Strawberry Festival Part Deux

and a Cloud Bridge.

About two days before the actual event, I decided to go the Strawberry Festival again this year.  Last year’s festival left quite a bit to be desired but a friend that I met over a year ago, wanted to come down for it and I definitely wanted to see her again.  This time we went with an organized group and we visited an Organic Strawberry Farm.  This made the festival, by far. 

For 10,000 won (about $9) we’re were able to graze here as long as we liked.  We weren’t able to take any strawberries out of the greenhouse but we could walk through and eat as many deliciously wonderful strawberries as we wanted to.  Because it was an organic farm there are not pesticides or anything unnecessary used in the process so we could eat them right off the plants.  As my dad would say, they were “DE-lightful.” 

Between all the grazing and adding in strawberry milk, chocolate covered strawberries, and strawberry rice cake (not something I really need to eat again) we all got our fill of strawberries.  We also were each given a small box of strawberries to take home with us.

Next we headed on the actual festival.  It was pretty much the same as last year.  Festival foods. Festival jewelry and crafts.  Festival stuff. Instead of the cake competition they had previously, this year they had little children dance teams.  Adorable!  We (regretfully) didn’t get to see any of their performances, but definitely took some pictures of the groups.  They were so cute!

Then…to the cloud bridge. Daedun Mountain.

This bridge is listed as on of CNN’s 50 Most Beautiful Places in South Korea. (#36)  It was gorgeous.  We took a cable car up most the way to the bridge but still had quite a few stairs to climb.  Some areas of mountains are simply unclimbable so stairs are affixed to make it possible.  Korean stairs however, are unique.  Unless you are in a recently built structure the stairs are far from geometrically accurate.  Some are high, some are short.  Some are wide and others are very narrow.  What makes this difficult is that they are all mixed together.  As if climbing 200 stairs wasn’t stressful enough, climbing 200 uneven stairs will darn near kill you.

We made it to the bridge and it was everything that it promised to be.  Amazing.

I hiked a little more up from the bridge.  It just keeps getting better the higher the get.

Update:  I forgot to add this during initial publication.  I had a couple firsts that day.  Both merit mention, but not explanation.  Trust me, it’s better that way.  Beondegi (silk warm larvae) and…the squatter.  I’ve made it a year and a half in Korea successfully avoiding both of these Korea traditions.  On this day, April 14th, I lost the battle.