Heuksando and Hongdo

Chuseok is similar to Korean Thanksgiving or memorial day. It is a time to give thanks as well as remember those who have passed away. We took advantage of the four day weekend to head off to Jeollanam-Do to visit two of Korea's most beautiful islands. After a bus trip that involved a good amount of Rum and Makli, we made it to Gwangju. From there we decided to head into Mokpo on the southwest coast of the country. The next day we took a rough ferry to Heuksando island. The sea was extremely choppy and people were vomiting all around us. We had all taken some medication that knocked us out and calmed our stomachs. The next time I took a ferry, I decided against the elixir because I didn't want to be tired when we arrived on Hongdo island. I started feeling worse and worse and eventually succumbed to puking in a bag. From then on I took the meds.

We came back from Hongdo to Heuksando just as the Chuseok celebration was beginning. We played some soccer with some little kids and began to drink soju. The sun wasn't even close to coming down, but the locals had already began to party.

We were the only foreigners on the island. It was a completely authentic experience. The villagers offered us soju and stuffed raw fish into our mouths. We did shot after shot with the men and they invited us to sit at their table. They convinced us to sing karaoke (or noribong in Korean). The villagers were dancing and really enjoying themselves when a man ran onto the stage and grabbed the microphone out of our hands. He proceeded to push Nicky and Sandra. Immediately a fight broke out on stage where a few of our new local friends drug him away. We were encouraged to keep singing, and despite our distraction, we did a decent job.

We laughed it off and had a few more drinks with the islanders. We were back at the table when he pulled the chairs out from under Sandra and our friend Emily. The villagers held him back and we parted ways. They shouted "you must go", "He is Korean gangster", and "goodbye." As upset as we were, we walked it off because you don't fight in Korea unless you want to be deported.

We spent the rest of the night dancing with grandmas and having a blast. The old ladies were really getting down. It ended up being a good Chuseok.