Serendipity Do Da Day... Hurray for Namhae!!!

 As is so often the case for me,

especially on holiday,

I woke up with no idea what I should do.

After asking some nuns,

who said I should just stay where I was,

I remembered that I wasn't far from the German Village I'd always wanted to visit.

So I got out google and plotted a course.

From start to finish.
The trip from 증도  to 남해군 (Namhae)  was filled with little bits of magic.

It turned out to be harder then the average trip but luckily 

I've taken the time to learn enough Korean 

to make this kind of things possible in a pinch.

Folks didn't seem to know how to get across the southern part of the country,
so I made it up as I went.

Thankfully, everything worked out great.

The best part being, I made new friends along the way 

who informed me it was OKTOBERFEST!!!

However, the first stop was a stunning little beach town on the very southern part of Namhae.

It's nice to know that quiet places like this exist so near the mainland.

This makes running away during typhoon season so much easier.

There is so much to do here. 

I'll have to come back when I'm not so fixated on beers and brats.

You know... right after I take my last sea swim of the year.

It just felt like adventure from the moment I woke up.

The minbak/pension was a easy going delight.

Textures take my breath away.

Breakfast of champions.

Instead of beach front mega hotels, they have a garlic farm.

Like many beaches in Korea, they leave a smart tree line to help with storms. 

The beach gave us nothing to complain about.

How can it be October and still perfect for a swim?

The smallest and cutest of my new friends.

Oktoberfest + Great new friends = Certain Fun

With any luck.The guest stars in this weeks drama,will become series regulars as this season continues on.

Slow Down. Children at Play.

Invitations for Thanksgiving came from all over,

but nothing seemed right.

It felt like passing the time rather than 

an adventure or a celebration.

So I looked to my own path.

The only thing that I could put my finger on was the direction -

I needed to head south.

Somewhere down there was where I needed to be.

So I went and followed my compass 

thinking I would retrace the steps of past adventures.

Possibly visiting 가거도 or 흑산도 again.

However the world had other plans.

In Mokpo a typhoon and an old man sent me in a new direction.

They said I needed to stay away from boats and find a safe harbor.

The old man found a map and said, "You should go here.  It is best."

Hesitant at first, I pushed past it and followed his advice.

When has a stranger ever steered me wrong?

So I caught the first bus to 증동리,

the first step to my final destination.

What I found there was nothing less than solitary perfection.

One of Korea's Slow Cities.

There is little to do there but:

walk

fish

bike

read

play

soak

reflect

and be thankful.

CLICK HERE to read more about Korea's Slow Cities.

 

 

 

 

 

I am forever thankful for the kindness of my Pension owners,

who welcomed me to their Thanksgiving table with open arms.

Disclaimer: I never plan ahead. When I travel I just show up and see what happens.  I do not book anything, reserve anything, or have any idea what will happen when I arrive.  When I did this trip I did it on bus and could not really speak any Korean apart from, "Can I have ____?" or "How much does it cost?"  It still worked out.  Korea is easy to travel in.  You wont die, the worst thing that will happen is that you will be mildly uncomfortable.

Bikes, Baskets & Baking

When you live in the country,

you must own a bike with a basket.

You must use that basket

for shopping trips,

while wearing ballet flats 

on warm fall day.

And you must,

absolutely MUST,

spend a lazy Sunday

making oatmeal apricot cookies.

Get In My Belly

Before:  A Beautiful Wonder

Tonight my boss surprised me with dinner.

Can't even begin to tell you how delicious and appreciated it was.

It's these sort of gestures that make me happy to get up in the morning

and delighted to go to bed at night.

After my mother died when I was young(er),

there weren't many home cooked meals by anyone other then me for a very long time.

It soon became the thing that I missed most in my life.

 To this day there is nothing I find more encouraging 

then a dinner cooked without asking.

After:  Happy Fat Food Belly :)

A Blaze of Glory

I went.

I burned.

Korea Burn 2012

The 2012 Korea Burn was the first major effort to launch a burn event in Korea.  The 2011 efforts kind of happened / didn't happen, but this year they put in real effort to make the magic happen.  Around 1,000 people showed up at a remote west coast beach near Taeon to "let their freak flag fly".

The end result seemed to be kind of like a mix between a burn and a frat party.

A lot of folks seemed to just be there to get drunk and access drugs they can't usually find in Korea.

Others were really into the event and made a real effort to share, teach and explore ideas.

As for the local authorities, they seemed equal parts amused and horrified by the event. Posing for photos with the topless women painted like trees before politely asking them to put their tops back on.  Not that they did, but an effort was made.  

Many of the families and adjuma's that accidentally wandered in the fray seemed highly amused by the crazed foreigners doing bizarre things and even took time to try out some of the games or activities happening around them. 

Personally, I don't have much of a "freak flag" and not very repressed so I just king of walked around taking it all enjoy.  Learned a bit of fire baton twirling from my friend, enjoyed meeting new people, watched the sunset, listened to music and enjoyed a little time sleeping outside in the trees.

It's my hope Korea Burn keeps happening and attendees continue to learn about what the experience is meant to be.  It has a lot of potential as long as it leans more toward burn and less toward frat party in the years to come.

Setting up camps.

Doing what they do.

Cultural exchange. How to "shot gun" a beer.

Made my mark.

Said goodbye to my favorite low summer maintenance friend. Thanks Brent.