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Well..!!..Another busy & most interesting week has passed by for SongHi & I.Busy..'cause for 3 days we had a full house with most of the family here to celebrate "Chuseok" and interesting I guess more for me,as this was my first experience to share in the most important holiday in the Korean calendar.Most of the relatives came down from Seoul & were here by Tuesday afternoon & I'm happy to say I have now met all of Song's brothers & sisters....While the ladies tidied up in the house & prepared a few Korean local specialities,I put myself to use by helping a couple of the brothers & nephew to mow & tidy up the garden....As it has been quite hot & humid it certainly helped me to build up a sweat and good appetite for dinner in the evening....
Wednesday.."Chuseok Day" began with the traditional thanksgiving ceremony by all the men in the family...A unique & uplifting experience to witness as a new member of the family.This was supposed to be followed by us visiting the family cemetary but due to the constant rain in the morning,it was postponed to the next day.Lunch was the traditional Korean BBQ.on the front lawn, with a neverending stream & choice of dishes. "Soju" the local rice wine seems to go very well with a Korean BBQ.....With lunch over & a lucky break in the weather, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me to take a few family pics. outside....So,for all family members who would like to have a look...I have now added a Family Album to this travel blog for all to view.Oh.! Ok then..!! non family members can have a look too if you wish..!!..
The rest of the afternoon was spent with a siesta by most, while I got down to doing a little bit of photo editing to save time later....
On Thursday morning a few of us went to the family cemetary to pay our respects to our ancestors... (another moving experience for me)...with the rest of the day spent eating & eating and me getting to know the rest of SongHi's family.By late afternoon a couple of brothers & their families left for the long drive back to Seoul.
Song's 4th eldest brother decided to take us out for a drive on Friday...the highlight being the female Buddhist temple "Wibong Sa",situated in a very serene & quiet hillside village not far from home.If you did not already know,here is a little bit of trivia for you...."Though originating in India, Buddhism arrived in Korea in the year AD372 through chinese monks"........
Over the weekend Song's 5th brother had organised a night away for six of us,including Song's parents to stay at the "JeungHeung Gold Spa & Resort"on the outskirts of Nampeong-eup....A city on the southwest coast.Though designed more as a theme park for families with younger children, it was still a nice break, especially for mum & dad after the last few busy days at home.On the way down we stopped at a couple of very old traditional korean towns (Suncheon & Naju) made famous for chilli paste & the cultivation of Nashi pears.
On the drive back on Sunday we visited the famous "Dawon Green Tea Fields" at Boseong.....probably the highlight of the trip for me with my camera...With it's avenues of Cedar trees mixed with hillside rows of tea bushes it's apparently a popular location for filming korean movies,TV series & commercials.So..I guess a few more pics to add to the Korean album in this blog..!!
Sadly..!! it's our last week in Korea,so my next entry to the diary will most probably be from the UK....It has been a very exciting and interesting first leg, of the overseas part of our long journey & we are actually planning on stopping here again on our way back in 10 months.I guess we better start thinking of packing the warm clothes to the tops of our packs,seeing as we will be flying in to an English autumn or maybe even an early winter.Yes..!! my kind of weather...!!..Cannot Wait..!!
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