A taste of the scenery

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I wish I were a better writer. If I were a better writer, I’d be able to share the beauty of the Korean countryside with you. Since I cannot do anything to magically improve my writing at the moment, I will just do the best with the ability I was given.

Tranquility and retrospection. Those are the overwhelming feelings that I have while I am traveling through Korea. I live in the middle of the country in Daejeon, the fifth largest city. To get to Seoul at the northwestern region or Busan at the southeastern tip of the country, you take the KTX train through the heart of Korea. And in whichever direction your weekend takes you, there are lush green mountains the entire way. Peak upon peak, each rolling hill or mountain is covered in 3-4 primary kinds of trees. The forestation has the same coloring as two forests that I can recall in the U.S. - Michigan’s darker forests that have tremendous depth to them, and the simple light greens of Kansas.

Periodically dispersed at the foothills of the smaller mountains are rural Korean towns. Most of the houses or villas and buildings in these areas are built from modern materials (mainly concrete). However, they are moderately run-down and very small. Amidst these buildings are a few traditional Korean houses and miniature temples, which provide you with a small sense of what the country was like at another time in history. The authentic Korea. The Korea before the rest of the world came in and fought over the land and control of the people (China, Japan, Russia and the U.S….). If you blink for more than a couple of seconds you’ll miss the towns entirely.

Whereas the hills and mountains of San Diego are dry and sandy and covered with modern houses, ranches ad Spanish-style mansions, with almost no natural plant life remaining, and the more scenic mountain ranges in Kentucky are increasingly being populated by houses within the forests, the mountains in the heartland of Korea are still unscathed by mankind.

Along the way - in the towns and mainly between them - lie narrow and abrupt rivers and streams. It almost looks like just the overflow of water from a strong rain. This water runs beneath the Korean railways and other small bridges designed solely for transport. Running along the ground, adjacent to the streams, are healthy fields of grass. It is a type of grass that I’m not really familiar with. A rich, lime green grass that always appears moist - rain or shine. Green tea leaves and other edible greens are produced in the fields.

As the train approaches the medium-sized cities, a long series of high-rise apartment buildings come into view. These areas are much more developed and intrusive to the natural surroundings. You can close your eyes for slightly longer and still catch a glimpse of these areas.

Although beautiful for it’s peace and naturalness, like all areas of Korea (city or country) the countryside scenery has an over-riding dullness about it. The buildings are all designed in neutral grays and browns, and what colors that do exist on villas and houses are of the deeper color variety. Architecture is just as risk averse - very square and rectangular - box cities. Yet, the abundance of brightly colored and neon glowing signs throughout the buildings emit a vibrancy and energy to each of the more populated/developed sites.

The highway overpasses that pop up around the bigger cities look exactly like concrete overpasses throughout the U.S.

Overall, the long stretches of scenery and the abundance of space are reminiscent of the uninhabited stretches of land in the western U.S. - Utah, Colorado, and Nebraska. Evidenced by the land and its people, Korea is for all intensive purposes, a developed nation. Fortunately, the country is too proud to let go of those things that make the culture and its people appear different to the rest of the world.

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