The Sam Tae Keuk (from Google Images)
Or according to Google Translate… 내 인생의 드라마
I recently was on a vacation to Seoul and Busan, South Korea. One of our (me and my super girl friends) traditional annual out-of-town trips. This is their second visit, my first. There was a chance to join them the first time in October 2011 but back then, I would have just come from another vacation (Thailand and Cambodia) with another friend and the supply of moolah would would have been really close to nonexistent.
Plus, Korea wasn’t a place I would excitedly have included in my list of must visit places. Nope. Nah-uh. Not even when K-Pop and K-Drama and whatever K-Sensation started to sweep the globe. I just wasn’t interested. I became more disinterested, to be honest, because of my plentiful friends who were so into K-stuff and soooo smitten with the cuties (like I said, I never really thought they were not handsome. They’re just too pretty to be my type), I just felt they’re all gushing enough for the whole female population, I didn’t need to contribute. And me being me, I have this stubbornness to depart and decline from things and situations especially when I feel I’m being … Ehm… convinced too much, whether outright or through very subtle means, to like or go with anything.
So, that was the case two years ago. Although I knew I wouldn’t really be against going to Korea for too long. I like traveling. I like new places. And, well, Queng, being my bff, knew how to turn me around. She focused more on highlighting how the place is as Korea. What I’d like about the destination as it was. Not as a place where all the K-pop and K-drama came from.
Then it was September 2012. I got a call early in the morning, asking me if I was okay with going this time. I said yes. Although from the time the tickets were booked until we were in the process of applying for our visas, there were moments when I still felt unenthusiastic about the trip, I looked forward to being with my friends, nevertheless. And I knew we were going to have fun.
We did. So much.
Korea wasn’t a destination that actually blew me away as a first time visitor. But bits and pieces here and there managed to make me go ‘wow’ enough to want to go back. For all the places I (we) wasn’t able to discover. For all the experiences I (we) missed because of the rains. For all the souvenir and gift items I didn’t buy.
Yes, I left those out maybe because I knew I would go back. It was spring, almost summer when we were there. I’d like to see it during winter, fall, the beginning of spring with the cherry blossoms, full blast of summer.
Kamsahamnida! ‘Til next time.
Comments