Plenty of festivals and fun stuff happening this month - will be updated as new fun stuff comes in!

March 1-28: 'From Monet to Picasso' - Masterpieces from the Philadelphia Museum of Art at the Hangaram Art Museum (Seoul Arts Center). Check out this post for directions and a review.

March 3-14: 'Riverdance' - yes, the Irish tap dancing sensation is still alive and well. Expect the locals to be wowed by the precise nature of the dance, and to be wowed yourself by the sound. 50,000 - 150,000 won, at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. For details, call (02) 541-6253 or visit Sejong Center's English-language page on the event.

March 3-6: ROBOTIS - No, that's not a techno band - it's supposedly Seoul's biggest event for Robot Technology. COEX mall, Halls A & B. Here's some more information about the geekiest event of the year.

March 6 – BUKCHON MUSEUM TOUR AND KITE-MAKING (Michael Spavor)
On this day tour, we will visit a number of the museums/palaces in the Bukchon area. This tour is open to both families and adults. After lunch, we will visit a traditional home (hanok) and learn from a living national treasure how to make our own traditional Korean kites. Fee includes cost of kite-making workshop. (W35,000 for RAS members).

March 6 - A Night of Shakespeare, presented by Actors Without Borders and Seoul Players. See scenes and speeches from 12 of the Bard's plays - some famous, some not. The show will be in English, but parts will also be performed in French and Korean. Admission: 10,000 won, Roofers in Itaewon, show starts at 8pm but GET THERE AT 7pm when the house opens to get a good seat. For more information, check out their Facebook page.

March 6 - KOTESOL conference in Daegu - the main speaker will be speaking on "Mutuality and Motivation in EFL: Non-Violent Comminucation in the Classroom. Goes from 3 - 5:30pm. Plenty more at the korea4expats page about the event, or at kotesol.org.

March 7: KTX EXPRESS TRAIN TOUR TO BUSAN
This trip takes us to Yongdusan, then the famously dynamic Jagalchi Fish Market, Taejondae, UN Memorial Cemetery, the city museum and the bay of Haeundae, one of the most famous beaches of Korea. (W136,000 for RAS members)

March 12 - March 19: International Drawing Exhibition - sponsored by the Seoul Arts Center. Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul Arts Center, Seoul.

March 13: A Night of Shakespeare, presented by Actors Without Borders and Seoul Players. See scenes and speeches from 12 of the Bard's plays - some famous, some not. The show will be in English, but parts will also be performed in French and Korean. Admission: 10,000 won, Roofers in Itaewon, show starts at 8pm but GET THERE AT 7pm when the house opens to get a good seat. For more information, check out their Facebook page.


Following on International Women’s Day, we will look into aspects of women’s lives in Korea through a visit to the Woman Life Museum where the daily accessories and tools used by previous generations of Korean women are on display. We will also participate in some of the learning experiences offered at the museum. We will also visit the home of Queen Min, or the Last Empress as she has come to be known. Cost includes admissions fees and experience workshop. (W54,000 for RAS members)

March 14: Happy White Day! Boys, be sure to get some candy, chocolate, or other extra special gift for the girl that gave you something during Valentine's Day.

March 16-28: "Forever Tango" - featuring seven couples dancing the tango, twenty 'episodes' about love, and a live orchestra, this is probably the best event of the year to take a date. It's entirely by coincidence that it's just after White Day, I bet. 50,000 - 90,000 won for tickets; see this page on the Chungmu Art Hall website for more details, or call 02-2230-6624.

March 20: KILN TOUR IN ICHEON CITY
One of our best "practical" tours! This is a trip to ceramic kilns in the Icheon area to watch the masters create masterpieces from clay such as beautiful celadon pieces like you may have seen in museums. If time permits we will visit an onggi (kimchi jar) workshop on our way back. (W31,500 for RAS members)

March 20: St. Patrick's Day comes to town - don't knock it because they saved the festivities for the weekend. Cheonggyecheon will host a parade, several zones of activity, and an Irish rock band, there's enough to keep you busy all day courtesy of the Irish Association of Korea. No times are mentioned, so show up early. HT to Dan at Seoul Eats.

