Jinju Lantern Festival - final weekend

On Saturday, I decided to forgo the festival with a group of Cindy's friends, and instead went to game night at the pastor's house. We had some snacks, they made a loaf of bread in a bread maker and we played Catan (Brandon won, I came in second, but did have a minor victory when I used a monopoly card and got every single sheep in the entire game, so like 30 of them). We were able to watch the fireworks from their balcony and it was actually nice to see them from up high. We couldn't see the exploding birds, but I did get a good shot of some of the shape fireworks.

Heart and smiley face fireworks

I went Monday night and met up with Spencer and Christina. There were a few things on my list that I wanted to do and I really wanted to make sure I got some of them done before the last night. The first thing I wanted to do was the community lanterns. They set up some frames at the very beginning of the festival. Then anyone who wanted to could write a message or their name on a slip of something sort of like vinyl paper and stick it on the frame by smearing the back with rubber cement. At first, there was a money pot, then the zodiac signs and last they put up some trees and you could add leaves. I intended to get a green slip of paper for the monkey (my sign), but somehow got a yellow-green paper for what I think was a rat, but looked like a messed up Mickey.

Community monkey lantern

My paper on the foot of the mouse/rat

What do you think this is supposed to be? My paper is on the foot closest to the camera

After adding my message to the deranged Mickey, we went through the cartoon section again and took some more pictures. We also saw a short bit of a salsa ballroom dance act.

Spencer comparing forearms and eating spinach with Pop-eye and crew.

Me and some Smurfs.

Me and Po

Then we checked off the next thing on my list: the last water bridge. I had already done the two short ones that cross directly over the river. This bridge was a little longer, single wide, and went from the musical fountain to the castle. It was very nice because there weren't too many people on it and we were able to get some nice pictures and see a very floating lanterns that you can't see from the other side.

Little mermaid

Me on the bridge in front of a windmill for the Netherlands

Russian nesting dolls. They were all alone on the far side of the water bridge

Then we went into the back side of the castle where they had set up a bunch of lanterns depicting traditional Korean games. Some I could figure out. Others, not so much. One older guy came up and wanted to take pictures with Spencer, so that was kind of funny. After we walked through the castle, it was pretty late and we decided to call it a night.

Arm wrasslin'

Korean cockfighting

Korean seesaw or Neolddwigi

I have no idea what this "game" is supposed to be. It looks like a bunch of people trying to get on each other's shoulders. Well, it really looks like something inappropriate, but I'm guessing it's some form of wrestling. But they have a different, sumo-esque type of wrestling already, so I honestly have no idea what's happening. Makes for a good picture though.

Wednesday was the last night of the festival. I thought it would have been a bigger deal, but I guess because it was the middle of the week, nothing was really different. They did have a musical act playing in the background and apparently a comedian, but that didn't mean much to me.

US - lady Liberty

I met up with Illani after work and Cindy and Garreth joined us for a little while. We all had a kebab and then I rushed over to the hope lantern table to make sure I got one before they closed.

Garreth and the fire breathing dragon. It look us like 10 tries to get one with actual fire where you could also see his face. There was also a fire breathing peacock.

This time I had to make my own lantern by taping up the sides. But, I was also able to put my own lantern into the water this time around, so that was better.

Side 1 of my hope lantern. I had to tape all the pieces at the top and bottom together. It took like 5 minutes and lots of tape.

Side 2 of the lantern

This time, I went in the tiger's mouth, not the lion's mouth. We'll see which side comes true.

Putting the lantern into the water

After the hope lanterns, Cindy left and Illani and I got some cool souvenirs (they are Christmas presents for my siblings, otherwise I'd tell you). Then we walked around and chatted and took pictures. We left around midnight and I feel like I saw just about everything and did everything I wanted to do except for riding the fish boat.

Overall, I was impressed with the festival and I was sort of sad to see it go because it provided much entertainment during the week. Usually we just go to the same places for dinner or to get coffee and we were able to walk around and try some different things.

Jinju Lantern Festival - mid-week festivities

Last time I showed pictures and told you about the festival on the first day. Here's some more of it. I went again on Thursday and Friday, watched fireworks on Saturday and then went Monday and Wednesday of the following week. So, I'll tell you about the week (TF) in this post and then the last few days in another.

On Thursday night I met up with Spencer, Liezle, Cindy and Darragh to see some more sections of the festival. I get off work later than they do, so I met up with them after they had  already eaten a kebab (bitches). Then we walked though the market section, which I hadn't been to yet. It was huge and had random stuff in it.

Us and Nongage - she was posted all over letting you know what's what

Spencer and Cindy left us early because Spencer hurt his foot rock climbing and Cindy had school early the next morning. So the 3 of us walked around and looked at potential games to play. Darragh ended up playing this weird game where you scoop up a fish (or a turtle) and dump it in another bowl and it swims into a section and you get the prize from that section. He won a SpongeBob and gave it to me.

Fish game. The best part was actually scooping the fish. Overall - lame.

