YES! For the last time, it was ON PURPOSE!
Okay, okay, that must have seemed a little mystifying. Let's back up.
Every year, Jeju holds a Fire Festival in March, which seems to consist of a weekend of lots of tents with food vendors, arts and crafts, music, celebrating the new year, and ultimately, lighting a small mountain on fire. (You can read more about that in our local newspaper if you care.) We heard about it and were intrigued, so we made the trek out to Saebyeol Oreum (halfway between our apartment and the main city) with a carload of friends to check it out.
Every year, Jeju holds a Fire Festival in March, which seems to consist of a weekend of lots of tents with food vendors, arts and crafts, music, celebrating the new year, and ultimately, lighting a small mountain on fire. (You can read more about that in our local newspaper if you care.) We heard about it and were intrigued, so we made the trek out to Saebyeol Oreum (halfway between our apartment and the main city) with a carload of friends to check it out.
I was told these graves were not a result of the fire festival.
Not Russia (but super cold and windy like Russia).
Yay previous Fire Festival!
Laser Beam Cannon?
Mood
Lighting
Ah, so windy!
Recycle art
People mulling around waiting for the big event and watching Chinese and Korean performers freezing on stage in their outfits.
Now, to duck into the area where people get to go light the mountain on fire!
It's inferno time! You'll notice that my face is able to smile less and less as my cheeks get more and more numb from the cold...
Singing in hanbok!
The Angry Townspeople Association says, start your fires!
Now go, stumble towards the mountain in a large crowd of people holding giant flaming sticks!
We're coming for you, Frankenstein Mountain.
You may be able to tell that this was pretty awesome.
Trying... so hard... to smile...
From here on in, I think the pics speak for themselves.
Now we go light that giant mound on fire...
And as we do, fireworks start going off and exploding directly over our heads.
Ohmygosh so close to these fireworks...
Oh, now light the giant haystack on fire!
I think I'll just casually saunter away now...
What's that, you say? We should be running from the waves of flame? Ohhh, that makes sense...
People are directing traffic with glow sticks. That means this is safe, right?
Frame by frame of us charging the mountain, starting the fires, then running like crazy.
Yup, we did this.
Hi Fire!
Oh fiery mountain, you are so, so warm. And ashy. Did I mention Ben opened his mouth to talk and caught a big piece of ash in his mouth?
No one showed up to this.
I mean nobody. It was sad.
Okay Fire Department, you may do your thing... and illuminate Murder Path back to the car with your firetruck headlights while you're at it.
A look back from murder path. Absolutely incredible, unbelievable experience.
