, you wouldn't want to stay any longer! We could catch a limit of three fish each. For my first minute, I was cold and miserable, but a little boy on the sidelines looked at me and whispered, "Fighting," a Korean expression meaning, "You can do it." I smiled and then, along with his family, they cheered for me, "Fighting!" After that, I managed to trap my three trout, making sure to show my cheerleaders each one.

How to Catch a Trout Barehanded
1) Grab the fish, 2) Wrestle it out of the water,
3) Stuff it it your shirt, and 4) Pose! You've done it!

I caught my trout just in time, and after a hot dip in the tub and a towel-off, we took my catch to the barbecues for the next step: Eating! Nothing washes down victory quite like buttered trout, soju, and beer!

Tasty trout, sun, and soju: A perfect festival day

Refreshed, warmed, and re-energized we dedicated the rest of our day to festival fun. You could choose from a myriad of activities, including ice sledding, go-karts, ATV rides, bumper cars, ice soccer, trampolines, and a snow maze. We opted for sledding and and ATV ride, and both were wild fun!

Fun on ice with an ATV

Tired but happy, my friends are I made one last dash through the snow maze before heading back to our hotel, our heads swimming with our day's icy adventures.

The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival takes places annually for the month of January. Activities range from 3,000 to 15,000 won and include coupons for use at the festival. Hwacheon is accessible by bus from Seoul and Changwon, and the festival is open from 9 AM until 6 PM. Refreshments are available on site, as are fishing outfits and equipment. Its well worth the trip, and it is one of my favourite festivals to date.

Taking a Winter Dip at the Deokpo Penguin Swim Festival

On January 7th, I took part in the 8th Annual Geoje Penguin Swim Festival. This festival was just so much fun, and definitely one of my favourite experiences in Korea thus far!

I rose early to join a tour group and travel to Deokpo (덕포) on Geoje-do, or Geoje Island (거제도), a tiny area known for its beautiful beach. The festival grounds offered such services as complimentary snacks and beverages for participants, face-painting, and games. 

The opening ceremonies were a wonderful mix of traditional meets modern. First we were entertained with some traditional Korean drum music before watching some edgily-dressed women performing upbeat dance routines to modern K-Pop songs.

Small ones admiring the traditional drum music...

...And playing it too!

Dance troupe CHK showcase some stylish moves

After the show and official greeting, we were ready to swim. The fact that it was such a beautiful sunny day made it easier to take off our street clothes and change into our swim gear, but it was definitely still cold! The shock didn't last long, because we had other things to think about, namely the even colder swim that awaited us, and the camera crews!

The group loving a moment of fame

The festival crowd was quite large. Camera crews circled. It was a surreal feeling, but not an unwelcome one! After countless photos and camera interviews, we began a group warm-up session led by a far too energetic emcee.

Getting limber...

We're ready!

Limbs loose and hearts pounding, the competitors let out a few cheers before the whistle sounded. We ran forward into the ocean. Any thoughts of pain or shock due to the cold were cast aside because the needs of the group demanded that you push ahead. We had to swim a 50-metre round-trip. It was challenging to move in the cold with so many people, but we persevered and we made it. 

The swim didn't take very long, and once we reached dry land again, our cold but happy bodies plodded our way past the cameras, smiling and waving to retrieve our winners' medals. 

Victorious, we smile for the cameras. 
Fighting! 화이팅!

After a few minutes rest with some complimentary snacks, we continued our fun by joining the live flatfish catching contest. About 700 flatfish were released into a netted area in the sea, and we were all instructed to go catch them - by hand! Successful fishers could have their catch filleted and served raw for a small donation.

Our group caught a three-flatfish lunch 

We then took advantage of the free hot shower service and got bundled up again. We participated in some of the other activities, including an eel relay race, treasure hunt, and a three-legged race. One of our team members won an endurance contest, outlasting all the others as he balanced barefoot on a block of ice. 


As our feet thawed, we sat to our meal of delicious raw flatfish or gwang-eo (광어), and many others were doing the same!

The tour group enjoys lunch together 

With all of the festivities completed, we decided to take advantage of the local zip-line that stretched 450 metres from one end of the beach to the other. The view was gorgeous, it was comfortable, and not at all scary once you got off the platform.

Our second adventure of the day, zip-lining!

Mid zip-trip!

Landing intact, our thrill-seeking troupe decided it was time head back. After taking a few parting shots, we drove out of Deokpo, admiring the beautiful sunset and chatting about our adventure-filled day.

Good-bye, Geoje-do.

The 2012 swimming contest cost 10,000 won, and included a souvenir shirt & towel. Many of the other services available were free, or by donation and the event was well-organized. The zip-line costs 20,000 won for a round-trip, and is open year-round. Geoje-do is accessible via the Busan-Geoje Fixed-Link, and trips from Busan take about an hour. I highly recommend the trip! See Geoje-do tourist information: http://english.geoje.go.kr/index.sko.

Takin' the Plunge at the Haeundae Polar Bear Swim Festival

I had the pleasure recently of watching the 25th Polar Bear Swimming Contest on Busan's beautiful Haeundae Beach.

I rolled out of bed early on a Sunday to catch the festivities. The opening ceremonies and welcoming activities began at 9:00 that morning, but the real action started at 11:00 with the official swim event.


The swimmers were called to the front-and-center of the beach for the warm-up. Naturally the majority of the swimmers were Korean, but a few flag-toting foreigners could be made out in the crowd as well. The swimmers joined a warm-up group led by a quartet of attractive young Korean dancers. They were pushed through stretches, aerobic exercise and some fun games, all to the beat of loud and exciting music and cheers from the attending crowds. Cameras and tourists circled the competitors, all hoping for a glimpse of the fun.

Warming up with the dancers and camera crews

Swimmers small and big warm-up together

After the warm-up, the swimmers revved up with a roar of cheers. They turned to the water, and were sent off by the organizers with the bang from a gun, the thunder of applause, and a shower of streamers and confetti. Camera crews stood at the ready with commentators to live-broadcast the event.

Organizers cheer on those brave enough to swim

TV commentators reporting the events

Support for swimmers
on land and in the air!

The swim event lasted about half an hour and after that, the cold and victorious stopped to pose for photos with family, friends, and admirers. Yet another fun and unique event that I've enjoyed during my stay in Korea, and the perfect way to pass an afternoon during the long, cold month of January!

Post-victory pose with penguin

The Polar Bear Swimming Competition takes place every January at Haeundae Beach in Busan. Take any number of trains or buses to Busan, and then the subway to stop #205 on Line 2 (the green line). The beach is only a 5-minute walk from exits 4 and 5. This year, the festival took place January 8th, 2012, and the cost of entry was 20,000 won, including an official t-shirt. You can register through the festival's website, http://bear.busan.com.