The day to be in Suwon

The sphere of discovery continues to stretch out from Incheon. First, in fact, it was just Yeonsu. Yeonsu stretched to Songdo, Wolmido, Gayang, Sorae, Oido and beyond. By now these places have become all too familiar on a map. Hours have been spent zooming in and out on google earth, searching for inspiring images to guide weekend plans. So many weekends remain, yet there is so much left to see. But you don't know what's out there unless you search for it. Maybe you find out after the fact and realize that last weekend would have been much better spent elsewhere, outside of that small apartment in that hazy part of town.

In all honesty, the haze of summer has lifted and the days have become beautiful. A month ago, a covering was lifted off the eyes of Incheon and now its inhabitants can see again. New, clear vision brings new life and celebration. Autumn is a time in Korea when people go out and wander about in the hills, mountains, cities, and parks. The fall colors map is up in the local grocery store. It details when and where the pre-wintery beauty strikes hardest on the peninsula. It's already been committed to memory. The 18^th of October will be peak season in the Taebaek mountains stretching down the eastern part of the Korean Peninsula. Tuesday the 28^th will bring the best of the autumn colors closer to home in the Bukhansan mountains of Seoul.

Until then, the clear skies and sunny days command a swift exit from the stuffy, fourth floor, one-window apartment. Luckily, foreseeing that summer would eventually subside, plans had been made for the season and not a weekend will go to waste. One year ago, I noticed Suwon's Hwaseong Cultural Festival one week too late. A festival with lanterns; performances of theater, music, and martial arts; all set at one of South Korea's well preserved UNESCO sites, Hwaseong Fortress.

While most trips begin early in the morning in an attempt to capture as much daylight as possible, the trip to Suwon got an intended late start. Some of the most striking photos of the festival found online are set after dark. An early start might necessitate an unwanted early departure. Unfortunately, we left later than intended, causing us to miss the express bus and navigate local transportation for two hours in order to arrive at the fortress.

The local bus rounded a corner at the base of a hill to expose smoothly cut green grasses giving way to tall silver reads at the base of the fortress wall. There on that corner, above the reeds stood a sentry post, one of 48 defensive features built into the five and a half kilometer-long wall. The wall and the park in front of it were in excellent shape, mirroring the pristine condition exhibited by other UNESCO sites that I have experienced in Europe. In our excitement upon reaching the west gate, we got out of the bus a couple stops too early. 

At the top of the wall, few steps west of Hwaseomun, we were greeted by an old man standing under a large tree level with the top of the wall. He signaled us to sit down and proceeded to tell us about the fortress. Armed with a paper of typed information and a fold-out map of the wall, all in English, he rattled off facts one-by-one. The old man clearly knew English very well. However, his old age had muffled his voice enough to require effort in understanding his speech. After about five minutes of some serious patients and learning, we added our signatures to the short list of foreigners the old man encountered that day.

To the west, the wall took a quick turn up a hill. Wrongly assuming that the events of the day would take place at the larger North Gate, we headed east away from the hill. The fortress was several meters high. Outside the steep rock wall was a nice little park giving way to city streets and tall, block buildings. Inside the fortress the wall resembled something more like a dike. At its base was a neighborhood of smaller, one and two story homes. From each defense feature we arrived at, we could look ahead and see the next one. Blue and white flags with various Korean symbols on them were posted at points along the wall and near some of the larger defensive posts. 

We were momentarily distracted as we approached the North Gate. Mihai spotted a group of jets maneuvering in the air above the hill to the west. Five jets, sometimes flying together, sometimes in separate groups, were flying in patterns. Periodically, they spit out a thick white smoke making images in the sky. First, there was a claw scratching downward at the hill, as all five planes separated in a dive. Next, three planes teamed up to make a heart with an arrow through its center. Another figure was the Yin Yang present in the center of the Republic of Korea's flag, the Taegukgi.

There were no signs of festivity at the the Janganmun, the northern gate of the fortress. It turns out, that is where the large parade happened several days before. The asphalt trail along the wall continued on to the Hwahongmun, a smaller gate where the crowds began to swell. After crossing over a road, shoe cluttered steps led up to the gate's large wooden platform cluttered with families resting in the shade. Some were eating their lunches while others were enjoying the views. The gate was perched over a stream. To the North, you could look down at the picturesque view of a park where the stream continued on past a small pond with an island. To the south, a long, straight stream stretching through the old city within the fortress. Like most city streams in Korea, it was set far below street level with paths on either side. On account of the festival, it was outfitted with large lanterns of various Korean and Buddhist figures. 

Resting by the pond, Mihai finally got her hands on a schedule for the festival and we plotted out the rest of our day. Events were scattered throughout the fortress and we had some pretty long walks ahead of us.

After walking the stream to the next main road crossing the town East to West, we followed a King's procession to the palace at the base of the hill that made the western boundary of the old city. It was at that palace where we found a true center of the old city. A large square lay in front of the palace. A stage was set up just in front of the palace were rehearsals were taking place. Rows of plastic chairs and a large tower of sound and light equipment stood idly, waiting for the evening show. To the south of the square was a small market. We made our rounds there, then to the international food market at the base of the hill, and finally we climbed the hill to reach SeoJangdae, the command post.

Looking out from the command post on the top of the hill, the map that we had been following came to life. Almost the entire wall was visible. The palace, the square, and the festival below us capped a road that ran straight through the old city center before a left-hand bend to the East gate, Changnyongmun. As evening approached we would make that walk on our way the martial arts show there. 

The evening's events lit up various venues around the fortress. First, there was the a small martial arts show which was followed by a diplomat beauty contest. Diplomats from over twenty countries walked out on the stage sporting either their country's traditional clothing, or Korean traditional clothing. As they all stood on stage, you could compare the clothing of a Mongolian woman with that of a woman from Tunisia, or Nigeria. Next, we passed by the stream a second time. Looking down from the bridge lights criss-crossed the water and the pathways. The lights changed to orange and green offering a spotty texture when shined on the dense growth by the water.

Finally we arrived at the show that I had been waiting for. Large white lights flooded the empty grass field with light. At the back of the field stood the inside of the fortress wall. To the right, the large East gate. To the left of the large field, the illuminated wall turned uphill, a yellow streak in the now black shadow of night. That streak led to a large observation tower and continued on to the next defensive feature down the line. Small silhouettes of drummers lined that yellow streak waiting for their cue to pound their war drums. Men dressed as the king's guard rode out from the gate on horses ahead of the king, leading him to his thrown from which he was to watch the show. At that point, I realized what what was happening, we were witnessing a reenactment of a spectacle for the king. Over a hundred guards came in lines from either side of the grass field. Men on horses galloped around the center displaying speed with their riding, agility with their tricks, and strength with their swords. Other costumed figures danced in the field. Groups dressed in traditional peasant costume danced and drummed with spinners on their hats. There was even a massive game of tug-of-war.

The yellow lights shining up at the wall led us through the black night to the evenings final event. It was at the pond where we first acquired the day's schedule hours before. Earlier they had been rehearsing and we had a nice spot by the pond to sit at, watch the rehearsal, and plan our day. Upon returning, any spot with a good view of the stage was occupied. Red, green, and yellow lights brightened the trees behind the stage adding some color to the otherwise yellow streaked night-scape. Mihai found a comfortable spot at the side of the stage where we could look over, hear the music playing, and see part of the humorous act. A pagoda making part of the wall hung high on the hill reflecting its yellow light in the pond before us.