Fall Came Early: Epilogue

I just got back from our weekend escapade, and all the fun and merry making left me with a couple of bruises, a slight fever, and annoying aches and pains that gnaws everytime I move. I may have pushed myself too much this time, and I knew it's bound to hurt. But I couldn't care less as I've had the most amazing, unbelievable, adrenaline-rush inducing experience of my life!

We went to these 3 amazing places.

Gapyeong - I've been here thrice before. It wasn't really exciting or anything, but we went to places we haven't visited before.

Chuncheon - I already lost count how many times I've visited this place before. But this time, we discovered an amazing place not many people know of.

Cheorwon - This place is unbelievable! It was my first time to be in a place so remote, so beautiful, and so close to North Korea (they even sell North Korean liquors there!). But unlike the boring DMZ thing-y which is a total waste of money, this one's different! It's not really that popular for thrill-seeking tourists so the nature is at it's most pristine form. It's nothing quite like what I've seen before! And believe me, I've seen so many places in South Korea (east, south, north, west, name it and I've been there), but this one reigns supreme.

Summer has officially ended the day we departed. Tomorrow is officially the start of the fall season, but it came two days earlier. The trees have started to change color from where I visited, and that familiar autumn breeze makes itself known in the early mornings and at night. It was so cold I always shivered. I wish I brought my parka with me during the trip, so I wouldn't be sick like this, lying in the bed the whole day, with fever and headache no amount of Tylenol could cure...

An Evening of Culture and History.

I was feeling quite lethargic the day Chris asked me out on a date. That was Monday, I just got off from the phone with my sister and she passed a bad news that pretty much ruined my day. I could tell Chris could feel whatever bad vibe is in the air, and whenever he wants to make me feel better, he'd ask me out to 'blow-off' some steam like what he likes to call it. We were already half a block away from home when we realized that we didn't have a place to go. It was late and other than bars, all places were already closed. Then a sudden idea sparked in my head, and I just knew the perfect place to go. Suwon is synonymous to Hwaseong (Brilliant Fortress), the most famous and probably the only place in Suwon worthy for a late night bus ride. Hwaseong was built by King Jeongjo during the Joseon Dynasty to honor his father Prince Cado who was murdered by his own father King Yeongjo.

When we arrived, the main gate was already closed so we had to take a much more difficult trail of probably 500 stairs and barely visible pathways with hungry mosquitoes and moths flying in all direction. It didn't sound even the slightest bit romantic to be called a 'date', but when we reached the top, I understood why people subject their legs to that kind of abuse and commune with mosquitoes and other insects I barely know the names. Standing right in the middle of it, with the wind, the view, and the lights was all too perfect.

We continued to climb till we reached the ancient observatory that has an amazing 360 degree view of Suwon. If it's only possible, I wanna have a romantic candlelight dinner here at the exact same spot where I was standing and took this picture..




This wall encloses the palace of the King, and surrounds the center of Suwon. I always see it whenever I take the bus to go to the subway.

One of the many gates...

On the way down, the view was equally breathtaking.

It was pretty late, but we didn't wanna leave the Fortress and end the magical evening just yet. I told Chris about the candlelight dinner that I was imagining while we were up there, but since that's not even remotely close to being possible, we settled for the next best thing. We went to this traditional restaurant that has clay pots everywhere, ancient wooden decors hanging on the wall, and straws weaved on the roof like a hut. He said he wanted to give me a taste of their traditional culture.

We ordered Dongdongju, a traditional liquor made from brewing rice, yeast, wheat flour, and water. It's sweet and has a milky off-white color. It's served chilled on a bowl with a scoop like in the picture below. It's kinda grainy like that of soybean milk, and part of it settles below so you have to give it a good stir before you drink it.

Here's a picture of me, taking my very first sip.

Dongdongju is best consumed alongside "pajeon", but in the tradition of using "pa" or onion leeks to make this dish, we had something a bit more elaborate. This one's kimchi, haemul (seafood), and gamja (potato) jeon in one platter, just like a three-flavored pizza we all love.

Chris has the metabolism of a teenage boy, and as if the three-flavored jeon wasn't enough, he ordered yet another sidedish called "dakbal" (chicken feet in uber spicy sauce served on a sizzling platter). Ok, I don't normally eat chicken feet, but this is one rare occasion where I actually consumed more than I'm supposed to.. It has a weird chewy texture (no bones or anything), but it's really tasty.. With my three year stay here, I think Korea is growing on me.

