Road Trip! (Day Nine ~ WestBound on the South Coast)
I awoke from my slumber feeling re-energized. While I do enjoy the adventure of sleeping in my tent, I find myself more rested after retiring to a comfortable bed. I waste no time getting onto the road. Today I’ve got a lot of driving ahead of me. I’m hoping to reach Tongyeong before nightfall. I see plenty of brown signs tempting me to make side trips as I travel but I’m resisting the urge. Until I see Boseong, and the signs for a tea plantation. I go in and have a look around. There is a gate preventing me from walking around the plantation grounds. I take some nice photos but truthfully I’m a little sad that I can’t explore a little more. So I walk towards one of the buildings where I meet a man, who allows me full access! I appreciated his kindness and went into the plantation and got some nice pics.
Afterwards, I went into the tea house outside the plantation which looked like a log cabin. When the lady saw me she immediately gave me some pamphlets and told me to sit. She said ‘English little’ and asked me if I could speak any Korean. When I replied in the affirmative she brightened up a bit and we started speaking. She explained how to prepare the tea and drink it. She explained the tea was hand made in the traditional Korean fashion, and USDA certified organic. We sat there drinking tea and chatting for almost a full hour! I bought some of the traditional green tea and some candies before I left.
Although I drank lots of tea, I haven’t yet eaten and as my friend know, I’m ruled by my stomach. So when I see a sign for Jjangddungeotang (Blue-spotted mud hopper soup). I stop and go in for a late lunch. Don’t be fooled by the translation, this soup is really good. Although it’s made with fish, it doesn’t have a fishy smell or taste, like some other sea foods. Like many Korean dishes it is spicy, but I enjoy spicy foods so all is well. Also like many Korean dishes it also comes loaded with more sides than a solitary man could ever hope to finish.
On the way to Tongyeong I passed through Gwangyang where I met another guy on motorbike. He pulled up next to me at a set of lights. It’s worth noting that motorcycles get to skip to the front of the line in traffic here in Korea. We acknowledge one another with a nod, then when the light changed he was gone. a few minutes later we’re at another set of lights, and then another. We shut off the bikes at the red and start talking. Turns out he’s from Seoul and he’s also on a road trip. We pull over and compare maps. We’re actually headed in the same direction! We decide to drive together. He’s driving a Honda 400cc bike so he’s actually taking it easy to allow me to keep up on my bike. We drive together until we cross over a bridge that comes just before the town of Sacheon. This is where our paths diverge and I continue to Tongyeong by myself.
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