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By Edwina White

Fresh off my Amazonian adventures, I emerged through the arrival gates of Incheon Airport. Dazed from consecutive nights of Ecuadorian Pilsner and a 20 hour flight, I was awakened by the frantic waving of a familiar friend: the Irish flag. The bearer was my oldest friend, Paula, who had been working in Korea since January. Paula was invaluable in helping me chop through meters of red tape to attain a 90 day working visa. She immediately rushed me to Seoul’s finest Irish bar for some resuscitation in the form of a potato based meal and a cocktail…and our Korean summer began.

Kim-Jong-il’s latest nuclear threats coincided with my arrival in Korea. Paula and I were quick to register with the Irish embassy in Seoul in case we needed emergency shipping out of the country. Having spoken to lots of locals on the issue, I have yet to meet one who is seriously phased or even concerned. When asked to explain why, some cite the size of South Korea’s army, while most talk about how a threat has been imminent for almost 60 years now and so has been grown accustomed to.

Although vastly different from my experiences in South America, Korea has offered me a plethora of satisfying adventures. Once we arrived in the hometown of Suncheon, I delved into work as an English teacher at a private academy. With just 6 hours work per day and a host of adult classes to counteract the stress induced by the younger ones, the job is ideal. The kindness of the South Korean’s was demonstrated to me early on by my colleagues, who always display lots of interest in me. As I had been warned, life as a foreigner in the small city of Suncheon is similar to that of a minor celebrity: children say hello wherever I go, women come up to stroke my blonde hair and call me a doll, even as I tower over them, and my ‘yellow arm hairs’ never fail to amaze them.

Aware that I would be missing my Latin American lifestyle, Paula had located salsa classes in Suncheon. With our 4 left feet in tow, we immersed in a beginner’s course that has had us dancing 3 nights a week ever since. With its conservative attitudes, Korea was the last place I imagined to be investing time in the dance of romance. Joining up was a great move as it acquainted us with the locals.

Tuesday and Thursday salsa parties are followed by a trip to a restaurant, which often spills over to the nearest karaoke room. Although I have yet to adapt to the kimchi and dried squid, I quickly became accustomed to the complex etiquette involved in dining here; sharing is key, with everyone poking chopsticks into the same dishes at the centre of the table. I quickly learned not to pour my own drink and to always use both hands to hold the glass when an elder is pouring for me. Most sips are accompanied by a toast, meaning I have to unwrap my fingers from my chopsticks just as I get a grip on them!

Over my 6 weeks here, I have explored a lot of the South Korean countryside: 3.7% of the area of South Korea is reserved as National Park and hiking is a very popular pastime in this curvaceous country. Mountains, big and small, are ubiquitous with trails being accessible from any town or city. Last weekend, I ventured to climb South Korea’s highest mainland peak. At 1912 meters, the hike up Cheonwangbong involved a 45km trail and 25 hours of walking. I must commend South Korea’s National Park Service, who manages to cater for both the safety of visitors and the protection of flora and fauna, without implications for the wilderness experience of the hiker. Delighted to see foreigners appreciating their country, the Korean’s were incredibly friendly throughout the weekend. They shared in our success by offering us the local home brew, mecju, at the peak; and bombarded me with ‘Deep Heat’, aspirin and bandages on the way down, when it was clear that my knackered knees were getting in the way of a rapid descent.

Before returning to Ireland, my travels will include a trek along the Great Wall of China and exploring Japan; however, there are plenty more Korean adventures to be had in the meantime. Parading at the Boreyoung Mud-Festival, baking on the beach in Busan, searching for cheddar cheese in Gwangju, having a nose at the demilitarized zone, and lots more salsa and hiking are in the cards. I have a sneaky feeling that come September, much as I may be craving my Mammy’s roast spuds, it will be sad leaving so much behind here in The Republic of Korea.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 at 1:30 pm and is filed under Eco Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.