| Page Views: 2,906 Last Visit to South Korea: October, 2006 | Music for Peace, Marching for the Future by ShelleyKeating - last update: Jun 27, 2007 |
My Brilliant Korea | Statue of Brothers, Seoul |
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| Wonju International Tattoo, Wonju |
|  | The Wonju International Tatoo, 2006 Until recently Korea was a far-off peninsula "somewhere near China", but since knowing of my trip, and the subsequent research/readigs/viewings i've learnt of its somewhat tragic history and of its recent growth and development.
My 10 days spent in South Korea was an incredible experience and between the two daily performances I saw some of Korea and had glimpses into the heart of its people and vibe of its culture.
The Wonju International Tattoo is held every two years in Wonju (the 'centre of Korea'). I was part of the New Zealand Highland Dancing team to perform in this incredible event along with The French Foreign Legions, the Japan Air Self Defense Band, the Mongolian Central Band of the Army, the Orchestra of the Pacific Fleet HQ, the Singapore Armed Forces Central Band, the 8th United States Army Band, and the Symphonic Band of the Artistic Association of Denia along with 6 Korean military bands. With such a cast the show was spine-tingling and the music at its best. Being the geographical centre of Korea, Wonju has the most military bases. |
| | Important Intangible Cultural Assest South Korea has a strong sense of national pride and holds in esteem what is known as 'National Treasures' or 'Important Intangible Cultural Assets'. These range from species of dogs, old stone bells and to the mask play of Hahoe village. Each item has a documented number which i think reflects the organisational nature of South Korea.
Before I left I read a few books which built on my scarse knowlegde of the country. One i really enjoyed was Simon Winchesters 'Korea' which follows his journey walking from South to North of the country.
The cities of South Korea at night struck me with the tall, gray and plentiful apartment buildings- hundreds side by side all looking the same. The drive through the cities were on a web of well-lit freeways, neon signs and neon red crosses marking churches.
In contrast the Korean countryside in Autumn is a mixture of lush tree-covered hills that roll into the distance and agriculture. There is a fog which sometimes doesn't lift during the day and colours the moon an orange-yellow tinge. Sometimes the countryside looked very winterly with the only thing defining the season being the orange and red tinged trees and the Harvest activities of the farmers. Little space is wasted with crops growing right up to the sides of the highways. This part of Korea (the centre) is used for vegetable farming and the flatter South is used for animal farming. It appears sky blue is a popular colour for roof tops as many of the houses and factories have them. |
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| Pros: | "Rich in culture, some amazing areas" | | Cons: | "Heavy smog often doesn't lift" | | In A Nutshell: | "Kimchi!" |
ShelleyKeating's South Korea Travel Tips
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 Comments for ShelleyKeating about South Korea | | | | |
cachaseiro Tue Oct 21, 2008 11:18 UTC
very interesting page. i hope to visit korea sometime within the next couple of years. | nepalgoods Sat Mar 1, 2008 18:52 UTC
Great experience you had! I hate Kimchi! | planxty Sat Jun 23, 2007 13:59 UTC
Hi Shelley, nice to see another performer on VT. Great South Korea pages - it looks a fascinating place. fergy. | Trekki Tue Nov 7, 2006 08:11 UTC
Ahh, wonderful start !! Green tea frozen yoghurt sounds very much yummie, and your restaurant picture makes me hungry :-)) Lucky you to go there for performances :-)) |
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