When we left the restaurant, we were full and a bit tipsy. We walked holding each other's hand, laughed like crazy for no reason (a classic when you're drunk), and waited at the wrong bus stop alongside a sleeping homeless man which resulted to a few more rounds of laughter. Hearing the bad news from my sister, I was hurting to have this kind of fun, and I'm so glad we did.

Movies, Shopping, and a Sumptuous Dinner

Chris heard from a reliable source that the Song-do Festival pretty much sucked, so he figured we better do something else that Sunday. We went to the theater to watch "The Perfect Getaway", it stars Milla Jovovich and Steve Zahn who played newlyweds on a honeymoon somewhere in Hawaii. As much as the director wanted the story to be 'unpredictable', we kind of predicted 95% of what's gonna happen. The story wasn't original and I thought they copied it from the movie called "Taking Lives" which was far better, and far loaded with punch.

Chris wanted to do a bit of shopping so we hit the stores right after the movie. It amazes me how long it took him to choose 2 shirts of the same style but different colors, and how he spent the next hour trying it on again and again. The saleslady looked annoyed as hell that she had to 'sales-talk' him for like two hours, but he ended up not getting anything. I waited for him at some couch, but when it became unbearably long, I decided to shop as well. I was able to buy a pair of jeans from Polham, two blouses, and a skin care set in less than 15 minutes.

Dinner was "Dak Galbi", stir-fried chicken in spicy sauce. It was delicious, but spicy as hell! I sweated profusely and got a fervent runny nose while eating...

Most grilled, barbecued, and stir-fried food here have really strong smell that cling to clothes. If you don't want to roam the streets smelling like what you had for dinner, go spritz yourself with that fabric spray before leaving the restaurant. Most restaurants here have one sitting by the counter...

One with Nature.

By no means could I call myself a decent photographer. First, I don't own a decent camera. The one I've been using is ancient and very much abused. Second, I drink way too much coffee, and perpetual tremor goes hand in hand with that. Third, I'm simply bad with angles. But even with all these reasons, I still love taking photographs.

I once considered buying a DSLR and turn this hobby into a full-blown vocation. I did save up for it, but then I changed my mind. I keep on thinking, I should buy one only when I'm absolutely sure that I could earn from it. But given the three reasons I enumerated above, that's highly unlikely.

When I went on a trip the last time, I got to commune with nature. I saw some pretty interesting things, and I thought it would be nice to post the pictures here (just don't mind the angles, and the fact that I obviously lack the talent).

Of Skittish Saturday Evening.

It's Saturday and I'm home alone. Chris is spending the night at his house in Song-do, and I'll be joining him tomorrow to see the festival there. Before I could even begin to imagine what lies in that festivity he's bugging me to see, I have to deal with the fact that I'll be alone for the next 24 hours. The house is so empty without him, and for the first time ever, I began to miss him right after he closed the door and left. I just finished a tall cup of Iced Americano, my 2nd serving today, and I could definitely feel the caffeine kicking in with jitters and all. Something tells me that I wont be spending a huge chunk of that 24 hours sleeping...

So what is there to do when you're alone on a Saturday evening? Well I got a bag of popcorn ready to be microwaved later, beer chilling in the fridge, and a few more episodes of my favorite TV show to be downloaded, then I'm all set to pull an all-nighter or at least till the caffeine wears off.

You know you have too much caffeine when you're anxious and jittery for no reason, and that's exactly what I'm feeling right now. I hope dimming the lights while drinking this cup of peppermint tea would relax me as I'm writing this. Got a couple of songs playing, and they sound pretty great with the speaker volume on high. If you wanna know what I'm talking about, help yourself by clicking the links. I swear it'll do wonders to your restless, caffeine-troubled soul..

One Republic - Come Home

Carolina Liar - Beautiful World

White Apple Tree - Snowflake

Finger Eleven - I'll Keep Your Memory Vague

Death Cab for a Cutie - The Ice is Getting Thinner

Angels and Airwaves - The Gift

Travel Diary: Saving the Best for Last.

The weather was unpredictable that night in Gyeongju. As soon as we left Anapji, the rain ceased and practically stayed that way the whole night. I wish we could have stayed longer and took more pictures.