Back of a fake castle on the water bridge

Bullfighting floating lantern from the Jinju section

Dragon who guards the entrance to the lantern tunnels.

I putted my desire, now hopefully they coming true

Then we walked around and looked at stuff for awhile and I bought some Christmas presents. Then we tried out massage chairs while the Korean guy selling them tried to talk to us. It was pretty funny. Then we met up with Hein and drank some beers and talked while he tried various odd fried foods. They did have corn on the cob, but they don't serve it with butter or salt, so I didn't get any. Maybe I'll try it next festival.

We left the eating area around 1am and the lanterns were mainly still on. So we walked around while nobody was there and took lots of pictures. Another guy named Adam joined us. We played around and took pictures for about another 30-45 minutes then called it a night and went home.

Us in front of some guards

Castle attack

Inside of a lantern tunnel - with flash

Inside of a lantern tunnel - no flash. There were about 4 or 5 of these huge tunnels with these hope lanterns. You apply for them a month or so in advance of the festival, but if you want to, you can hang it yourself. I did not have one of these lanterns.

Me in a tiki guy's mouth.

Darragh riding a unicorn

Me on a motorcycle trying to outrun a charging bull. These lanterns were on springs like those bouncy things at a playground. They were fun.

Typical Korean type picture. Sadly I am not kidding about that.

Darragh, Liezle and Hein in a heart. Liezle by accident got in this picture with a guy who wrapped his arm around her. Later she figured it looked like a couples picture. It did. I found it hilarious.

Korean driving. Hein's camera battery died, so I took a bunch of pictures for/of him that night.

Cinderella pumpkin coach

Inside the student contest lantern tunnel

Voldemort lantern

Fake Santa - dude has brown side burns!

This is a cartoon kids show and is very popular.

Us and the dragon (he was turned off, but he usually breathes fire)

Friday morning I met up with Liezle and we ran some errands then decided to check out the festival during the day. I wanted to see if I could get some better pictures of the floats than the ones from the night since sometimes the lights blur the pictures. It was fun, but definitely not the same as it is at night. We ate kebabs for lunch and talked to the guy for awhile. He's a student in Korea but his brothers own the stand and make him help out during big festivals. Then we got slushies and headed off to work.

Guards fighting inside the castle. These are usually not up.

Blue dragon inside the castle

Lantern tunnel from the bridge

Before we ate, we asked the lady at the tourist tent where to do the hope lanterns. She didn't speak much English, so instead of trying to direct us, she actually left her tent and walked with us for about 10-20 yards and pointed the tent out to us. She was very nice. She also gave us a map of the festival in English and a lantern guide. The guide told all the different sections of floating lanterns including Jinju, traditional Korean things, fairy tales, religious, and countries from around the world. We also saw some guy using an old lady watering can to water the rocks on the stone path all around the lanterns. We don't know why because there is nothing there except dirt and all it did was make the ground muddy.

Beauty and the Beast

Cinderella and her coach

Kebabs. Chicken on the left, lamb on the right. Both yummy but I prefer chicken.

That night I met up again with Cindy early and we walked around the castle and took pictures and met Liezle to watch a performance. It was labeled as "Hey Ya" and we thought maybe it was Korean dancing to current music or something. It was not. It was this group of 4 women who played traditional Korean instruments. Some of it was ok, but we sat right near a speaker and it was pretty loud. I did start to tear up at "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree" but managed to contain myself.

Cindy trying to do a karate pose with the castle guards. It failed.

Then we walked down the stairs to the water and I wrote and lit my first hope lantern. These were lanterns where you could write a message and then float them. I liked the idea and wanted to do one before they shut down, so I did a quick one that consisted of "Love to Chapmans", "Love to HackPack", something generic about friends and family, and by request this:

It was for their mothers

Then I floated it. I went home later than night and worked out more personal ones that I eventually did on the last night (see future post).

Me in the lion's mouth about to walk onto the floating dock to put my lantern in the water

After my lantern, we walked across the water bridge and went up to the Millennium fountain and the bamboo forest. These are 2 places that I'm been meaning to go to and have never made it. Now that I know how to get there easier than before, I am planning to go again and take different pictures. The forest was set up as a Lover's Lane type thing and had random forest creatures (and the occasional tiger) plus a bunch of bugs "doing it".

Three ladies at the fountain. This is always in Jinju and usually lit up at night. The poles are colored during the day too, just no lights at the top.

Dragonflies do it

Grasshoppers do it (as well as lightning bugs, ladybugs, butterflies and a few other insect species)

Cindy and ET

A very angry lady

This random guy. There were a few of these huge people on benches. The problem was the lighting made it very difficult to get a good picture. There was apparently a "Rocky" type one at some point that we think got knocked over because it wasn't there when we went.

After the love forest, we walked up the backside of the festival and saw the "floats" from the "parade" lined up along a path. Then we played the drums with these people who sold tofu and played their scissors along with us. Then we went home because we were tired and it was starting to get a bit chilly.

Drumming with tofu people

Bike float

Soon to come...more lanterns!