Korea's four seasons

The last time I cruised around the island, I was on the back of a big, black, bad-ass motorcycle. A REAL bike. Holding on to a cute boy at 5 am in the morning, chasing an elusive sunrise. Every high school girl's dream. There is, however, something very uninspiring about going up a hill at 20km/hour on a maroon scooter, half clutching the gas, half walking it out, while guys on bicycles pedal past you, smiling as if the uphill road takes no effort at all. Tonight's trip around Geoje island would have been a waste if it hadn't been for the inspiration that went along with my sudden realization that I have only 40 days left in Korea.


It is spring in Korea and the Cherry blossoms are in full bloom. I have a hard time deciding which one of the seasons is my favourite. Especially in Korea, where every season is so marvelously beautiful. Spring sees cherry blossoms in full bloom all over Korea. They stand tall in rows next to rivers, and pop up wildly in the mountains. They appear next to office buildings and are photographed at the many festivals held in honour of them. They are found in different combinations of white and pink and it is easy to forget that they actually come from Japan, Korea's archenemy. Everyone waits for them to show their lovely faces, because they will announce that winter is finally over and warmer days are ahead. The problem with the blossoms is that you don't know when they will come out, but when they do start decorating the streets, you have to act fast, because in 2 or 3 weeks time, the winds will start blowing and you might well wake up one morning to lovely green trees, with not a blossom in sight, except on the ground, the pavement and in the road. The poor things being squashed by cars rushing over them to get to their next destination.

The Cherry blossom festival in Jinhae.
Yai for spring!!

Family Mart drinking - the best way to do it.
Summer on Geoje island goes hand in hand with humidity, lazy weekends next to the ocean, drinking outside of the local mart, camping on the beach, suntans, tubing and staying up late, because the sun doesn't set properly until long after dinner time. Many a romance have come into existence in summer. Many a fling was flung and many friendships formed. Nothing builds a bond like a beer or soju shared on a humid Saturday night in front of the local "Buy the way", where we broke all the chairs and made the local Koreans stare and take pictures.  As an ex winter person, Geoje summer left its mark on me and I am a changed woman. I think this might be my biggest regret about leaving Korea, that I won't be able to have just one more summer here. But then again, the previous summer left me with many great memories that would only turn one more summer into a bittersweet experience.
Working on my tan.

A lovely morning after camping on Gujora beach.

In South Africa, fall is pretty dull. Its all brown, with a splash of yellow every now and again. Korean fall had me speechless more than once, when the monotonous brown would suddenly be interrupted by a splash of bright red leaves, or a bunch of purple berries. I fell in love with the colours of fall after going hiking in Seoul with my friend, Jane. There is a great hiking trail behind her apartment and when a group of the islanders went to the Korean capital to visit the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), I saw it as the perfect opportunity to visit her and go explore. The mountain was boringly brown, like a painting, faded with time. I was huffing and puffing my way up the trail, when we rounded a corner and I started noticing the red, purple, orange and gold. I remember yapping about it to my friend on the bus back to Geoje. Non-stop.


It is surprising that,as much as I've always loved winter, I needed to come to Korea to really appreciate it. No summer Christmas will ever have the same feeling of fantasy as the three winter Christmases I spent in Korea. Learning to ski, making snow angels, building snowmen and having snow fights convinced me that snow is great, but what finally won me over was the sound of snow falling on a quiet night. It's like a silence, but you can hear it. 

Skiing at Muju ski-resort
Snow in my neighbourhood.
 There are lots of reasons to complain about the silly "4 seasons of Korea" (And they love telling you that Korea does indeed have FOUR seasons, even if two of them are only about three weeks long), but the good, the beauty, the magic of each far outweighs the negative.

I have 40 days left and I will definitely scooter around the island a few more times to make sure I remember long after I'm gone...

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