Daegu Bodypainting Festival Turns Nearly Nude Models into Exquisite Works of Art

Daegu Bodypainting Festival | LifeOutsideOfTexas.comEvery year artists from all over the world gather in Daegu, South Korea to compete in the Daegu International Bodypainting Festival. The entire festival is so fascinating because you can watch the models’ bare skin transform into gorgeously painted canvases in a matter of hours.

The festival is broken up into two categories: Bodypainting and Fantasy Make-up. In the bodypainting competition, the models are nearly naked; most only wear underwear and tape over their breasts. The artists are given six hours to complete their masterpiece. The participants are judged on technique, originality and overall completion.

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Garden of the Morning Calm is the most beautiful place that I’ve been in Korea!

 

The Garden of the Morning Calm has been on my list of places to see for a long time, but I’ve never had a chance to get there because it’s pretty out of the way. Having a car in Korea can be really liberating so when we had a three day weekend we decided to make the most of it and explore some of the northern parts of Korea that we hadn’t previously visited.

Garden of the Morning Calm... the most beautiful place that I've been in Korea! Continue reading

Beautiful Sunrise and Hydrangeas at Taejongdae in Busan

I love traveling around Korea! I spend a lot of time scouring the internet for the best places to visit and because of that my list of places to see in Korea is a mile long. When I saw that there was a hydrangea flower festival going on in Busan last weekend I immediately told Dave we had to go. Luckily for me, Dave usually just goes along with my crazy ideas and spends most of his weekends driving us all over Korea (he’s a keeper!).

I used my irresistible charm to talk Dave into waking up verrrrry early so that we could get to Taejongdae in time to watch the sunrise. That’s a pretty big ask considering the sun comes up around 5am and we live an hour and a half away from the park. Not only that, but once we got to the park it was a bit of a hike to get to the lighthouse.

Sunrise over Taejongdae

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Places to see in Gyeongju: Lotus Ponds & Summer Flowers

I’ve heard a lot of people complain about Korea just being a concrete jungle with no green spaces. These people must never get out of their small little bubbles because Korea is such a beautiful country. Summer in Korea can be hot and humid, but it’s still one of my favorite seasons because of how all of the trees and plants perk up and turn a stunning shade of green. It can be really breathtaking driving through the countryside this time of year.

Another great thing about summer in Korea is that the lotuses bloom! I’d never actually seen a real lotus until I came to Korea. I was so excited when we found the lotus ponds in Gyeongju two summers ago.

Lotus Ponds in Gyeongju, Korea

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Ulsan, South Korea has an entire festival dedicated to whaling!

When most people think of Ulsan, one word usually comes to mind: industry. Ulsan is home to a giant car manufacturing plant, shipyards and even chemical plants. Not everyone knows about Ulsan’s rich history. Migratory whales have been swimming in the waters near Ulsan since the prehistoric times, long before Hyundai moved to town and turned this area into the major city that it is today. Whale hunting was a large part of the livelihood of the early inhabitants of Ulsan and because of that, the people of Ulsan are very proud of their history of whaling. The city mascot is even a whale.

Taehwagang Grand Park in Ulsan, South Korea

Whale landscaping at Taehwagang Grand Park

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Things To Do In Gyeongju: Gyeongju Tower

Gyeongju is my absolute favorite city in Korea. It was the ancient capital of Korea so it’s extremely rich in history. There are tons of things to do in Gyeongju so I recommend taking at least a few days to explore as much of this amazing city as possible.

When I’m in Gyeongju, I always love driving by the Gyeongju Tower. It’s a 30-story tower with a giant pagoda cut right out of the middle. It’s really impressive, and it’s an observation tower so you can go up inside of it! Continue reading

Haeundae Sand Festival in Busan

Haeundae Sand Festival in Busan

This weekend we were among the thousands of people to attend the sand sculpture festival in Busan. Artists from all over the world came to create amazing sculptures out of the beautiful sand from Haeundae Beach. Continue reading

The Men of Haeundae Beach

As you learned in my last post, Haeundae Beach (Busan, South Korea) in the summer is more than a little overwhelming. If you find yourself at this chaotic beach in summer, my advice is to soak up the scenery…

Men of Haeundae

… then head towards the Westin Chosun Hotel.

Don’t forget to people watch along the way!

Men of Haeundae-12

Take a left just as you see the Westin and head towards the rocky end of the beach. Once there, it’s now time to check out what I’ve decided to call, “The Men of Haeundae.” They are an interesting bunch!

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Summer Chaos at Haeundae Beach

Curious what Korea’s best beach is like during summer?

The Korean students are out of school for the summer so this is the week that most families take vacation. Many businesses even close so that the owners and employees can enjoy some well deserved time off. Many of them head to Haeundae Beach in Busan.

The beach is completely lined with umbrellas as far as you can see… because who wants to get sun at the beach, right? And the sea is full of yellow floats.

Haeundae Beach in summer

Sand Festival at Haeundae Beach in Busan

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Sunday, June 3

Haeundae Sand Festival

This weekend was the Sand Festival at Haeundae Beach in Busan. Dave and I stopped by on our way back from Ulsan. There were so many people! We even saw some of my students within minutes of being there.

The festival is a fun experience. The entire beach is lined with really impressive sand sculptures. This festival is in the beginning of June. Details for next year’s festival will be released online closer to the festival date.

Location: Haeundae Beach
Date: Early June