Once you realise that time flies in South Korea, you also come to realise that a year is not that long, actually, and that if you don't hurry up, you won't see everything you want to see before you leave the country. On the weekends, there is no time to rest or catch up with your writing and no time to stay at home and recover from a heavy week. There is exploration to be done and fun to be had and thus, the madness continues weekly; it's a cycle of non-stop movement, travel and happy exhaustion...
On April 15th, I planned to go and visit a friend, Bells, in Gyeongsan, about an hour and half by bus from Pohang city. From Heung-hae to Pohang, it is at least a 45 minute bus. So, all in all, the trip takes a good two hours. We had arranged to meet for supper and have an early night. Well, as Murphy is my dearest friend, my co-teachers decided to leave school an hour late. For most, this would be a minor setback in the evening's plans. For me, it was a giant hurdle, for I work in the mountains. This means:
- the carpool must drive back to Heung-hae (45 to 50 minutes depending on traffic),
- I must walk to my apartment from the drop-off location (approximately 15 minutes),
- I must collect and pack my belongings (10 minutes),
- I must walk to the bus stop (which I just passed on the way home) and wait for a bus to arrive (anywhere between 10 and 30 minutes),
- I must catch the bus to Heung-hae (45 minutes),
- I must buy a ticket for Gyeongsan and wait for the next bus to leave (average time for waiting + trip = 2 hours).
Therefore, total time travelling = minimum 4 hours = mission.
If I had got the right bus, I would have been there for supper at 20:30ish. Alas, I only got the 20:20 bus and only arrived in Gyeongsan at a mild 21:40. It ended up being quite a late supper, to say the least. Bells and I headed to the student area called Yeungnam, where the University is situated. Our "quiet supper" started very well; we went to a little bar/restaurant and ordered rice and pork and a pitcher of beer. As we were thinking of leaving, we started a conversation with a couple of young students to our left. They offered us a shot of a drink called Chong-ha, which is similar to Japanese saki (wine). Bells looked at me from across the table and said: "You know that if you accept that drink, we will never leave this place." And I said: "Oh no, rubbish. It's just one little drink." Well, the night did not end. We made friends with everyone in the establishment, I spoke every Korean word I have learnt since my February arrival. Our last stop was at a noraebang - a karaoke/singing room - with some of our new-found friends. It was a fantastic Korean experience, truly fantastic!
Saturday was difficult, to say the least. But we managed to wake rather early and head to Daegu. Gyeongsan is a relatively small place in Korean terms but it is also a semi-suburb of Daegu, a very large and happening city. Daegu is all lights and shopping, restaurants and tall buildings. I managed to purchase a desperately-needed sports cap and a handbag and we caught a bit of an outside concert for charity. The highlight was the finding of a little second-hand shop on the way to the subway. It was a lovely day, indeed.
In the late afternoon on Saturday, Bells and I took the bus to Pohang. It was the perfect time of day for a scenic trip through the rural areas; the light was soft and made the mountains and farming fields look movie-worthy. We listened to depressing love-loss, heart-break music and enjoyed the break in the madness.
After one hell of a good party, we woke up on Sunday for our trip to Gyeonju. Gyeonju is 30 to 40 minutes by bus from Pohang. This little place is full of absolute wonder. It isn't called the 'Outside Museum' for nothing. We had a glorious day, despite the aching headaches, in the sun and in the tombs and under the cherry blossoms and amongst the Spring flowers. A truly cultural experience for once...
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