"Let's get dirty," was my theme for this past weekend, where I visited the 10th anniversary, of the Boryeong Mud Festival. I went with the "Adventure Korea" tour group, to Daechon Beach, which is two hours south west of Seoul, on the yellow sea. The mud festival is a yearly festival that attracts many foreigners. Many people go to not only see the beach, but to partake in the mud activities near the beach. Daechon Beach mud is known for making mud cosmetics, as the mud is supposed to help tighten the skin and prevent aging (I sure could use a little of that). More about the mud benefits below.
"As lovely as the city’s beaches, mountains and ocean views are, Boryeong is mighty famous for its mud. Beginning in July of 1996, the city of Boryeong began extracting superior-quality mud from the pristine tidal mud flats near Daecheon Beach. Boryeong mud was discovered to be remarkably good for the human body. The mud produces a large amount of so-called far-infrared rays (FIR), a form of light - invisible to the naked eye - which ionizes and activates water molecules in our cells and blood. The effects of FIR are improved oxygen levels in our bodies, the removal of toxins and fats from our bloodstream and elimination of waste, and improvement of nervous functions. The mud contains more germanium, minerals and bentonite than mud imported from overseas, including the so-called “black mud” of Israel’s Dead Sea region, also renowned worldwide for its cosmetic effects and used as an ingredient in skincare produces.
The city of Boryeong produces some 16 cosmetic products using Boryeong mud including the ever-popular mud packs. The wondrous health and cosmetic effects of the mud have been proven by studies by the Korean Research Institute of Standards and Science, Korean Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Taepyungyang Technology Institution and Wonkwang University. The town’s mud products, meanwhile, have passed the rigorous standards of international health agencies such as the United States’ FDA and Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. In 2001, it also received ISO 9001 certification."
http://english.tour2korea.com/03Sightseeing/TravelSpot/travelspot_read.asp?oid=3755&kosm
http://www.worknplay.co.kr/buryeongsites/buryeong.html
I found out upon arrival to the area, that the real mud flats where Boryeong ships its mud from, is twenty minutes away from Daechon Beach. We stopped at the mud flats, and had to change into military gear. There were about 300 of us from 'Adventure Korea' who had to take part in a rigorous military training, in the mud. We had to wear, mud shoes, and dress in army pants and long sleeve shirt. The mud was quite deep and in some places, I lost my shoes. My friend actually had her shoe sucked underneath the mud, and we couldn't find it. We had to run in the mud around flags, and do jumping jacks. We had a mud fight, and mud wrestling. I have never felt that dirty before.
I'm waiting to get the pictures from Adventure Korea before I post any on here of the mud flat experience. After spending about a few hours or more, playing in the mud, we all got to indulge in a beer, by the side of the road. Only in Korea can you drink outside by the road, and on the bus. I had mud in EVERY crevice of my body.
The showers consisted off some guy spraying ice cold water from a fire hose (strong) at us as we walked by. There were also a few showers outside, for everyone to share. Lets just say, that I wasn't that clean afterwards. There were no places to change, so we were pretty wet and dirty afterwards.
We then headed to Daechon Beach, where we were staying in guesthouses for the night. The beach is nice, but it is a sand/shell beach, at 3.5km long. The mud events were taking place on the street, where they had a mud wrestling area, and a huge water slide. There was also a band shell, facing the beach. We walked along the beach, and ended up sitting on the beach at night drinking, while my friend played the guitar for all of us. All that was missing was a campfire. I walked along the beach with friends, and enjoyed the good company, with the sound of the waves crashing on the shore.
Here is a picture of the happening area along the beach, where there was some mud events taking place. You can see part of the slide on the left hand side. There were many people here, but not as many as the weekend prior. We were at the last weekend of Mudfest.
The weather was very cloudy on Saturday, but the sunset ended up being really beautiful. Sunday was very sunny, and it was too bad we had to go home by 4pm. On Saturday, I put some blue mud on me, I think it was more like paint, because it was so hard to get off of me. They had a jail, where I had to go, because I was a bad girl that day. Thankfully, I had a get out of jail for free card. Phew, that was close.
Beautiful sunset on the yellow sea.
The whole weekend was pretty relaxing. On Sunday afternoon, me and a few friends had booked an appointment to get a mud massage. What a treat that was!! It was a full body massage, where they put mud all over you. I mean everywhere! You let the mud dry, and then you take a jacuzzi afterwards. It was a two hour blissful experience, and we almost missed our bus back, because it took longer than expected. For forty five thousand won, it was well worth it. My skin still feels smooth, and soft, four days after.
On Sunday it was a beautiful day with blue sky, and I am sans-mud at this time.
I would recommend going to this mudfest if you get a chance. It is always around the same time every year. This year it was held for two weekends including July 14th, and 15th, and July 21st, and 22nd.
These are some crazy signs that were posted on the main street. I felt so special as a foreigner. Only in Korea, I say.
