A Korean Oktoberfest (Wait.... huh?)

Oktoberfest at this German village.

Not only did I get to go to Oktoberfest a few months ago, I got to do it on an island off the coast of South Korea at a reconstructed German Village. A German village in Korea? Huh??
Yes, you read that correctly, I experienced my first ever Oktoberfest, in the middle of Asia with not a German person in sight. It was bizarre and hugely entertaining.

Luckily Namhae island is connected to the mainland by a bridge highway. The island is fairly easy to access by car or bus, as no ferry's are needed.

Two teacher friends and I decided to take an organised tour group trip with Enjoy Korea. The tour group picked us up in the centre of Daegu and took us all the way down the peninsula to Namhae island for a two night stay at a pension and a look around the island. In true form, the bus collected us at about 10am and everyone was drinking by 11. Hey, it was my long weekend and we were going to a beautiful island - wouldn't you do the same? Drinks were definitely in order. Especially, apparently for the girl a few seats behind me who dropped the contents of her soju and orange bottle all over herself and her seat.

I vaguely remember a guy by the name of Blessing shouting at the whole bus to pull over because he needed to "pee like a racehorse". I felt a little sorry for the conservative couple in the corner who said they didn't drink (despite the fact that they were attending a beer festival). The girl next to me rolled her eyes and took a long and deliberate swig of her soju before whispering "haters gonna hate".

The beach opposite our pension.

Round the corner from where we stayed.

Bre, Chi and I with our signature "I heart Oktoberfest" Tshirts, drinking German beer.

The festival took place at a traditional German village on Namhae with some of the most scenic oceans view I have ever come across. The German village itself has been a tourist spot on the island for over 20 years. During the rapid economic downturn in the late 1960's, many Koreans chose to live overseas and earn foreign currency. The initiative to build the village came about when many foreign nationals came back to Korea. The aim of the village was to make returning citizens more comfortable in Korea and merge two very distinct cultures, thus all of the timber and building materials used were originally imported from Germany. Today, the village is more of a tourist stop, as many of the houses are used as museums. I left the bustling city of Daegu with is PC bangs and Dunkin Donuts in the morning only to be brought to what felt like Hansel and Grettle's home town a few short hours later.

In amongst the German Village.

The Oktoberfest stage.

The festival was great - but not without its Korean anomalies. After standing in line for a German Bratwurst with Sauerkraut, I was served a hot dog and spam slices with Kimchi inside. Close...but not exactly what I had had in mind. The Oktoberfest stage, made to look like a German fantasy castle had an array of Korean Kpop singers and rappers entertaining the crowd. It was such a confusing mesh of Korean and German, There were even a few Hymonies (Korean Grandma's) dressed in German corsets and Dirndl's - not quite what I'm used to seeing from the conservative ladies in Yeongju. The rest of the evening was spent watching beer downing contests, dancing to Kpop/German music and partying on the beach. It was a great time!

For better or worse, it was a great way to spend a long weekend. Namhae island is gorgeous and I would recommend it as a stop for anyone during the summer months. Here is a look at a few pics from our weekend on Namhae.