Boryeong Mudfest 2012

This weekend we went to Mudfest!

 Mudfest is an annual festival in which mud from Boryeong mud flats is sucked up into giant trucks and dumped over a small area on Daecheon beach. There are giant inflatable slides, obstacle courses, and pools where people can jump in and have a mud fight. The mud is rich in minerals and is supposed to be good for your skin so people put it all over themselves and let it dry. There is even a colored mud section for body painting.

The festival section was cordoned off and you needed a wristband to get inside. We saw that they had sold out when we arrived, but we were with an organized group so we had our wristbands ready to go. The atmosphere was crazy! There was live music playing on the beach, hundred of people drinking and having fun, and tons and tons of mud. A lot of our friends went together so it was great to be with everyone and experience this together. The only downside though was waiting in line for the activites. There were so many people that the majority of the time was spent waiting and standing. We mainly went into the mud prison and the mud painting area as they hardly had a line. We were just getting tired of waiting hours for 10 seconds of a slide. We decided to jump into the ocean and have a nice swim instead. 

The very crowded Daecheon beach. The weather was not this good, but it didn't matter to us.

 

Although the beach was crowded, it was sooooo great to jump into the water and take some weight off our feet. And it was great to finally swim again! I don't even remember the last time we went swimming, so being in that salt water was so refreshing and rejuvenating. I think our bodies (and minds!!!) needed it. Kyle and I sat on the beach the next morning and had an early morning breakfast watching the waves and the people. It was almost like being home in Santa Cruz or San Diego. We saw non-Asians running on the beach! A rarity!

This was the mud prison. Everyone makes sure to close their mouths and cover their eyes.

The town itself is VERY small and this seems like it is the only thing that happens here. It was difficult to find food because there were only a few restaurants. So we spent a lot of our mealtimes perusing through the local 7-11 and FamilyMart.  THe festival draws hundreds of people so the food sells out quickly. The town must make a ton of money over the 2 weekends of the festival.

I did not bring my camera for fear that it would only get stolen or lost, but a few people took some photos so hopefully I can find some and post them. We were photographed and filmed by the press as well so you might even see our faces posted in a newspaper or on TV. Who knows!