Whirlwind is the only word that could possibly describe our weekend in Boseong. Maybe it’s the short winter days or our dwindling time in Korea that made it feel so brief, maybe it was the haste with which we moved through this tourist town’s off-season offerings that turned the quiet streets into a blur. Whatever the case, Boseong was certainly a good time.
Boseong is roughly 1.5 hours from Gwangju by bus, and after a restless night, I was certainly glad for the allotted snooze time. However, when we entered the mountains near Boseong, it was difficult to nap. Of course the scenery was gorgeous as is the case whenever you wander into the more rural areas of this country, but my sudden alertness had more to do with the winding mountain road and the bus seeming to hop its way around corners. Even a year after our bus accident, I still get jittery. Seung-gyun’s sister picked us up from the station, and whisked us off to their family’s restaurant where we were treated to a lunch of roast duck eaten bulgogi style (lettuce wrap). Then, thoroughly stuffed, we hopped into the car for an afternoon of sight seeing.
The beaches at Boseong are limited in size, but we were assured that they saw their fair share of action come summertime. Our personal guides, told us about the girls in bikinis and summer love from their teenage years. I wandered to take pictures and breathe in the salty air being careful not to stumble over the constant stretch of ropes across the sand. Fishing boats anchored to shore, nets carefully folded, patiently waiting for warmer days and better fishing. We continued on noting strange odds and ends like a burned VCR/Radio manual, a potato lazing along the waterline, tiny crab carcasses. The men skipped rocks. It sounds unhurried, but Alex and I both wished we could’ve lingered longer on the shore. It was time to continue on.
 |
| Ocean breezes. |
 |
| Tethered |
 |
| Romantic |
 |
| Skipping |
 |
| The boys: Seung-Gyun, Ki-Hyeok, Alex |
 |
"Alex loves Audrey
HA HA HA"
Why is this funny? |
Climbing from the foot of the mountains to the very top, the green tea bushes ripple in perfect rows resembling the back of a squatting dragon or the ominous climb of a tidal wave. Despite the recent harvest and the winter weather, the tiered rows still hinted at green. Winding down at a much gentler slope, a path offers a nice stroll that come summertime is probably packed to overflowing. On this particularly brisk day, it was ours. We took pictures quickly and moved on.
 |
| Field 1 |
 |
| Ridgeline |
The second green tea field we visited was a full-fledged tourist operation used to shoot TV shows and commercials and is bordered by restaurants and gift shops. Once up on the trails, it feels more isolated. As we walked the winding paths amongst the carefully manicured shrubbery, we indulged in vanilla-green tea ice cream and green tea cookies. Snow flurries came and went as did the sun, and the ice cream was still delicious even though I could barely feel my face.
 |
| Green Tea for days |
 |
| Stunning Korean |
 |
| After ice cream: Ki-Hyeok, Seong-Gyun, Me, Alex |
That night we stayed with Ki-hyeok’s family that, lucky for us, were preparing for a wedding. His mother put together a thanksgiving-worthy feast, while his father plied us with jujube liquor. Later we took the quiet walk into town to meet with another friend who owns a PC Bang (internet café). Happy to have company, he took us out for beer and cow heart before we wandered sleepily back to Ki-hyeok’s house and a night in the country.
 |
| With Ki-Hyeok's father. It was the first time Americans had visited his home, and he asked for a photo to remember it by. |
 |
| The crew at pub downtown for squid and beer. |
 |
| Just me kicking some butt at Tekken. |
Sunday we found ourselves back at Seung-gyun’s house for lunch before bussing home. The weekend was a flash, but from what we’ve seen, Boseong is the best of all worlds. It’s a city, it’s a beach town, and is gracefully bordered by mountains and breath-taking tea fields. If only there were more days in a weekend. If only.
 |
| Green tea fields at night, for romatic, friend walks |
 |
| Green tea fields at night. |
Comments