Water and the new moon!

In Hadong, we were treated to a booze cruise of the bays around Sacheon. As you can tell by the name of the ferry, the "Love Cruise" is very popular with the locals. There was a dance floor on the main deck that was packed for the entire 1 and 1/2 hour cruise.




Here is a picture of the team on the ferry. It was a beautiful sunny day for a ferry ride.

A bridge on the bay by Hadong. The pictures never do the place juctice. The entire southern coast is beautiful mountains reaching down and touching the sea. If you are looking to travel some where interesting and beautiful, try Korea in the spring. Nothing has started to bloom but the team can tell that everything would be amazing. And the people are so very kind and accomodating.

After the ferry ride we attended a Full Moon Festival. This festival celebrates the largest full moon of the year. Through out the day we saw big bonfires being prepared and people celebrating for good luck for the rest of the year. The rope around the bottom of this bonfire would hold wishes for the attendees.

On a beach nearby, a Korean Shaman performs a ritual of good luck on a local woman. It is interesting to note the man dressed as a monk playing the drum on the left. He would chant and drum while the woman held a fish and alcohol. This ritual apparently is to sooth the gods of the sea and bring in good fishing returns.

This is the president of the Hadong club in the pavillion before the lighting of the bonfire. Because of her work in the community, she was one of the people who would light the bonfire later in the evening.




Remeber the Korean landscape in this area is mountains touching beaches. So before the bonfire is lit, we had to wait for the moon to appear over the mountains. Above you can just make out the moon cresting the mountain top and whoosh...

...the bonfire is lit.

Because it was cold everyone, about a hundred or so people were huddlled around the fire that is until it was lit. Then everyone back up about 10 feet.

Yet again we had another amazing Korean experience.

Thank You Korea, and Thank You Rotary.

Jason