It’s been raining hard since last night and that has prevented me from going out to attend my regular Korean classes in the morning. I couldn’t even go out to buy snacks!
Anyway, I’m in the process of organizing the 12000+ photos I have in my external hard drive. It is quite a task and I’m not sure when I’m going to finish. I’d like to share some of the pictures of our roadtrips during the past six years (not including photos taken prior to the digital age).
If you’ve been watching historical Korean dramas, you might find the pictures below very familiar. These were taken on our visits to Andong City’s famous Hahoe Maeul (maeul is the Korean word for village). We first visited in 2005 with my parents-in-law. The second time was in 2007, when my sister who lives in Ohio came for a visit.
The “Korean Folk Village” in Yongin is actually a theme park. Hahoe Village is an actual place where people live, so one shouldn’t be surprised seeing antennas or satellite receivers perched on top of the houses. Most of the houses here are more than 500 years old. A famous resident is Ryu Sung Ryong, who was the prime minister of the Chosun Dynasty during the Imjin War (when Japan first invaded the country and lost). One of Ryu Sung Ryong’s descendant is Ryu Shi Won. He’s starring in the new SBS drama premiering next month – Style.
Hahoe Village is one of the venues of “Andong’s International Mask Dance Festival”. It is usually held in October. When we visited in 2007, we were able to see performances by a Japanese dance group.
Wooden masks dominate the souvenir shop at the entrance of the village.
A yangban or a nobleman’s house.
An unpaved road in 21st century Korea
A traditional toilet located near the gate, outside the main building of the house.
Traditional kitchen tools that are still used by some.
15th century Korea?
The Korean fir tree planted by Queen Elizabeth II in April 1999
A descendant of Ryu Song Ryong
This place is a familiar sight in Korean dramas
Andong’s famous dish – jjim dalk – a must try in Andong!
A Japanese mask dance group
Ate ko… nag-try ng hanbok 
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi,
How far is this from Seoul and how do I get by public transit?
This is the kind of places I would like to visit in Korea.
Thanks,
Reiner
aah, i have to see this in autumn…
jehan´s last blog ..tbs efm’s "Sound Off" Guest…
the hanbok is beautiful and of course your ate. i love the red =). the village looks really neat.
To get to Andong from Seoul, take the bus from Dong (East) Seoul Bus Station. It’s about 3 hours. There are Andong city busses that will take you out to Hahoe Village. The Andong Mask Dance Festival (end of September) is the best festival in Korea.