주석 (Chuseok) in 순천 (Suncheon) 21st – 23rd Sept ‘10

주석 (Chuseok) in 순천 (Suncheon) 21st – 23rd Sept ‘10

주석 (Chuseok) is the national Korean Thanksgiving holiday celebrating the arrival of autumn. It is a time where Family takes a bigger role in this movie we call 'Our Lives' (at least in Korea anyways :P). Traditionally, families will gather to perform Ancestral Rites (to respect our predecessors), spend time with each other, play games, dance, sing and eat lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots. (breathe*) And lots and lots of food. 

Must-eat-@-Chuseok-Food (ME@CF)
SongPyeon is one of the traditional 'must-eat' food in Chuseok. It's a desert/snack which is made from glutinous rice balls with different kinds of fillings inside. (eg. red bean, black sesame, etc.)  

Another traditional food is a type of soup that includes mini balls of taro and pieces of beef. There are so many other ME@CFs that I am quite sure I didn't even try nor realise it was a ME@CF. :D 

One thing for sure though. I ate - A LOT. :)

SunCheon
After 5 hours of train ride (2 hours sitting on a railing) from Yongsan (Seoul), we finally got to순천 (Suncheon).


Suncheon is a nice quiet town, and I was told by Ilyun’s dad that it was the best city in Korea to live in. He may be a bit biased :P but I can see where he’s coming from. This town of 200,000 or so people, it is lodged between the river, the sea, and the mountain; Thus fulfilling all the good Fengshui requirements for a paradise. :D

The air feels fresher and is not dense nor is it humid. The wind blows a gentle breeze, especially this time of the year. 

For those of you who love the Big City life, this city is probably not a place you want to live in, but maybe a place to escape your busy buzz buzz life of a working bee of the hi-tech bee-hive, we call the contemporary modern society of the 21st Century. 

It's a town where crickets still chirp @ night when the town sleeps. 





For a small town, it is still pretty developed.

The Suncheon Bay Eco Park
The Suncheon Bay Eco Park is definitely a place to visit for sight-seeing and get the finest scoop of fresh air. It has the 4th (approx.) biggest wetlands in the world (or so I’m told :P – I believe it). Fear not, this does not mean it’s crawling with bugs, and it doesn’t mean that you have to go through muddy tracks to get a glimpse of this natural oasis.





There’s a 2.5km track to the top observation deck which is not hard to reach at all. Listen, if a Grandma with a stick can do it, so can you! :D I believe it’s a must! And definitely worth it, especially if you’re in time to catch the Sunset or the Sunrise.




What I found interesting was the fact that there was an “easy” road and a “hard” road.
I believe there is an entrance fee, but I’m not quite sure how much since Ilyun’s dad kindly paid for me :D

So I took the road less travelled by, and it made all the difference…..






Nakan Castle
Nakan Castle is one of the most well-preserved traditional villages that depicts the old way of life of the Korean people. 






It exhibits artefacts, the traditional food, games, and the punishment system in its museums. 






The sceneries are surrounded by mountain ranges that stretched endlessly. 



The main purpose of the castle is to ward off and act as a first line of defense against Japanese Pirates. 





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