Suwon's Korean Folk Village, Spa and Fortress

In Seoul, I had called the Hwaesong Guest House there, using Jenn's phone. Reaching Suwon subway station, I found a tourist info booth where an English-speaking staffperson wrote the name and phone number in Korean so I could give that to a taxi driver. He talked on his cell phone as he drove and, miraculously, at a small street past the historic gate to the Suwon fortress, a Korean man obviously expecting us, was waiting to show us down the street to the guest house. We have a room with a double bed and bright pink flowered walls. You remove your shoes to step up into the room and put on a kind of flip-flop to go into our attached and huge bathroom.
Walking out for supper, we found fierce wind bending streetside trees; sleet pelted and soaked us with temperatures dropping from September to late November's. After walking past shops, including a tailor's, and more colorful, illuminated gates of the fortress walls, we ducked out of the rain into a spacious Korean restaurant. Immediately three women descended on us in fervent welcome. We wanted the famous galpi beef dish and were royalty with two of the women bringing us perhaps 15 different side dsihes and one beautiful woman cooking for us over the hot coats at our table. she made and handed ech of us rolls of the delicious marinated beef, plus kimchi, vegetable, red sauce and/or raw garlic... all wrapped in a lettuce leaf. Following her example we learned to make our own. Mary was able to thank them, say how delicious, and ask what various things were... giving them great pleasure and a little amusement.
Back at the guest house, we discovered we had no sheets or pillow cases...so went on a search and, from the Korean men's dorm, obtained pillows and two covers from bunk beds.

