The title of this blog refers to an experience we had this past weekend at a water park. The Jungheung Gold Resort and Spa in Naju was our destination of choice. We grabbed John in the morning (after a brief stint of him forgetting his wallet and running home while Aaron and I sang "Eye of the Tiger" to cheer him on) and made our way to Usquare, the bus terminal. Our co-teacher had thoughtfully looked up the times of the shuttle bus for us but we were still unsure of where the bus would pick us up. As we scanned the cloud covered horizon we decided that since the weather was bad we would probably be some of the only people heading to the water park. We were so wrong. A blue bus decorated with colorful swirls and bubbles drove past, and we were able to glimpse the name of the spa in tiny letters on the back. The bus terminal was suddenly transformed from a quiet, well dressed fashion show to a stampede of Koreans elbowing each other in their desperation to reach the shuttle. We allowed ourselves to be swept up with the sea of people and soon found ourselves standing in the aisle of a charter bus with 150 chatty youths ready to tackle the water.
The bus ride took us through a farm valley that stretched out as far as the eye could see. There were countless rice paddy fields, grape vines, acres of corn, cabbage, and greens. One thing I have noticed is that all the farmers here seem to be elderly as the youth are too nose deep in their electronics to dirty their hands. It leaves me wondering about what will happen with the turn of the generation, perhaps this will be when mass factory farming will come into Korea?
We climbed through some mountains and the resort opened up in front of us. The park is built on a man-made reservoir that looked strangely similar to Lake Shasta. Bits of sunshine were streaming through the clouds, burning away the fog that had collected over the water. Massive moss covered cliffs rose along the shoreline creating a dramatic backdrop for the man-created, colorful park we were about to enter.
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| Pretty view. |
After buying our tickets we were ushered inside and given numbered watches to wear. After many hand movements and embarrassed laughs we finally figured out that not only were the watches our locker keys, but they were also to be used as debit cards. You have to pay an additional fee for each slide and nobody wants to carry around wet won in their pockets. The watches could also be used at the food court. Genius really! We piled some cash on them, threw our shoes in the designated lockers, and then parted ways to change.
There is something strangely comforting about the confidence Koreans have while being naked together. There is no childish giggling or trying to change awkwardly behind towels, but rather full nude ladies walk around and chat as naked as they were on their name day. I had no choice (being the ONLY white person) so I stripped down with a feinted self-confidence and casually showered before changing into my suit. Another fun fact, while most Koreans are 110 lbs soaking wet, they do not like to flaunt it. Bathing suits are sold here with matching clothes to wear over them. See-through lacy shirts, button-ups, sweatshirts, you name it and Koreans swim in it. Thankfully I had been lurking pictures of the water park so I came prepared with a scandalous tank top to wear over my bikini (skirts can be as short as possible but heaven forbid you expose your shoulders here).
Finally we were ready to experience the water. The sun came out to welcome us outside as we eagerly made our way to the biggest slide we could find. It was a monstrous blue and yellow full pipe that had the three of us screaming like little girls as we rocketed up on side and then the other. Afterwards we made our way to a water roller coaster (one of only a few in the world!) which turned out to be incredibly fun. The day then blurred together as we bounced from racing slides (which John mastered by the end of the day), toilet bowl inspired slides, and tube slides that were pitch black.
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| The yellow one is the water roller coaster. |
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| Blue and yellow slide was awesome. |
After a healthy lunch of fried food and soda we decided that a swim in the wave pool was necessary. Ignoring the fact that literally every single other person in the water park was wearing a life jacket we dove into the pool to the alarm of the 4 lifeguards on duty. Whistles started blowing like crazy and we looked around to see what had caused the chaos. Apparently we did. The lifeguards were all frantically motioning for us to get out of the pool because we were not safely nuzzled in life jackets and might drown in the 5 feet of water we found ourselves in. Laughing hysterically about the aspect of wearing a life jacket to swim in water that was never deep enough to tread in, we climbed out and succumbed to the Korean way.
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| Us being safe Koreans. |
The best part of the park was the river by far. Safely decked out in our jackets, we donned the required inner tubse and made our way into the "lazy river". We were very confused about why life jackets and inner tubes were needed to float around a river-pool that was no more than 4 feet deep but we found out soon enough. We came to the "danger zone" where every thirty seconds a swell of water would be released to come crashing down into the river, thus propelling everyone along their way. Being us, we worked tirelessly to not be swept away so we could ride the waves time and time again. The rush was quite invigorating and we could not contain our mirth. We finally allowed ourselves to swept away down the river, feeling incredibly safe in our life jackets and inner tubes once again.
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| The water rush. |
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| So safe. |
The day ended with us in our respective locker rooms, enjoying the small jjimjilbang (bath house) that was located within. Once again I found myself striding around the room purely nude as I relaxed in various hot-tub style baths. My tub of choice was a small rectangular tub full of soft bubbles and only one other naked lady. I then plunged into the cold pool, showered off, and finally donned my clothing. It was one of the best days I have had since arriving!
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| You know you want him. |
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