Shine on me crazy Korea

Under the lanterns near Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple, Gyeong-ju.

Nae and Lu enjoying some fresh mountain spring water.

Tongyeong to Bijndo ferry.

And out of the woods she came, queen of the elfs and friend of hobbits and all creatures of Middle Earth.

Setting up camp on our first night on the island.

Bulguksa is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism in the North Gyeongsang province in South Korea.

Gourmet breakfast service on the beach served by michalin star…teachers.

Inside Bulguksa.

Careful preperation for our wee wander up to the island’s rooftop.

Bijindo. We were camped at the far end of the sandbar you can see leading up to the other end of the island.

The fellas.

One Mr.Mohamed Hamdi Eltokhy of North Carolina, U.S.A and Egypt respectively. Veeery nice.

Nae, Lu, Kristin and Whit stoked to be in the mountains of Gyeong-ju!

Sunset as seen from our camp on Bijindo.

Job done! Another successful hike.

Taking in the view with Ryan and Jamie after a nice hike to the top of the island.

The strained groans of my A.C machine and perpetual break outs of sweat hint at a changing of the elements, but it’s the hours spent playing on beaches, evenings around camp fires, hikes over lush mountains and warm evenings in the city that remind me that summer time has reached the Korean peninsula once again.

This blog has so often served two purposes. It provides a space where I can capture my great Asia journey in slow motion, and also exists as a reflection of my thoughts as I encounter all the things that come with living in a foreign land. The last four months have been incredible for many reasons, having already spent a year in Korea I am able to live here with more confidence and understanding for what I see around me. On the surface many foreigners here struggle to empathise with Korea and it’s people, and while aspects of its culture appear easy to ridicule, the rewards of looking a little closer are enriching as they are ongoing. I have been fortunate enough to meet people who brighten everything around them, and in their company one can only appreciate the positives from one moment to the next. Beautiful and inspiring in equal measure, an amazing girl from the Pacific Northwest named Jinae, along with a like-minded group of friends, have all contributed to what has been a special return to Korea that continues to exceed all my dreams and expectations.

By returning for a second year in Korea it was always likely that I’d retrace some of my steps, blowing the dust from old memories and recapturing the feelings of novelty and intrigue.  It’s always been about the thrill, the desire to seek adventure at every turn, rather than any feeling of simply needing to do it.

The months of May and June bring several national holidays to Korea, Buddha’s Birthday, Children’s Day and Memorial Day. And with Korea’s work ethic leaving little room for extended vacation, to put it mildly, these rare days off are always met with something bordering an exodus as people flock on mass to any place that doesn’t resemble their Monday to Friday (or Saturday) slog.

For those of you who have kept up with this blog, you may remember a trip I made last year to  a beautiful little island called Bijindo lying an hour offshore from the southern tip of Korea. From my pictures you can see how Bijindo is made up of two small hills connected by a narrow sandbar, the similarities with some of the Thai islands in the Andaman Sea are plain to see. A stunning little spot, there can be no doubt. Living in the caldron of the Daegu basin, the country’s warmest region by a stretch, summer can at times feel unbearable. The cooler islands only a short journey from the city offer the promise of cooler air, serenity, open spaces and all the things that dense urban spaces fail to provide.

Because Bijindo is undeveloped, free of neon and convenience culture, anyone hoping to spend a few days camping there must stock up on supplies before stepping on the small passenger ferry that links Tongyeong to the tiny island community. Filling our backpacks and several taxis with as much food and drinks as we could carry, the small army I was travelling with had everything we needed for a weekend fit for 20 foreigners on a beach in the Far East.

Games in the water, hikes up the low-lying hills (check out the pictures for the view that greeted us at the top-stunning) and fires on the beach, we played hard and into the night, mindful of the rare break from teaching and the obvious beauty that surrounded us. This has set the tone for the last month, bright weekends spent in the pursuit of sunny hide-outs, undisturbed nature and good company. Outside the grey walls of urban life here there exists an abundance of colour waiting to be enjoyed. Korean cities have the lights, the people, the atmosphere, but without a glance out of the thick windows and over the tall buildings, so much goes unnoticed.

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~ by Jon Tamlyn on July 2, 2011.