Day 5 - July 23rd 2002

Cultural Village - 0745 (0900)

Today, there was the usual stuff: wake up at 0745, breakfast at 0830 and board the coach at 0900. Having done all that, we traveled to the mountains to visit a Korean cultural village. It was raining quite heavily then and quite cold as well. Upon our arrival, the village was deserted and very quiet.

We headed for the show area almost immediately. After much negotiation, the actors finally agreed to host a full show for us (otherwise, there would be nothing).

The cultural display was stunning. Costumes were remarkably colourful and the song and dance was of the best quality. It takes a visit to really make one wonder at the very special cultural characteristics of Korea.

After the show - and the applause, we took the coach to lunch. On the way, the tour guide narrated a story which I will regurgitate below.

Once upon a time, there was a landlord
Evil he was, he forced young men to do manual labour
One day, a young man reached the designated labour age
A beautiful sister had he - the lass the landlord had been eyeing
She was captured someday later
The young man's face became red as his fire glowed hotter
He marches up the hill one evening after cutting the wood,
and ransacks the house of the landlord.

The authorities trusted him like a turkey and led him up Mao 'er Shan
Beaten with staves and rushes, hot blood flowed down the hill,
and paved the winter snow red
Spring came and flowers the colour of blood sprang from the soft spring soil.

So there!

Lunch - 1230

We had a rather nice lunch today, in the comforts of a small inn. 2 consecutive birthdays were celebrated today for convenience reasons and also because cakes are a rarity. A true luxury, perhaps.

Chang Bai Shan Museum - 1630

After an enduring bus ride, we arrived at the foot of Chang Bai Shan (長白山). The air was noticeable cooler and cleaner too. We stopped by the museum for a look.

There was a model of the mountain and various ecological, geographical and geological specimens on show. Some were being tightly scrutinised, so obviously, only a few photos could slip by. One interesting room included 'monsters from the deep' articles based on strange sightings by the public near the caldera.

Dinner - 1800

Having trampled the museum and being a little rushed for time, the coaches hurtled towards the restaurant, rain beating on the windscreen. We disembarked and sat down at the tables laid out for us. As warned by previous rumours, today's dinner meal consisted of mountain vegetables and vegetables only. Many youngsters found it difficult to stomach the spice and fibre so they indulged in coca cola instead.

Hotel - 2300

On the way to the hotel, we stopped at the great gates of the mountain to stock up on shoes. Yes, shoes. at $25 a pair, they were good deals. We spent a long time there purchasing the year's stock of shoes, raincoats and other essentials. The shoes were recommended for tomorrow's Underground Forest tour. Having bought fortune upon the stores, we continued to the hotel (天上溫泉).

The room lighting was poor and the room was small. The shower was also primitive and access to the spring water costed $80. I took the deal and bathed in the eighty degree mineral waters. Oh, the bed matresses were useless too. We felt the wooden boards underneth. The pillows were paperlike and similarly - useless.

---< end of day 5 >---