Our Rainbow

If you remember during Autumn Oliver and I did a trip to Nami Island!

We had a lot of fun and the colours of the autumn leaves were so beautiful that we couldn't help but make a rainbow out of them.

So, like real nerds, we found a table and for two hours we collected leaves and made our rainbow. It got a lot of attention from people passing by and we were (and still are) very proud of our rainbow!

This is just a short post to gloat, so here are the pics:

Our lanscape has changed so much since Autumn...these colours seem like a lifetime ago! I love it!

I forgot about our little nerdy/awesome project until I discovered these pics on Oliver's computer the other day!

Hope you like them!!!

Post by Claudia

Hanji Fest!

Not too long ago Oliver and I got to go to the Hanji festival right here in Wonju, and what a treat it was!

Hanji is traditional Korean paper which is a source of great pride for Koreans, especially Wonjunites because Wonju is the only place where there is a factory that still produces the traditional paper.

Hanji is not widely made, because to make the delicate but strong paper takes much time and effort. Therefore it is no longer practical in this day and age.

Hanji is made from paper mulberry (a tree indigenous to Korea). Fibres are stripped from the bark, then soaked and treated before going through another soaking process. The fibres are then gathered on a fine sieve-like instrument (which looks similar to a gold-panning instrument) and are compressed, coloured and decorated. So in essence, the whole process is complicated!

Despite being complicated the quality, beauty, and versatility of the paper is something else! And the best place to get an idea of how wondrous it is would be the Hanji Paper Festival!

We got to see a wide range of items made from Hanji

There were several statutues, models, and furniture that had been entirely created from paper.

There were also several 'paintings' where the paper had been used to give them texture and an element of reality! This tree 'painting' was my favourite but there was an entire gallery full that would leave your mouth wide open. You can't help but think about the skill and patience it must take to make such a masterpiece!

There were even lamps and lanterns that were made of the paper and gave a wonderful soft light! There were tons of paper crafts to do at the festival including making your own paper, making a paper doll, make ornaments and making lamps. Oliver and I got to make our own Hanji lamp and it looks awesome (how we are going to get it back to SA is a mystery to me). The lamps below, however, were made by professionals!



And just when you thought the paper couldn't get any more versatile you realise that they have an entre Hanji fashion collection! There was a runway at the festival (which we missed...booo) which showed the awesomeness of Hanji clothing! Apparently the Hanji fashion line has now been exported to both the USA and Italy. Impressive! The dresses below give a glimpse of Hanji wear.

All in all it was a great festival and we were able to spend a good few hours there shopping, doing crafts and just wondering around!

Post by Claudia

Autumn - A time of endless activities

It feels like we have so much to tell and you and simply not enough time to do it in. In the past two weeks we have had several adventures that we are dying to tell you about and there are even more adventures on the Horizon.

You see last weekend we went to the Tattoo Festival and the Hanji (traditional paper) festival which were right here in Wonju. Yesterday we  got to go to Everland (rated the 4th best amusement park in the world) and the next two months are jammed packed with other festivals and events.

This week is Chusoek (Korean thanksgiving) and we are getting to spend this special time with a Korean family which should be a great learning and cultural experience.

So from now until mid-November we promise to be busy busy busy....here are some of our plans:

• Chusoek (21/09 -23/09)
• Andong Masked Dance Festival (26/09 - 05/10)
• Jingu Namgang Yudeung Festival (01/10 - 12/10)
• Gimje Horizon Festival (06/10 - 10/10)
• Jarasum International Jazz Festival (15/10 - 17/10)
• Korean Grand Prix (22/10 - 24/10)
• Gwanju Kimchi festival (23/10 - 31/10)
• Nami Island (05/11 - 07/11)
• DMZ (20/11 - 21/11)

 We will do our best to keep you up to date with our adventures even if it means we have to use some of my snapshots while Oliver works through his photos.

Korea is truly a place where there is always something happening which makes it a great place to live in and an awesome time to visit at anytime of the year because you are bound to find something happening somewhere in the country. I guess what makes Autumn even more special is the pleasant weather and changing leaves (it is my favourite season).

Post by Claudia