Green Tea Plantations

This past Sunday, Blair and I went to the Boseong Green Tea Plantations. Our journey began early in the morning and after 6 hours of traveling on three different buses we arrived at the green tea fields around mid-afternoon. Unlike most cities and towns in Korea, Boseong and most places westward of Daegu are a little more difficult to get to because there are no direct trains linking the areas. Nonetheless, the long journey by means of bus wasn't too bad.

The plantations in Boseong date back to the 1930s when colonialists from Japan established the area’s first commercial tea plantation. The area was chosen because of its soil, humidity, and day-night temperature differences which is perfect for tea cultivation.

We were dropped off along the road near the green tea fields and we quickly made our past small souvenir and green tea shops. Along the way, we decided to grab some green tea ice cream. The ice cream was delicious, I even contemplated getting seconds. As we ate our ice cream, we slowly made our way to the entrance of the green tea fields. Once inside, we were impressed how big the area actually was, it is setup much like a park. One can easily spend many hours exploring the fields, trails, and surrounding forest.

The green tea plants were aligned in winding rows which grew up the mountainside. It was an amazing sight to see even from the bottom. We slowly made our way upward through the winding rows of green tea plants and arrived at the top after a bit of hike. The view of the sweeping field was even more amazing from the top. The view was calming as the scent of green tea gently floated upon the breeze. On our way out, we stopped at a tea shop and enjoyed a freshly brewed pot of tea for only 1,000 won (about a dollar). I’m a big fan of green tea (it’s my favorite) and this tea was one of the best I've ever had.

After spending the afternoon at the plantation, we started making our way back to Daegu. We arrived back in Daegu just before midnight. It was a long day that included a lot of traveling, but it was totally worth it. 

Rainy Weekend in Seoul

On Saturday, I went to Seoul for the first time. We had Monday off for Korea's Independence Day. My coworker and I spent most of the weekend shopping since it was raining nearly the entire time. Nonetheless, we enjoyed shopping and got to explore many parts of the city. We also scored some good deals at H&M and Forever 21.

On Sunday, the weather cleared up a bit, so we decided to go to Gyeongbok Palace. We got there just in time for the changing of the royal guards. We really enjoyed the ceremony. We spent most of the afternoon exploring the vast palace grounds.

Gyeongbokgung is the main and largest palace of the "Five Grand Palaces" built in Seoul by the Joseon Dynasty and dates back to 1394. 

 Gyeongbok Palace.

We had a good time in Seoul. It’s a really nice city, but I much prefer living in Daegu because it’s cheaper, smaller, and feels a bit more traditional. 

China, Part 2 (Xi'an)

The next day, Andy and I ended up flying to Xi’an. Our original plan was to take an overnight sleeper train, but we learned that all the sleepers were sold out days in advance. The train had only hard seats available and Andy wasn’t very eager to travel that for 12 hours overnight. I was a little more willing because I’m all about traveling on the cheap and wouldn't have minded being uncomfortable for awhile if in the process I saved myself $100. However, I decided to “bite the bullet” and spent a little more than I wanted, giving us an extra night in Beijing. Not to mention, the flight was only an hour and 40 minutes long.

We arrived early in the morning.  After checking into our hostel, we spent the day exploring the city. We got to see the Bell Tower, the Drum Tower, the City Wall, and  the Wild Goose Pagoda. Xi’an is one of China’s oldest cities and most of its historical sites are well over a thousand years old. There was a very different feel in Xi'an than there was in Beijing. The pace of life there seemed a bit slower, yet it had much more charm.

 The Drum Tower.

 The Bell Tower in the distance.

Biking on the City Wall.

The Wild Goose Pagoda.

The next morning, we headed to Mount Hua Shan for a hike.  I learned about this hike while reading an article in Travel and Leisure magazine, “World’s Scariest Hikes.” Their website had a video link of the hike (Mount Hua Hike Video). After watching the video, I knew it was something that I had to do one day. The hike became the inspiration for my trip to China!

