THE NIGHT before the bus took off at 6 A.M. never ended. I waited at the appointed area at an ungodly time with my boots strapped, a tripod on my back and my camera bag. After the night's events the only climbing I wanted to do was maybe into my bed, but I knew well that I was somehow supposed to climb a mountain just six hours from then. The distance to the mountain looks big on a map, but in reality South Korea is about the size of Wisconsin and by bus the ride was only about three hours. In my flipped head space a shorter ride was a dreadful prospect. Every minute had to count to maximize sleep time.
As I waited for everyone to come down to the meeting spot other exchange students who weren't going on the trip were just starting to return home from getting obscenely drunk. I could hear them a mile away, coming back with trinkets which they had no recollection of acquiring. One girl had a giant stuffed teddy bear about half her size. I'm not exactly sure where they had been and they really didn't know either. I'm not sure why I tried asking them.
Those students who were going on the trip were in a similar stupor. They had went out with me the night before and I ended up having to call about three people to get them to wake up before they forfeited their $100 and one of the most memorable experiences they could have in Korea. Luckily for them, after about eight missed calls, they woke up and came down before we were forced to ditch them so we could make the bus on time.
We navigated the subways where the alcoholic and workaholic mingled in the early morning hours. Sitting on both sides of a disheveled man with his head in his hands sat two stern men in pinstripe suits. The ride was particularly bumpy - surely he learned his lesson for drinking so much and lingering on that train, however he most likely forgot it shortly after. For the entire train ride we looked at him with slight pity for his situation.
Eventually we ended up at the spot where the bus would pick us up with thirty minutes to spare. With tired minds we stumbled upon a nearby shopping centre where we split up for a short period of time to eat our breakfast. For myself and my friend Eshaan, this was a fast food burger at the South Korean McDonalds-style knockoff Lotteria. The "Super Double Burger", as it was referred to on the menu, was delicious but of questionable quality. It became abundantly clear after this meal that I had better treat my body a little bit better if I were to make it up the mountain with all of my camera gear.
I was ready to fall asleep anywhere, but when I sat down inside the lit-up interior of the tour bus I was given a second wind. Suddenly I was wide awake and completely exhilarated by the prospect of leaving the city for the first time. I had been in Korea for close to two months and for that entire period had only seen the flashy life of Seoul. It was time to leave the faces covered in make-up and modified by plastic surgery and see something organic for a change. I threw on my headphones and began listening to some music to match the occasion, something auspicious was in order to match this new-found feeling of discovery. I laid my backpack down on the empty seat next to me. I was ready to tackle the world.
A minute or two later I fell into a deep sleep. My bag became my pillow.
I was at home, hanging out with my friends on a summer day in my home town. I was looking at the fields and enjoying the breeze. I think if I remember correctly there was a barbecue or something, or at least, I smelled barbecue. My parents were there and my dogs were running around. We were just enjoying time sitting out on the deck at sunset. The memory is hazy.
"I think maybe we should wake up Ben," I heard Jochem say. I had just happened to wake up when I heard that. "I'm awake," responding as I lifted my head to look out the window. I saw where we were to have lunch. I felt like a brand new person. I was finally out of Seoul and we were in the middle of no-where and I had an all-you-can-eat bibimbap buffet in my near future. I ate as much as possible to recoup any strength that the nap didn't cover.
When the meal was over, I went right back on the bus, fell into another deep slumber and had another crazy dream.
I woke up, exited the bus and was blown away:
The second part of this story includes pictures and stories of the climb to the top of the mountain, an alpine town and a chance encounter with an interesting individual...
As I waited for everyone to come down to the meeting spot other exchange students who weren't going on the trip were just starting to return home from getting obscenely drunk. I could hear them a mile away, coming back with trinkets which they had no recollection of acquiring. One girl had a giant stuffed teddy bear about half her size. I'm not exactly sure where they had been and they really didn't know either. I'm not sure why I tried asking them.
Those students who were going on the trip were in a similar stupor. They had went out with me the night before and I ended up having to call about three people to get them to wake up before they forfeited their $100 and one of the most memorable experiences they could have in Korea. Luckily for them, after about eight missed calls, they woke up and came down before we were forced to ditch them so we could make the bus on time.
We navigated the subways where the alcoholic and workaholic mingled in the early morning hours. Sitting on both sides of a disheveled man with his head in his hands sat two stern men in pinstripe suits. The ride was particularly bumpy - surely he learned his lesson for drinking so much and lingering on that train, however he most likely forgot it shortly after. For the entire train ride we looked at him with slight pity for his situation.
Eventually we ended up at the spot where the bus would pick us up with thirty minutes to spare. With tired minds we stumbled upon a nearby shopping centre where we split up for a short period of time to eat our breakfast. For myself and my friend Eshaan, this was a fast food burger at the South Korean McDonalds-style knockoff Lotteria. The "Super Double Burger", as it was referred to on the menu, was delicious but of questionable quality. It became abundantly clear after this meal that I had better treat my body a little bit better if I were to make it up the mountain with all of my camera gear.
I was ready to fall asleep anywhere, but when I sat down inside the lit-up interior of the tour bus I was given a second wind. Suddenly I was wide awake and completely exhilarated by the prospect of leaving the city for the first time. I had been in Korea for close to two months and for that entire period had only seen the flashy life of Seoul. It was time to leave the faces covered in make-up and modified by plastic surgery and see something organic for a change. I threw on my headphones and began listening to some music to match the occasion, something auspicious was in order to match this new-found feeling of discovery. I laid my backpack down on the empty seat next to me. I was ready to tackle the world.
A minute or two later I fell into a deep sleep. My bag became my pillow.
I was at home, hanging out with my friends on a summer day in my home town. I was looking at the fields and enjoying the breeze. I think if I remember correctly there was a barbecue or something, or at least, I smelled barbecue. My parents were there and my dogs were running around. We were just enjoying time sitting out on the deck at sunset. The memory is hazy.
"I think maybe we should wake up Ben," I heard Jochem say. I had just happened to wake up when I heard that. "I'm awake," responding as I lifted my head to look out the window. I saw where we were to have lunch. I felt like a brand new person. I was finally out of Seoul and we were in the middle of no-where and I had an all-you-can-eat bibimbap buffet in my near future. I ate as much as possible to recoup any strength that the nap didn't cover.
When the meal was over, I went right back on the bus, fell into another deep slumber and had another crazy dream.
I woke up, exited the bus and was blown away:
The second part of this story includes pictures and stories of the climb to the top of the mountain, an alpine town and a chance encounter with an interesting individual...
No comments:
Post a Comment