Chusoek is the harvest holiday for Korea, kind of like Thanksgiving. So myself, and basically all my friends here (and their friends) went to Muido Island for 3 days. Right when we got onto the Island Mindy,a few people we met on the bus, and I hitch hiked to the beach. We stayed right on the beach in little multi-colored huts and basically had the time of our lives. I don't think I've ever been to a place that is more beautiful. This island has the second most extreme tide change on Earth, so at certain points you can walk out at least a mile what will be the ocean within the next 4 or so hours. The first night was windy, but as the sun was setting and the tide was out i walked for about 3/4 mile into the sunset. The sunset was so beautiful, it made the water look like little diamonds on fire. The wind was making the little bit of water left ripple like crazy, so I would stop and face the wind, and it felt like I was moving at light speed because the water was rippling toward me so fast.
The next day I ate live octopus for the first time! I should probably elaborate on that... Octopus leg is all the rage in Korea, and it basically goes like this: kill octopus, chop off leg, put on plate, eat. Its not cooked or really seasoned at all for that matter. So when it gets to you (the consumer) it is still squirming and can suction cup its self to your face/teeth/esophagus... you get the picture. I thought it was going to take a lot of build up to convince myself to eat it (knowing that some people die from being strangled by them), but the moment arose and apparently I was game. I was surprised that is actually tasted pretty good.
Before I left on the last day I was there, I walked back out to the ocean when the tide was out, for easily a mile; far enough that I was outside of the cove that was the island. The whole time I walked I watched little crabs flee from my every step, usually seeking cover in the sand. A few times I got charged by them, and actually had one get stuck in between my toes, but they were surprisingly low key and really pretty. I saw a starfish on the ground and picked it up. One of my new friends figured it was probably lost, and he put it back in the ocean. I poked at what I'm pretty sure was a dead jellyfish, and got to watch Korean fisherman wade in the the the shallow waters digger for clams and who knows what else.
Everything about this was truly beautiful, and it felt so good to get out of the city and breathe some fresh air, grill some hot dogs, and finally stick my feet back in the sand!
Before I left on the last day I was there, I walked back out to the ocean when the tide was out, for easily a mile; far enough that I was outside of the cove that was the island. The whole time I walked I watched little crabs flee from my every step, usually seeking cover in the sand. A few times I got charged by them, and actually had one get stuck in between my toes, but they were surprisingly low key and really pretty. I saw a starfish on the ground and picked it up. One of my new friends figured it was probably lost, and he put it back in the ocean. I poked at what I'm pretty sure was a dead jellyfish, and got to watch Korean fisherman wade in the the the shallow waters digger for clams and who knows what else.
Everything about this was truly beautiful, and it felt so good to get out of the city and breathe some fresh air, grill some hot dogs, and finally stick my feet back in the sand!
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