Once we successfully got all the luggage to our hotel, we took a cab to Suwon Folk Village. At first, I wasn't too keen on going there, as I've seen things like this in the past, and they're generally very touristy. This one was quite different, and definitely exceeded my expectations.
Though it was a bit expensive to get in, since we'd driven all the way there, we still went in. At first, all we saw were restaurants, souvenir shops, and elementary students, but after we passed the second entrance gate, the touristy bits disappeared and we were in a real village. All of the 260-odd buildings had been transported from different parts of the country, and we liked comparing the differences in architecture styles.
They also had lots of "businesses," like a pottery studio, silk studio, farms, and government offices. Mom and I bought some pottery necklaces and jars, which are one-of-a-kind. We saw a live performance of a wedding in the "Royal Palace" and an acrobatics show.
The next day, we stored our stuff at Suwon Station and walked to the main sight in Suwon, the fortress. It was awesome!
We payed just $1 to walk around the old walls and explore the lookout points. Part of the fortress was on top of a mountain, but it was so large that it extended down into the town. Of course now, the inside of the fortress is full of PC Bangs, homes, and schools, but hundreds of years ago, it would have been just like the folk village we'd seen yesterday.
We walked around on top of the mountain, and walked down through town at the end. We were all surprised at the size of it- I didn't realize it would be half as big as the city! This is a cool shot of the entrance leading up to the temple in the town. I've never seen anything on the sidewalk like this before:
The three of us had a great morning/early afternoon at the fortress, and Dad later said it was his favorite part of the trip!
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