March 20: Jeff Beck, live in concert. Olympic Hall, Olympic Park. Call 02)563-0595 or e-mail [email protected] for tickets. The show starts at 7pm.

March 21: BUGAKSAN FORTRESS WALL HIKING TOUR IN SEOUL
Join the RAS for one of the most classic and historical views you will ever see—right at the heart of Seoul! Seoul was the capital city of Korea for more than 600 years and is unique in the way of being surrounded by 4 mountains, 4 big gates and 4 small gates. We climb up Bukaksan and walk along the ancient and restored fortress wall. (W20,000 for RAS members)

March 21 - 8am - The Seoul Marathon - start at Gwanghwamun and run, jog, walk, or crawl your way to the Jamsil Olympic Main Stadium. Get more information at the official website, or just look at the course map here. Expect some traffic delays along the way as roads are closed for the runners.

March 25 - 28: The Iksan Jewelry Expo, Spring style. Just because it's in Jeollabuk-do doesn't make it any less cool. The English-language page has some helpful information.

March 25 - 29: The Seoul Living Design Fair - expect lots of pretty things to see. The Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Hall in COEX. The website is in English, but currently out of date.

March 26 - April 1: The Seoul Fashion Week - the twice-a-year show presenting fashions for the upcoming seasons. Expect runways and plenty of fashion for this upcoming fall and winter. SETEC Halls 1-3, seoulfashionweek.org

March 27: BUYEO AND GONGJU, ANCIENT CAPITALS OF THE BAEKJE KINGDOM TOUR A "Cultural tour" which will take us back for a survey of the Baekje Kingdom. Highlights include historic temples and a ferry ride down the White Horse River. (W53,000 for RAS members).

March 27: The Seoul KOTESOL Conference - or, The Complete Teacher. Six speakers and six workshops will create an all-day 'learn how to be a better teacher'. Starts at 10:30am, free for members who register before the conference, and 10,000 won for non-members. For more information, check out KOTESOL's official page about the conference.

March 27-28: Auditions for the Seoul Players first musical - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Although the show isn't until May and June, auditions come early to find the best people for the roles. 5 men and 4 women are needed on stage, as well as plenty of people to help with behind-the-stage stuff as well. Experienced with props, lights, tech, etc., or just want to get into the local theater scene? E-mail [email protected] to get in contact. If interested in auditioning, prepare a short acapella song and look over the show's outline / synopsis. A more detailed character breakdown can also be found at korea4expats.com.

March 27 - 28: International Kite Flying Contest - it's a good excuse to head down to Dadaepo Beach in Busan, if only for the sights. For more information, call 051-888-3475.

March 27 - April 7: The Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival (AKA the Jinhae Guhang Festival) - the annual cherry blossom festival that's been running since 1963 comes around yet again. The entire town gets involved, and walking down the streets and up the mountains are just two of the ways to see the sights. If interested in traveling with a group on April 3rd-4th, check out the Seoulite Meetup group. 55,000 won pays for your chartered bus ride down and a night's hotel stay. For more information about the trip, contact bredalund AT gmail DOT com. For more information about the festival, check out one official tourist webpage.

March 28: WALKING TOUR OF JOSEON DYNASTY SEOUL – Peter Bartholemew
9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. walking through Seoul's past and examining the cultural and historical background of the Seoul palaces and Jeoson landmarks, as well as some rare and recently excavated royal treasures. (W20,000 for RAS members)

March 28: Rhythm and Booze art show. No, this isn't a contradiction in terms - the best foreigner bar in Bucheon is trying out an art gallery with a jazz performance in the evening. Sure, you could go to any art gallery around Insa-dong - why not check out one at a bar? For more information, take a look at the event's Facebook page.

