So, it appears I started to write this post about this time last year and never got around to writing anything - oh well, now seems like a good time to do it! Better late than never hey?
As you may or may not know, Korea has four very distinct seasons and over the last year I have the blessing/opportunity/painful experience of being exposed to all four. This concept shouldn't blow anyone's mind, but for my fellow Australians out there, the big wide world has a different idea about seasons than the "seasons" we experience in say Perth or Adelaide. Whilst Perth appears to only truly have 2 seasons - blistering hot summer and English summer (aka "winter") - and suffers a bi-annual identity crisis, during which it sporadically changes its mind between the two, Korea goes through stark and bewildering changes between its four separate seasons.
Summer is traditionally hot, humid, rainy and muggy and is known to have typhoons pass through to drench the locals and make everyone generally feel gross. Winter is just plain freezing, with a decent chunk of snow falling in the north of the country (around Seoul), and blistering -8 C winds blasting my face as I take the short walk between my car and the office. Neither of these scenarios truly appeal to me, particularly the winter as it was much colder than anything I have ever experienced in Australia and my wardrobe was poorly prepared for it.
In my opinion, it is the transition periods between these two seasons, Spring & Autumn, that are by far the most pleasant. Spring is extra special around this area as the landscape physically changes when the numerous fruit trees begin to blossom with glorious flowers.
Particularly famous in these parts are the Cherry Blossoms, which sprout beautiful white and pink flowers for roughly two weeks of the year in the early spring.
Roughly an hours drive away from Ulsan is a place called Gyeongju which is a popular tourist trap, I mean, destination, which is covered in cherry trees and for the two weeks of the year when they blossom, it is a truly spectacular sight to behold! As a result, thousands of people flock there to see the spectacle and in reality the drive takes 2 hours with all the traffic going in and out of Gyeongju.
Both this year and last year my work has organised a group outing to Gyeongju and both were definitely fun days out - more so because the weather has just warmed up, the sun comes out and everyone has a slightly less gloomy demeanour with winter no longer freezing our noggins.
It makes for a good place to go for a walk or bike ride (or in my case last year, an ATV ride... yeaaah, long story) and there are plenty of touristy things to do in and around Gyeongju - there are UNESCO world heritage listed temples, teddy bear museums, water parks, go karting tracks.... everything you'd want to do on a warm spring day! oh, and the flowers are pretty too.
Have I made a decent plug yet? Well, if that hasn't sold you, then how about this photo of a random good looking man I bumped it while I was there last time - he enjoyed it too!
Well, I better go outside and enjoy the weather before it gets too hot and humid - until next time residents of the world wide interwebs!!
Peace,
Leonidas
and here's one of me getting a bit too excited about kimchi - just for you guys :)
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