Chusok 2008 Pics (part 6)

Wrestling. WWF. WCW. WWE. Sumo. Greco-Roman. Whatever kind, it's all cool.

Korean wrestling, called Ssireum 씨름, is also pretty damn cool.

And at the Chusok festival in Flushing Meadows Corona Park I saw Ssireum in person for the very first time.

I took a few pics of the event to share with you.

Have a look and let me know what you think. According to my friends, it's not as big as it used to be in Korea. But these guys were doing a great job of keeping the tradition alive and having a fun at the same time.

Chusok 2008 Pics (part 1)

These buses, picking up in Flushing, were taking people to Flushing Meadows Park for the 2008 Korean Thanksgiving Festival. I thought it would be faster than taking the train. Man, was I ever wrong. It took about 40 minutes for the first bus to come. There were so many people that it quickly filled up and took off. I wasn't about to wait another 40 mins, but then, right behind the first shiny blue bus, pulls up a shiny, white bus. Just my luck, the bus is filled to capacity by the time I get to the front of the line.


"Okay. I've waited this long and there will probably be another bus directly after this one," I think to myself. Another 30 minutes goes by and instead of heading for the almighty 7-train, I wait it out, as after all, once you've waited that long, you've crossed the point of no return. Finally, I make it onto a Flushing Meadows Park bound bus!


I finally made it to the park! There was already a sizable crowd. And on stage there was a sick Taekwondo demonstration.