March 31: Bob Dylan. Olympic Park. One legendary performer. Ticket price: through the roof - cheapest seats cost 66,000 won and go up to 198,000 won - but probably worth it. Call Interpark at 1544-1555 or visit ticket.interpark.com for details.

© Chris Backe - 2010

Chris in South Korea does not receive any money or special favors for posting about any of the above events.

The first time I went to a jimjilbang (Korean bathhouse...think about the pictures you saw of Roman bathhouses) was at 6am, in the countryside, with a bunch of Korean climbing girls. The previous day had been spent rock climbing (~gasp~, yes there was a time when I was actually physically active) and the steam/hot baths/sauna were fantastic for loosening up sore muscles. I had no idea what to do, I just sort of blindly followed them through the paces. Many of you have encountered me pre-coffee...for those of you who haven't let me enlighten you:

Me: Ungh?
Any person attempting to interact with me: Wa wa wa blah blah blah...........
Me: Guh? ~Blinks blearily~ Coffee? Coffee have? Coffee.
Person: blah blah blah...coffee blah blah blah.
Me: Mmmmmmm, coffee.

I wake up almost immediately after putting the coffee in my hands--the placebo is almost as good as the real thing though I can almost always tell if my Dad has tried to be sneaky and pass off half-caf as 100 proof. Sneaky man! Evil half-caf.  Anyways, the point is that I'm a bit retarded before I really wake up. Not to mention that this is over a year ago and memories fade and all that.

Fast forward to earlier today: The Female Kiwi and the Partial Asian** and I decided it would be fantastic to laze about in a jimjilbang. They exist in every town but we decided to head into Busan and get Thai food in Haeundae (soooo spicy and yummy!) before going in. We actually didn't know which bath house we were going to...we just got in a cab and said 'jimjilbang ga yo.'  The cabbie got the idea that we had no idea which one we wanted pretty quickly and took us to one that he said was "best" and only cost the minimum fare to get there.
Things we did successfully:
1. Pay.
2. Find the locker room.
3. Take off our clothes and put on the litte jimjilbang uniform shorts and tee.
Things we failed spectacularly at:
1. Finding the showers.
2. Not giggling like loons while trying to find the showers.

Seriously, we had no idea where the showers were and this was a big luxury type jimjilbang--nothing like the small mountain town one I had been to previously. The one thing I knew for certain is that a thorough shower is mandatory before you get in the various pools. The Female Kiwi was brave and looked up the word for shower on her phone dictionary but the girl she asked just looked at her blankly. We probably mispronounced it and said something like pumpkin instead. Who knows. At this point the Female Kiwi and the Partial Asian were getting flustered and about ready to give up and go. It's super intimidating to have lots of butt naked people staring at you while you are trying to look for something. The last thing I wanted to do was go back into the rain after having traveled an hour to get there so I walked right up to a naked lady who was holding a shower caddy type thing and pointed to mine, pointed to hers, mimed the shower water coming out and asked 'where is it?' (SUCH a useful phrase to know in Korean). She pointed through some doors and to the left and VOILA! We were in business.

Most.Amazing.Thing Ever. I also paid 30,000 ($25.88) won for a full body scrub, facial and massage. They even did a deep condition and scalp exfoliation. I was in bloody heaven. Every cell in my body felt rejuvenated and I just felt so goooood for the rest of the day. Yes, it is a little strange to have a woman only in her undies massage you down and pour buckets of oil and such on you but if you just close your eyes and enjoy it's not a big deal. I still can't get over how smooth my skin is. Worth every single weird stare--I so want to go back more often. Not the one in my neighborhood though...nothing more awkward than running into your students naked. The Female Kiwi and Partial Asian chickened out...they were too weirded out by the nudity thing. I must say though, without my contacts I'm so blind I couldn't even tell the difference between Asians and the Female Kiwi from 2 feet away. I didn't see too much of anything though since I had an extremely weird dream about nipples I think it somehow worked it's way into my subconscious.


**The Partial Asian has brought it to my attention that I occasionally slip and write 'the Half Asian' instead. This is utterly incorrect, she is 100% Asian American.