Mount Hua Shan is known as 'The Number One Precipitous Mountain under Heaven'. It’s one of the five sacred mountains in China and has a long history of religious significance. Various Taoist temples dot the mountain’s five peaks. We boarded a bus near the Xi’an train station and two hours later arrived near the base of the mountain. Since we were limited on time, the cable car took us halfway up, but we were able to hike the rest of the way. The views near the top were amazing.

  The mountain’s cliff path was our ultimate destination. After hiking for about three hours through the clouds and in the rain, we finally arrived. It was an incredible sight to see. The path appeared even more intimating in person, to the point where I was doubting my ability and talking myself out of attempting it. It looked scarier than I imagined; a straight descent along small metal bars that were built into the mountain. The fact that it was raining and everything was wet, thus slippery, made the situation seem even more precarious. For a very lengthy moment, the thought crossed my mind to back out of the whole thing. Meanwhile, Andy had strapped right in to his harness and started on his way.After about 15 minutes, I gave the cliff path one final look and thought to myself, "I came all the way to China for this moment; I can’t back out now".  I put my stuff down, strapped myself in, and made my way down to the path. I would have truly regretted it had I not. I was surprised how safe and at ease I felt once I started making my way down. It looked much scarier than it actually was.

 The experience was amazing. It was quite the rush, almost spiritual like. Every thought and worry I ever had seemed to disappear for a moment as I took in all the beautiful scenery around me. There’s just something indescribable about nature when you see it on such a massive scale.  It makes me feel so small, yet, on top of the world. I’ve always been drawn to nature, and this was the most amazing sight I have seen yet! 

 Approaching the cliff path.

 Heading down to the path.

 After the cliff path, we made our way back down the mountain. We arrived back at our hostel around 8:00 pm. Then we treated ourselves to some typical Chinese food, KFC (our greatest export), they’re everywhere in China.

The next day, I had a few hours to visit the Terra-Cotta Warriors before my train departure. By the time we actually made it there, I had less than an hour to explore. Nonetheless, I got to see the main building, which was very impressive. The sculptures date back to 210-209 BC.

The Terra-Cotta Warriors.

At noon, I had to catch the train. I ended up taking the train to Tianjin (an 18 hour train ride), then the high-speed to Beijing (the only option available at the time). Once I arrived in Beijing, I got into a taxi and made my way to the airport. I made my plane just in time. After an hour and 45 minute flight I landed in Seoul, then it was a 4 hour bus ride back to Daegu. It was nice to be home after nearly 30 hours straight on some form of transportation.

 The hard sleepers on train.

China was amazing experience. I saw a lot in a short amount of time and got to experience some the country's unique culture. I also met a lot of friendly and interesting travelers along the way.

China, Part 1 (Beijing)

Teaching in Korea has been an amazing experience thus far. However, some days can feel somewhat routine and a bit exhausting. Education in Korea is very different than it is back in the States. Most Korean students attend private school year round and get very little vacation time. At our school, we only get two weeks of vacation, one in July and another in December. Nonetheless, it’s a nice way to break up the school year and it gives us at least some time to travel or relax (whichever we so choose).

I decided a while back to spend my summer vacation in China. My trip to China was quite the adventure. In true fashion, I started packing the night of my departure, but I decided only to pack a small backpack for the week. Wearing just one pair of shorts for the entire trip made it much easier. Most people would probably prefer having clean clothes to wear everyday, but it just isn’t very efficient and all the extra weight only slows you down when traveling. I’m trying to refine my “ultralight” backpacking skills anyway.

After packing, I had to catch an airport shuttle bus from Daegu to Incheon International Airport at 2:00 am Saturday morning. The bus ride to the airport was about 4 hours. I arrived at Incheon a little after 6:00 am and quickly checked in with plenty of time to spare. My flight departed Seoul at 8:45 am and I arrived in Qingdao, China (my layover) at 9:00am local time. Going through customs in China was really fast and easy, much easier than customs back in the States. After an hour delay, I was on the plane heading to Beijing.

