Tag: Korean tea

Bye bye 2019

After the 33 days of fun, it is time to go back to reality, i.e., Ukraine. Even where are some many undiscovered places left, I could say I have done a great job! And the list of articles I wrote about my trips impressed even me, I did not realize it is that big.

Contents

The last story will be about my flight back to Ukraine.

The last time I enjoy the food at a restaurant. Dongas with the huge hill of sliced onion and sour sauce – a perfect accompaniment for a fried meaty dish.

I cannot go back to Ukraine without any souvenirs, so, it is shopping time. And an impossible mission – pack all the stuff in a tiny suitcase.

The sun rapidly drops down on skyscrapers, pylons, light poles and successfully hides beneath the horizon. I felt the daylight time in South Korea is shorter than in Ukraine. And a futuristic sculpture nearby Incheon airport; is that made to bring to mind flying, or is it a naughty intend to take travellers thoughts away from possible stress?

So, here I say, “see you again :-p”. My backpack was almost exploding from the crazy stuffing, so I almost lost my consciousness when it did not suit the luggage rack, I just concentrated all the power before my last breath and magically pushed it in.

A good thing about long-distance flights is meals and drinks.

Transfer at an airport in Istanbul.

Sky views on the way from Istanbul to Kyiv.

Checking all my wealth!

I am waiting for my next adventure!

Boseong

After the intensive trip around Suncheon, I am heading to a neighbouring Boseong country.

A population of Boseong country is just 42,803 people by 2018, in 2001 it was 61,329 (30% decreased).

Same as Suncheon, Boseong was a part of the Mahan confederacy. During Baekje, it was called Bokhol country 伏忽郡, and it 757 the country was renamed to Boseong 寶城郡. Boseong 寶城 literally means a precious town, from 寶 – jewel, precious stone, precious and 城 – city, town. The former name Bokhol 伏忽 caused difficulties in the interpretation, as the word bok 伏 might mean to lie hidden, to conceal, to subdue or a surname, and hol 忽 means sudden or to underestimate, to neglect or a surname. Why would the name of a country have a relatively negative meaning? I found quite interesting information about it:

The word hol 忽 was used as a synonym to word seong城 in Goguryeo place names to emphasize the area is under the Goguryeo reign. Baekje used the word hol 忽 in place names in the same manner. During the Unified Silla period, in the toponyms, the word hol 忽 was replaced by seong城. Probably, the word bo寶 simply is the homophone to the word bok 伏.

Seems Baekje wanted to show the dominance over the region, however when the time came for better, the governors would not want to cause disambiguation in the country name for the ordinary citizens and just replaced to the meaning with a really positive homophone. By the way, the creator of mankind in Chinese mythology is named Fuxi 伏羲, I got to know him at the National Museum of Korea.

The main attraction of the country is tea fields. The tea fields are shown even on the profile picture of the article about Boseong country on Wikipedia. The country is the greatest tea producer in South Korea.

These tea fields lie on hills of Hwalseongsan 活城山 mountain, 498 m.

Green tea has been produced in Boseong for the past 1600 years. The earliest mention of tea in Korea dates to the 7th century, the time of Queen Seondeok reign.

A restaurant with a view on the fields serves food with green tea, this is dongas.

The free of pay view on tea fields, on a roadside.

After the walks around the peaceful tea fields, I am heading to the south, to Yulpo beach washed by the waters of Deuknyangman (Deukryangman) Bay.

The water here is not so clean, I have even photographed some rubbish, but I do not dare to post it. And me, with the new skin tone after a walk in the Suncheon garden. However, as I remember, the water here was warm. There were foreigners on the beach too.

That is not all for today yet, one more destination is ahead!