Another year, another mudfest. This time things started off great, took a wet turn for the worse, then came out with sunshine smiles.
We took off Friday night on a bus departing from Express Bus Terminal and bound for Boryeong. Our group consisted of Ian, Lyn, Jodie and yours truly. We sped along at a nice clip and arrived in what seemed like barely a couple hours. We stocked up on booze, water and snacks at the local E mart. A quick taxi ride to Daechon beach and a little unpacking left us with a sizable chunk of night left. This year our pension was at the far end of the beach. I’d never even been in that part of the beach before, but happily all the festivities had moved further down the beach from previous years.
Filling our tummies was mission number one. We hit up a seafood place ordered up shellfish and spent the next few hours downing soju shots dunked in beer in a game of Titantic along with a heap-fulls of shellfish. Our friend Joe joined us and afterward we hit the beach for a late night frolic in the sand. A perfect night!
Unfortunately, Saturday brought nothing but rain and gloomy skies. Eerily similar to last years mudfest monsoon we feared a repeat. Undaunted our group forged ahead into the mud splattered festival goers. I noticed immediately that this year things way more organized and efficient. More festival staff, lockers to keep belongings, changing areas, mats to keep injuries down and a lot more activities. The rains came and went and came and went but didn’t damper our spirits or fun time.
Thankfully, though, Sunday brought a dazzling dose of much needed sunshine. We had already planned to depart by noon, but that still left us the morning to soak in the sun, hit the beach, and jump in the sea. Too soon it was time to head back to Seoul, but this year’s Mudfest turned out to be just as much fun as the others!
You guys should definitely go once! It’s something to experience and its gotten better each year, although if I’m here next year I don’t know if I’ll be up for it again. I’m thinking its probably nice just to hit the beach, relax and take in the seafood without the unruly crowds and mud.
Love the photo collages. I think it's a much better way than posting a bunch of pictures that you have to scroll through. You know, I've been in Korea now for two years and STILL haven't been to Mudfest. Maybe next year?