Happy Chuseok!

Hey there folks! This week during my travels in Korea I experienced the celebration of "Chuseok". This is one of Korea's biggest holidays being their equivalent to our Thanksgiving. I went down to the city center, where they had a festival in front of the Gyeongbokgung Palace. Many tents were lined with arts and crafts, foods, and traditional games. My pictures attached to this post showcase some of the various festivities they had to offer.

Before coming to South Korea I was not aware of Chuseok. I've found it quite fascinating and fun to partake in the events. The holiday lasts for 3 days over which time family members gather to have bountiful meals and exchange presents with each other. (Don't you wish Thanksgiving lasted for 3 days?!) Apparently a VERY popular present to give to a relative is a big ol' case of Spam, yes.. SPAM. In Korea Spam is treated as a luxury (go figure). I checked out the local grocery store to see how much of a dent Spam would leave in my wallet. To my surprise, if you were to buy a case of 6 regular cans and 6 mini cans, it'll set you back a whopping 47,000 won, which translates to roughly $45!!! Jeez.. I guess your everyday Spam musubi is something for the 1% folks over here. Add Spam to your list of protest "Occupy Wall Street Korea" (if there is such a thing). Oh well, guess I'll be on a Spam diet while I'm here (which probably isn't such a bad thing). Thats all for this week! Stay tuned.. and enjoy the pictures.

-TDtravels-