Fall Came Early: Taking A Cold Dip.

I come from a big city where traffic and pollution are the ones that greet us in the morning. Fog, dewdrops, and crisp early morning air are basically non-existent there. I was always surrounded by buildings and asphalted roads that's why from my earliest childhood, it was my deepest wish to be with nature. Here in Korea, I'm repeatedly drawn to mountains and valleys where I could watch the flow of water for hours on end without getting tired or irritable. I think of it as a life itself, and something that is infinitely soothing to the eyes, and delighting all the other senses at the same time.

There is a valley in Gapyeong that we love to visit. They call it Yongchu, and the water there is so immaculately clean and cold all throughout the year. The boundaries, banks, and jagged rocks where the water circulates are so amusing to see, like a piece of art indicative of God's creative hands. We purposely visited there after the summer has ended, when the water is too cold for a swim. The only time you could really appreciate it's tranquillity is when it's free from rambunctious multitude of half-naked, waggling bodies.

In Yongchu, there is this place where you could rent small cabins to spend the night, and it comes with a free use of Philippine-style Nipa Huts like the one below.


We have our favorite secret spot at the remotest part of the valley where the water runs at it's deepest. There is a government warning signage posted at the entrance discouraging people to swim, so people don't usually go there. We sort of expected we could have the place all to ourselves like with all our previous visits, however, this time around there was a group of rowdy, thrill-seeking souls who arrived before us.

These two audacious guys took turns back flipping and jumping into the cold water. The perils of being young, they think they're invincible and nothing could ever hurt them.. A decade ago, I would have thought the same thing, and that it's cool and fun to be taking risks like that. But now that I'm older and fairly wiser, all I could see are the rocks below and how easy for them to smash their heads on it. I can't help it, with older age comes the inevitable part of becoming a party pooper.

The jagged rocks on the surface of the water are really slippery, and I exhausted my leg muscles from keeping my balance. When it grew numb, I spent most of the time resting atop this huge rock, soaking in as much Vitamin D, filling my lungs with fresh air, and just wallowing in the slumberous sound of the flowing water... I like it this way, and not even the boisterous group could deter me from having a very relaxing day.