Sa-rang-hae-yo South Korea

Pengba Aruuba Eshingee *

Inside Gyeongbokgung Palace at South Korea in July 2014

Farewell dinners are never the best part of any trip. Just as you start getting familiar with people, knowing about their cultures, background and when bondings were taking a nascent shape, you are reminded time's up!

That evening, it was happening exactly at one of the convention halls of Lotte Hotel in Jeju, the amazingly beautiful island in South Korea. Slightly late for the programme after getting stuck while clicking photographs of the most admired resort in the island, one walked towards the venue, red-faced.

Yet, the South Korean host was at her understanding best. Her words "Hey it's okay, you are late only for this one, others have made you skip lunch remember?" suddenly brought the smile back.

After the usual welcome and thanksgiving speeches, the host of the trip sprang a surprise with a short video film of our week-long trip in South Korea, starting from Seoul to Busan and Jeju island.

On the night when the trip was getting over, the clock was turned back by a week reliving all the memorable days one had in South Korea -- a country that one had heard a lot about and saw making huge impression on the young minds of my home state Manipur through its television channels like Arirang and KBS.

Seoul, like any other metropolitan city in a developed world, is filled with skyscrapers, modern cars and SUVs, stores of western fashion brands and blinking signages in the evenings. It was slightly disappointing on the first day to a footloose, who arrived there with tonnes of expectations. That's why they say don't carry mental baggage when you travel.

The disappointment was, however, short-lived. A visit to the Gyeongbokgung Palace in the heart of the city was the eyeopener. Surrounded by glass buildings that were touching clouds, the palace stood still, elegantly, narrating history of over six hundred years -- to South Koreans, young and old, and tourists from different parts of the world -- in this modern day.

One could only admire in awe the structures and architecture of the palace, which didn't take long to remind one about his own place, Kangla. How the historic site has been maintained, how it serves as an ambassador of the city and a revenue earner were lessons to be learnt. If only we Manipuris could also do like these South Koreans in this aspect, apart from copying their fashion!

N Seoul Tower at South Korea in July 2014

When past gives way to present, that's when you land up at N Seoul Tower. This is the place where young South Korean couples come to take a bow to be locked for life, literally with locks -- a la Pont Des Arts bridge in Paris. Replete with restaurant and food joints, the place, also known as lovers' point, is a vantage point to watch the Seoul skyline at night. A shopping spree at Seoul's famous Myeongdong market is the perfect way to wrap up the evening.

Busan was the next stop, from where one was to move to Changwon. Interestingly, for domestic flights Seoul's Gimpo Airport serves the purpose but for international flights, you have to drive to the airport at Incheon -- the host city for the upcoming Asian Games from September 19 to October 4, 2014.

An early wake up meant that the nearly an hour's flight from Gimpo to Gimhae airport at Busan was spent sleeping and by the time we hit the highway for the next destination, one's admiration for such a tiny country multiplied manifold. The multiple-lane road on the hilly track en route Changwon, the industrial city of South Korea, and the development that it has achieved made one realise how hard working these people were.

A tiny nation, yet their home appliances, mobile phones and cars have conquered most of the households across the world. There is so much to be learnt about hard work, discipline and the will to be the best from a country that was ravaged by what is known in history as the Korean war of 1950-53. Their drive to overcome odds were also reflected on how they were reclaiming sea to develop into habitable land, considering the constraints they have for a growing population with such small landmass.

Privileged to be invited to the factory of one of the world's biggest home appliances maker, seeing the young South Korean men and women standing shoulder to shoulder on the assembly line, churning out one washing machine every 9 seconds, was an experience to remember. Fashionable, they were! Some had dyed hair, blonde with Mongoloid features, nose studs and what not but they also worked hard not only to earn a living but also do things they loved to do without depending on others. Can our young Manipuris learn from them?

There was so much to see but having already missed a flight to Jeju island, one could not afford to miss the next one. A dash back to Gimhae airport and the next moment it was the Air Busan flight taking us to Jeju, the start of the most memorable leg of the tour.

Located in the south west of Korean peninsula, this volcanic island is a traveller's paradise. Blessed with nature's beauty and the black rocks of myriad shapes remind visitors how this island came into existence. Words will never do justice to describe the beauty of the Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The best is just to keep clicking your camera till you ran out of memory cards. The climb of umpteen steps to witness the crater of the volcano (of course now dormant), a view from the peak of how the site has been maintained and managed taught a big lesson to visitors on how to be a responsible tourist.

If you are not a fan of mountain climbing, then you can indulge in a stroll on the vast green ridge or go for horse riding, or get to the sea and witness the world famous women divers known as "Haenyeo” -- collecters of shellfish, edible seaweed or even catch fishes -- whose whistles announcing their catch break the monotony of the quiet sea air. A sumptuous lunch at the Mint restaurant in Glass House, a few minutes drive from the site was an ideal way to pack up from the morning sight seeing tour.

Panoramic view from Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak at South Korea in July 2014

There were so many places that one could visit while in Jeju but given the time constraints, the Daepo Jusangjeolli Cliff was the best option, not to be missed. The hexagonal shaped stone pillars which line up along the coast are designated as cultural monument in the island. The precision with which these rocks have been cut by mother nature would make any modern day robotic machine proud. To say the least, it's too good to be true.

Just as was one was lost in the memory of those beautiful moments, suddenly there was a warm applause in the convention hall. All eyes turned to me, cheering and clapping. The big screen had a photo of yours truly with the title "Mr Photogenic". Never in the wildest of dreams one would have imagined such a thing would occur, but then it was happening. Totally red faced, once again, one walked up sheepishly to receive the prize.

Later on, one of the group members gave a back-handed compliment. "You won the prize because you look like one of them." There was no point in arguing with narrow minds. But yes, as Bo Lee, our tour guide once said during the trip, "If only you spoke Korean you could have easily passed as one of us, even your nature differ from your group members and you are so much like one of us".

Those kind words of Ms Lee will remain all through life and when we were leaving Jeju, there was one unmistakable signboard on the roadside which said "The world comes to Jeju and Jeju goes to the world".

I think I brought a part of South Korea with me. Sa-rang-hae-yo South Korea. I love you South Korea!

See a photo Gallery on this trip here