If it's time to play with mud, it's time for the Boryeong Mud Festival

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Alfonso Delgado

Photos = Alfonso Delgado

How I wished that the Boryeong Mud Festival was just in Seoul. However, I wondered, if it were, could I go home to my Hannam-dong neighborhood riding the subway and the bus all muddied and dripping in gray dirt, and shunned by the rest of the passengers like I were a carrier of an incurable disease called 'mud addiction'?

As it happens, the Boryeong Mud Festival, which celebrates the local mud's therapeutic values mixed with summer fun, is held in Boryeong City in Chungcheonnam-do Province on the western side of the Korean Peninsula, a two-hour drive from Seoul. 

Fortunately, no matter how far Boryeong is from wherever you live in Korea, you're sure to have a lot of fun this summer if you make it there.

I've been to the mud festival a few times already, and each visit is even more enjoyable than the previous one. Although the festival center is by Daecheon Beach, there are also other activities at the mud flats on the other side of the city.

At the mud flats, they hold a mud race for everyone who doesn't mind sprinting, sliding and stumbling in the mud while trying to finish the race. I didn't bother joining the race, as I knew I would have more fun just watching and taking photographs of the very competitive and muddied racers. Everyone was advised to wear disposable socks while running, as the shells on the beach could lacerate one's foot.

At the mud flats, they also hold what the organizers call "mudflat extremes," where all participants wear fatigue pants and black long-sleeve shirts while being ordered by a commanding officer to do push-ups and other military-type exercises in the mud. Did I mention there was also mud wrestling?

For those participating in the mud race and the "mudflat extremes," the event organizers provide water trucks where participants can shower off the mud and dirt afterward. Changing rooms are also provided. After cleaning themselves, participants are ferried back to the main event area near Daecheon Beach by bus.

At the muddy city center, where all the action is, Mud Square has all the less-strenuous, but equally muddy fun activities, like the mud slides, a mud prison, a muddy tug-of-war and other challenges, all in the name of mud and wet dirt.

Since it's all about getting dirty, I suggest you don't wear your most expensive white shirt or shorts to the festival. I always wore my water-proof blue shorts paired with a non-white dry-fit shirt. These are very easy to wash after. Also, wear rubber sandals or maybe aqua shoes for the same reason.

By the way, you don't need to bring your smartphone to Mud Square. Just bring your point-and-shoot camera protected by a waterproof case and sling it around your neck. This way, you can still capture your muddy fun moments that you can upload later to Facebook or to your blog. Make sure the battery is fully charged, too. Don't forget to bring some cash for various entrance fees, food and drinks in case you realize drinking muddy water doesn't exactly quench your thirst.

Since the final days of the festival is on a weekend, I would suggest you spend that weekend at Boryeong to maximize your time at the festival. During the day, they hold a very crazy rave party at Daecheon Beach, and at night revelers enjoy open-air concerts within the festival area featuring well-known singers and performers. Both events are free.

So who else is heading down to Boryeong City to get muddy this summer? This year, the fun starts on Friday, July 21, and ends on Sunday, July 30.

 You can either drive or take the bus or train to get there. Here's the official Boryeong Mud Festival website for details on how to get there and how to get all muddied up.

wisdom117@korea.kr

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