As the plane landed at Beijing Capital Airport, I looked out the window and saw nothing but smog. I was instantly disappointed. I remembered reading about the stories leading up to the Beijing Summer Olympics and the city’s efforts to reduce smog and pollution. I thought maybe after a few years they would’ve had better control over the problem, but I guess not. I can understand the athlete’s frustrations over the city’s pollution, it wasn’t a welcoming sight to see or breathe. Smog is often a problem in most Asian cities, including my own city of Daegu, but Beijing’s smog was on a whole other level. I shouldn’t have been surprised though, smog should be expected when traveling to a developing country. I was more worried that I wouldn’t be able to see Beijing’s sights in all of their glory.

As I exited the airport, I stepped into what felt like a wall of heat, humidity, and smog. I was determined to get to my hostel using only public transportation to save a few extra bucks. I got on an airport “shuttle” bus. The ride from the airport to the city ended up taking an hour and 40 minutes. I was dropped off at some random location along a major city highway. I walked around for about 10 minutes looking lost and confused trying to find the public bus I had to take. Then, a friendly Chinese couple approached me and pointed me in the right direction. I hopped on the public city bus which slowly made its way toward my hostel. The bus was extremely hot and crowded. The traffic was ridiculous. After almost an hour on the bus, I finally arrived at my destination.

I quickly checked into my hostel and spent the evening exploring the local Hutong (type of traditional courtyard residences) and Houhai Lake. My hostel was located in a really neat Hutong. I enjoyed walking around the area and back alleys. It was nice to witness the traditional Chinese way of life. The Hutongs throughout Beijing are far removed from the modern build up parts of the city. Life there seemed simple as families sat and conversed curbside, but there was still a sense of hustle and bustle as people quickly rode by on their scooters and bicycles.

Houhai Lake.

A street near Houhai Lake. 

The view from the Bell Tower.

The next morning, I got up early and continued to explore more Hutongs. Then I made my way to the Bell and Drum Towers. Next, I went to the Yonghe Temple, also known as the "Palace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple." It’s a Buddhist temple dating back to 1694. The temple was absolutely beautiful. After the temple, I walked over to Jingshan Park which had amazing views of the Forbidden City. It started down pouring on my way out of the park and I ended up walking all the way back to my hostel in the torrential rain. I was nearly swept away in some flood waters as some areas along the way were literally a foot or so deep.

Yonghe Temple (Lama Temple).

The view of the Forbidden City from Jingshan Park.

I woke up the next morning and it was still raining. Thankfully though, it starting clearing up around noon, the sun started shining, and for the first time while in Beijing, the sky was clear. So, I decided to go to the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace was once the summer retreat of various emperors. The palace and gardens were really beautiful. It was one of my favorite places in Beijing. Late that night, Andy finally arrived.

The Summer Palace.

The next day we went to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The Forbidden City is an impressive and massive complex that was built in 1406 to 1420 during the Ming Dynasty.

The Forbidden City.

Tiananmen Square was another impressive site. It’s the world’s largest pubic square. The Chinese government has placed "advertisements" throughout the city celebrating its 90 years of Communist control.

 

Tiananmen Square.

On our last day in Beijing, we hiked the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall. This section is 10.5 km long and is a little more remote than most of the popular sections. Andy’s friend, who lives in Beijing, was kind enough to drive us and two other people we met at the hostel to the Great Wall. We had a great time hiking the wall and taking in all the amazing scenery.

 

The Great Wall.

After our hike, Andy’s friend took us for Chinese hot pot. Hot pot consists of a simmering metal pot of stock at the center of the dining table. We ordered lamb, beef, shrimp, and fish balls to cook in our hot pot. My friend Jenny also joined us for dinner. She lives in China but I had met her back at Rutgers. It was nice being able to reconnect with someone I haven't seen in awhile over a delicious meal.