Day 44 ( Jinju Trip Day 1 )

Hmm.. on the 3rd October 2008, we've decided to go to Jinju City, Gyeongsangnam-do for the 2008 Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival!! This is me having lunch near the school before meeting up the girls..Delicious meal that cost me only 3000 won!! ( 8 side dishes!! )When we reached the Sasang station bus terminal, there was such a long queue! Don't be deceive by what u see here.. the queue is actually like a snake, twist and turn until it finally reach us.. sian!! And in the end, we took about an hour before the actual boarding of the bus.. haix.. and it took us at least another 2 hours just to reach Jinju City!!
Enjoying the sunset of Jinju City~! My darling and me!

Isn't it beautiful? I like the floating balloons!!

And as the night falls, we can see the majestic view of the floating lanterns!!

Orgin of Floating Lanterns

The Flowing Lantern Festival on Jinju Namgang Yudeng Festical has its origin in the worst suffering period of Imjinwaeran ( Japanese Invasion ). Leading only 3,800 troops, General ( Chung-Mu Gong ) Kim Si-Min killed 20,000 japanese troops who invaded Jinjuseong in October 1592, heightening Korea's national pride. During the Japanese invasion, the general raised a lantern in the sky and floated lamplights and torches on the river to send military signals to loyal troops and other support forces outside the castle. The floating lantern was used as a military tool to signal tactics on preventing Japanese troops from crossing the Namgang. It was also used for communication purposes. Soldiers inside the castle were able to use the lantern as a means of expressing their safety to their families! This is our very own NTU students from Singapore enjoying the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival together with the Koreans!!

Very beautiful!!

Look at the crowd!!! I cannot believe my eyes..

Hmm.. tired to take a few photos but some problem cock up.. This is something i took without the flash. The lantern seems to glow very brightly..

And this is what i took with the flash on.. My camara is not dirty k.. This is the amount of dust in the air!! Once again, without the flash but my stabilization function of my camara activated:

This is with the flash on.. hmm.. it's much clearer! A few dust in the air now.. so my conclusion is: use the flash mode if there is not much dust in the air to get the best scenic view.. Capture a few videos of the beautiful Namgang River!!

Taking picture together!

Guess what?? We manage to witness fireworks with our very own eyes above the Jinjuseong ( Fortress )!! Enjoy the videos!!



Taking a few more photos of the colourful and vibrant view of the Namgang!

With the flash on, it's a little clearer! The next 19 pictures or so are some of the better shots taken by me:

NTU pals enjoying themselves at the crowded Jinju Namgang Yedeung Festival 2008!

Can u see the floating wish lanterns?

Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival has made the Namgang beautiful and brillant as years passed by. During the festival, Namgang, which runs through the center of Jinju, becomes a parade of colourful and beautiful lanterns. Lighting the lanterns keeps the people's wishes for peace, health and prosperity alive.

Square of Millennium!!

Saw these red hanging lanterns? These are the hanging wish lanterns! Hope lamp hanging, an event where citizens of Jinju can participate voluntarily and is held in the waterside of the Namgang ( River ) in Manggyeong-dong. The lamps to pray for the happiness of home, the lamps to pray for the longevity of parents, the lamps to pray for a student's success in an examination, the lamps to pray for the development of Jinju, an acclaimed city...

Took a few videos at the other side of the Namgang ( river )!!

Map of Namgang: Can you see the Jinjuseong Fortress behind?

Lanterns from all around the world can be seen floating on historic Jinju's river, throwing out their light to the world!!

A few more short videos.. haha..

Finally after much fun, we've decided to stay in one of the Jimjibang in Jinju. Truly a culture shock for us.. haha.. this is the counter we get our locker keys and pyjamus from:

And this is the lockers in the male area.

This is a MUST READ for those who wanna stay in Jimjibang..

In case u don't understand, Jimjibang is one of the cheapest accomodation u can have in Korea. Let me briefly talk about the steps u will be doing when u're in Jimjibang:
First, get the locker key and pay about 7000 won.
Second, put your shoes into a small locker using the keys.
Third, put your bags into the above big locker using a magnetic locker.
Fourth, strip naked.
Fifth, walk across the changing room naked and parading your body before u reach the public showering area. Be prepared to allow your body scanned meticulously and in details by the same sex. Soap, comb, cotton bud, weighting machine, hair dryer, mirror and gel provided.
Sixth, walk out of the showering room naked again, take a clean towel and wipe away the water in front of everyone. Be sure to wipe off the water from your body in an elegant way to keep up to your image.
Seventh, change into the pyjamus provided and go up to the public sleeping area. Please wear an underwear to prevent any unnecessary dangling..
Eighth, sleep. You can enjoy the beautiful synchronized melody of people's snoring in the enchantingly squeezy and stuffy area.

This is what we observed in the Jimjibang:
An auntie whose belly is sagging.. couples sleeping together tightly.. a guy slipping into his gf pants and playing with her gf's virgina.. ... people trying to snatch spaces from you by rolling over u.. fragrant legs in all direction.. 2 large blast of farting experience that bombarded us from our sleep.. The wonderful orchestra of snoring that is finely tuned to hypnosized u to sleep.. Last but not the least, nice hard ground for your aching back after a long day.. Truly an enjoyable experience.. i kinda like it.. LOL!!