November 9 Tuesday
First morning stop was the bakery on the corner – cakes, pastries and sandwiches to rival our Japanese Gratie coffee and pastry place in Fukuoka. Mary tells me that a candy company managed to create a Korean Valentine's day on November 11 (armistice for warring couples?) and the bakery is resplendent with cakes (made of rice paste) that are dazzling works of art.
Walking to the train station, or more specifically, the tourist information house, we catch the bus to the Korean folk village. A half hour ride through industrial, commercial and residential high-rises identified only by number 316...327...409 (people-storage devices), takes us to the village that quickly became my favorite place in Korea. At the huge gate were guards in traditional dress. Beyond the souvenir shops and food court, traditional buildings of farmer and nobleman, from both northern and southern Korea, formed a village with a pottery shop, paper-making shop, and blacksmith shop. There was a craftsman in traditional white garb weaving a bowl, another making a mat, both from rice straw, and in another dwelling, even a fortune teller. There were flame-colored autumn leaves on the trees.... and no cars!
Besides the peace and quiet, we were treated to performances - drum and dance including spectaular acrobatics as part of what was supposedly a farmer's dance, but involved tassled and colorful attire, with long ribbons on the hats that the men dancing moved with slight movements of their heads and made them swirl like in a Chinese ribbon dance. The musician/dancers sounded their drums, tambourines and cymbals in energetic percussion, as they marched, circled and spiralled, reaching a frenzy of excitement in which the outer ring of dancers, as if propelled by centrifugal force, whipped themselves into twirling somersault cartwheels.
The “peasant” troupe had barely marched away when, in a nearby performance space, a solitary tightrope walker walk/climbed up the 40 degree rope from ground to aerial tightrope. There he repeatedly crossed from one platform, via the rope, to the other, amazing us with his bouncing down to straddle the rope and apparently bouncing back up off his groin! Or squatting on one foot, spinning to face the other way. Especially during the periods of talk/explanation that we of course couldn't comprehend, we were entranced by the group of kindergarten children sitting beside us with their teachers – beautiful, dark-haired, almond eyed children.
At noon a traditional wedding ceremmony took place in the courtyard of the nobleman's villa. With white-clad Confucian officials presiding, the groom entered first in maroon robes, then the bride bedecked in silk was escorted in with a woman attendant on each side. As they faced each other on opposite sides of a table laden with fruit and other food, bride and groom each separately bowed to each other, were given drink and something to eat by the officials. Finally a procession, groom on horseback and bride carried in a palaquin proceded from the nobleman's house..
Just before we left, we witnessed a spectacular display of equestrian skill, riders galloping their steeds around a ring and doing acrobatic stunts – bouncing off the ground back up to the saddle, springing into headstands, throwing a spear into a poster of a boar or shooting arrows into a target, all at high speed.
The 4pm bus brought us back into the land of traffic, industry, crowds and neon signs. Mary went to the Starbucks to get a real coffee (almost everywhere else coffee is a weak and unsatisfactory brew). Meanwhile I went to the tourist info outside Suwon station to get times for the trains to Daegu for tomorrow, and ask about Suwon's jjimjibang (upmarket sauna and spa) and camera shops (since I have already filled my 2GB card with images). In the camera store I opened my camera and showed the card and the battery so, despite our lack of mutual language, I was able to buy both.
At Starbucks, Mary and I discussed plans for the next few days; she had looked up Jjimjibang, some are right at hot springs, have baths of such substances as mud, cedar, and green tea. The young woman at the tourist info had told me Suwon's jjimjibang was near the bus station but that she had never been to it and didn't know the name. On the map it looked within walking distance but even at a fast pace, we tromped for ages (at least 1 ¼ hours) on pavement from downtown into extremely untouristy areas of furniture stores, past garages and repair shops and into another downtown of looo-ooong city blocks. When we stopped to ask to make sure we were on the right street, we were told in effect, “Take taxi or you reach there tomorrow.” Dragging, with aching legs, I was so ready to give up, especially when we had to retrace our steps. A taxi would have been only $5-6 but we had no name of the place. By great good fortune, as we thought we were nearing the bus terminal, I approached a businessman and asked “Jjimjibang?” and he kindly showed us a nearby pink sign – one for women.
We took stairs to a lower level where pink-clad Korean women giggled and took our W5000 ($5) and gave us tea-towel sized orange towels as well as each a key to a locker. Women were walking around nude so we stripped, piled our things into our lockers and went to shower, squating and pouring water from basins over ourselves as well as soaping ourselves. Then into the hot tub. There were 3 comfortably hot, one with bubbly, and another fiery hot that Mary enjoyed, particularly after the cold pool,where we could swim the 25 foot length but mostly used the jets to massage our backs and my aching legs. We tried out the steam room, where you sit on benches, and the dry sauna (64-67 degrees Centigrade) where you sit on the floor stones. Those rooms, as well as the relaxation room above them, had walls of pink and black tumbled pebbles in a design that suggested black mountains and pink sky. In the relaxation room, we tried out the plastic pillows with hard nubs over their surface but then gave up and shared the one soft pillow, the size of a bread loaf, our heads on the pillow and our bodies extending out in a pie shape. Most jjimjibang are open 24 hours so you can sleep overnight in the relaxation room.
Back downstairs, we found beach lounge chairs to stretch out on. On pink massage tables, lay women naked and being massaged, oiled, and pummelled by two other women in what appeared to be black bra and panties. In the outer room one naked woman knelt on the floor, her body and head stretched out along a bench while another woman straddled the bench, massaging her tattooed back. As Mary and I relaxed in this community of women indulging, rejuvenating, luxuriating in the comfort and stimulation of touch, I wondered how Korean immigrants, if not in a community of Koreans, must pine for the sisterhood of the jjimjibang.
A taxi home was another automatic indulgence requiring no decision. Mary said I was asleep even before the little fridge in our room began rattling the tea cup sitting on it.

November 10 Wednesday
Mary has been making strides in learning Korean and the people are delighted, and sometimes amused, to talk with her. Using a course loaded onto her ipod, she hears the Korean, and writes memory clues to help remember it. While she studied this morning, I walked briskly up to see the massive gate at the far end of Suwon's fortress wall. (Our guest house is near the south end's huge entrance gate and at night we see the gate, observation towers, and fire-beacon platforms magically lit.) I hiked along the wall, looked out on the modern city, its rectangular buildings so different from the historic fortress, then strode along the Suwoncheon (river) back to our guest house.

written by

chertop on November 9, 2010 from Suwon, South Korea

from the travel blog: Japan and South Korea 2010

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Hi Na Have been reading a bit more of your blog. I don't have the knack of being able to just find the naw parts.It sounds like exciting but exhausting time for you.
It would not be a god scene for me today, I hiked up Equinox Mountain with Martha yesterday then came home for a continuation of a strange cold I have been having, not much sleep but as usual feel better today.We will see shat tonight brings. Sunny and warm the last few days
Went to Lafontaines for one of the special suppers the other night it was fun. Went to church today.
T Think I will take a bit of a nap then see how I feel tonight is Green Mt. Club dinner. love Hamie

written by

chertop on November 14, 2010

written by

chertop on November 14, 2010

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