Morning came, and we were up early, eager to make the most out of our last day on the road. Chris didn't tell me where we're going, and I was sleepy so I wasn't paying much attention to the road. Then his face lit up and he blurted "look to the left!", it was then I saw this vast flower field exploding with the cutest shade of yellow and orange.

The flower field didn't come nearly as cute when you're standing right in front of it, than seeing it from afar. The first thing I noticed was the smell. There's a minty-grassy smell coming from the leaves, and a sweet subtle potpourri smell from the flowers percolating in the air. I felt like Mary Poppins standing in the middle of all those beautiful flowers.

A friend of Chris recommended we visit Hwang Nam Bbang Bakeshop and try their famous Gyeongju bread. So we bought a box for 12,000 won. It was good, and it reminded me a lot of "Hopia" (a bean filled pastry I used to eat when I was young).

On our way to Pohang, we passed by a random isolated beach. Chris wanted to get some air, so we parked somewhere and walked along the shore. There are a lot of better beaches in Pohang, but we wanted a quiet and serene place like this.

Then we came to Homigot Beach ~ one of the easternmost point of the Korean peninsula with land jutting out into the East Sea. Thousands of people travel here during the Annual Sunrise Festival to witness the year's first sunrise. We came during the afternoon when the heat is almost unbearable. I can't stop myself from pitying this unresponsive horse who looked like he's on the verge of having a heat stroke.



Another important thing about Homigot are the sculptures called "The Hand of Harmony", the left hand stands on the land, while the right stands on the water.


This sculpture is best appreciated during sunrise when the hand looks like it's holding the sun.


We used the sea-road driving course that goes all the way to Yeongduk. It was a long drive and we were three hours late for lunch. I can't really complain as we saw a lot of scenic viewpoints and amazing spots worthy to be in postcards along the way.

Yeongduk isn't famous for sight-seeing, but people come here to get a taste of the most delicious crab in all of Korea.



It's definitely worth the long drive and all the excruciating hunger pangs. Every mouthful of their insanely delicious King Crab is pure ecstasy.



There's an ajumma that cuts it all up so you could easily eat it. Right after we finished all the four crabs, she served this. I know the picture doesn't look appetizing but let me tell you, the taste will blow you away!



Just before we said goodbye to Yeongduk, Chris took a picture of me while standing at the sea wall. The clear skies turned gray and it was all cloudy and dark again.



With the sky as dark as that, the rain couldn't be far behind so we decided to hit the road again. This time, we were headed to Cheongseong, a small, quiet county that takes pride on it's pristine river, cute hills and mountains perpetually covered in fog, bountiful apple farms, lakes, and other things we weren't able to discover.



Everywhere I look, there were apple trees thick with the sweet-smelling fruit. While walking, Chris had to stop me from picking one. I don't know, the apples looked so inviting... And sometimes, my craving gets in the way of my thinking.. I threw a fit when he didn't let me pick one, it's harvest time anyway and nobody would recognize that one's missing from thousands of apples there. Like a true gentleman, he offered to buy me a bucket of apples from the farmers selling it on the street. But I wanted the real thing, I wanted to get it from the tree with my bare hands. Well, what can I say.. I'm ludicrously high maintenance...



We walked towards the entrance of the lake park, and the view along the way is anything but the ordinary.



Blame it on the weather, there were only a handful of people at that time. Chris and I had one of our most romantic walks in this place.



We were losing the sun fast, so we hiked as fast as we could till we reached the lake. Kings and other royals from ancient dynasties spent time here, and I'm sure they gasped the way we did at the first sight of this lake.



Here's Chris walking towards a more secluded spot of the lake. The dark area there seemed like a cave, but nobody could go there without a boat.




And as always, I had to get my picture taken before we leave the place.



On the way down, Chris was busy 'hunting' for creatures and insects and he caught one strange looking frog.

From Cheongseong, we went directly to Andong to visit Hahoe Village. Along the way, the rain poured so it was hell traversing the mountain road going there. We reached the place at half past 8 in the evening. Since it was raining, we just drove around the village. It was dark and most people there were already asleep, except for this one halmmoni (grandmother) who stopped us to offer minbak (a place to stay). It was late and there wasn't much to see so we decided to go home. Chris was dead tired from driving that we had to stop at some resting place. We accidentally fell asleep there for a good two hours.

Both of us could barely walk when we reached home, but we couldn't stop talking about how wonderful the trip had been.