The Great Outdoors

I think I first heard the term 'Africa Hot,' from a family member when I was a child. It was during one of those family vacations in the mountains where everyone on the family tree participates. Therefore my memory is fuzzy as to which relative had actually used the term 'Africa Hot' in my presence. Regardless, I later learned that the expression was from the 1988 film Biloxi Blues, which was originally a play written by Neil Simon. At the time I thought the 'Africa hot' I was experiencing as a child was like real Africa heat. I have never been to Africa either, so I logically thought at that time that it couldn't get any hotter. Despite this, the 'Africa' like temperatures in California only range between twenty-eight and thirty-five Celsius, which of course is only 'California mountain hot.' Heat can be a relative term. For humans, depending on where they live, the heat can be more tolerable, if they are used to warmer temperatures. I am sure Africans wouldn't complain about the Californian mountain air. Conversely I think an Irish summer tourist in California would have a lot to say about the heat.

These days I'm living in Asia; more specifically South Korea. I still haven't set foot on African Soil, but one day I will. Until I do though, I must say that I hadn't experienced true hot until I came here. After a short pleasant spring June comes, and brings rain with it. Actually it rains a lot, and hard. Going umbrella less out doors isn't an option. The rain doesn't come in drops, it comes in lakes. What's even worse than that is the temperatures range from 25 to 30, so it is quite humid all the time. Later, once the end of July rolls around things start to dry out. The rain disappears, and then the real heat takes the place of the torrential rain. The temperatures are at least 3o degrees, and linger day and night. It gets so hot that an air conditioner is almost a necessity. I am too cheap to buy one though, so I suffer. The fan only helps if it's turned up to '11' , and only during the wee hours of the morning, where there is a helpful soft breeze blowing through my open windows. What's even worse is that the water from all of the rain is constantly evaporating from the rainy season, so the simple act of even venturing outside can easily cover one heavily with sweat. The life saver for me were the coffee houses, and cinemas in Suncheon that have an unlimited supply of A/C. Koreans like to strut their A/C power, which isn't exactly a bad thing in July and August.

Anyway, my reasons for ranting about hot weather is that I've just noticed that tomorrow is September the first. All of my windows are still open for twenty four hours a day, and I still can only manage dressing in shorts and t-shirts, but I actually don't need my fan to cool me at night anymore. I can slowly notice the change in temperature, which is giving me a notion that it will all be over soon, and we can all resume normal lives outdoors again. Which is good, because the fall is a great time to be outdoors, and moreover, what I really want to share with you is that another great thing about living in Korea in the fall is the miles upon miles of mountains to climb and explore.

In fact, according to the Lonely Planet guide, Korea is covered by seventy-percent mountains. Many nations have a specific region that has accessible hiking trails, but in Korea, those trails are everywhere. Even those living in busy Seoul are able to quickly access local peaks. Despite the fact that Korean mountains are not that high(they typically range between 1200 and 1500 meters high,) they just seem to cover just about every province of this nation. *Halasan on Jeju-Do is the highest peak reaching 1950 meters, but is just a mere fraction of mountain space that surrounds South Korea. In terms of elevation, South Korea isn't Tibet- Tibet's average elevation is actually over 4,000 meters. So South Korea can't rightfully be called the Switzerland of Asia. It would however be more fitting to imagine Korea as The Appalations of Asia, with trails sprawling all over the rolling hills and modest peaks, from downtown Seoul to remote areas on Jeju-do.

In Suncheon where I reside, I can literally walk out my door, go down the elevator, cross a parking lot, and take a quick hike past a mountain temple, and continue up, and up, and walk for miles and miles, until I get tired too tired out to continue. The trail head is very close, which makes it a perfect place for an evening sunset climb, or morning pre-work, workout. The only problem of course is the intolerable summer heat. The only occasions I attempt to climb anything is after six in the evening, while I am armed with a large, quite nippy, bottle of water. Additionally, I am also only able to do this mind you, because the mountain is quite shaded until it peaks out.

It's such a nice thing, that I could literally write countless, innumerable, pages giving tribute to the mountains in South Korea. The problem is though, I am going hiking in the morning, so I need my beauty sleep. So in conclusion, I just want to express my gratitude to the month of September for showing its more inviting face. For doing this, I can attest, that I will be out and about climbing mountains here and there, and enjoying the outdoors, like any normal, healthy, human like myself rightfully should. Korea is quite a unique country for its beautiful landscape, and scenery. Because of this, it would be a waste not to experience it. So for a while, Africa is on hold.




*Taken From Lonely Planet Korea-page 66, 2004 ed.

An Alternative Way to Spend a Weekend

Once upon a time, I was younger. Being young was a memorable part of my life too. By the way, when the word memory comes up I usually become a little sentimental, but today I am going to keep the overly sentimental narrative to myself. Instead, in the spirit of relaxing summer vacations, I think it is fitting that I expound on some of the more trivial experiences I had in those 'younger' days. Today I will tell you about how I spent my summer vacations. More specifically, I want talk about rock n' roll.

I like rock music a lot. I've attended concerts in clubs, restaurants, houses, stadiums, arenas, even bookstores. I've seen guitars smashed, pics thrown, mosh pits, fights between bands and audience members, and most other things associated with with rock music gatherings. I've staged dived, crowd surfed, punk jumped, and banged my head enough that it will likely cause brain damage during my golden years. I was (and still am by some degree,) by definition a great enthusiast. If there was a band on a bill, I would be there. Sometimes it was even for my own band. I've even played at places where we were strictly not allowed, and still managed to play a few paltry tunes. Moreover, what I really got a kick out doing was going to rock festivals. I haven't been to that many, but I can recall the several big all day rock shows I was fortunate enough to attend.

My first rock festival was an informal event with 70,000 people called 'Day on the Green. I was seventeen. Metallica, Guns and Roses, and rapper Ice-T's band Body Count played there. The annual concert was notorious for it's giant mosh pits, however, in addition to the mosh pits, the year I went became a night full of heavy metal and grass throwing. Another great festival I went to was the 'Van's Warped Tour.' That was the gigantic California punk rock tour, that has become famous everywhere. I went to the second one ever held in San Francisco. The tickets only cost twenty bucks, but what I also remember as is typical with most large American gatherings is the absurd concession prices. For example, a bottle of water was three dollars.

Anyway, when I was young, I loved partaking in rock n' roll adventures. I am still not old, and I am still able to rock out, but I feel that I am evolving in a way that makes it more manageable to say goodbye to rock. Living in Korea has made that transition easier. There aren't many big rock festivals that pass through this small crowded peninsula. Despite this, there is still one. And yes, for old times sake; I went. It's called the Pentaport Rock Festival. It's in Incheon, which is near Seoul. It lasts for three days during the middle of July. If you got a extra couple hundred dollars you can go too.

Yes, I said a couple hundred dollars. It's expensive, isn't it? The thing is, if you went to a three day festival in the states you would probably pay the same. In addition, I also believe that once inside, you would pay an exorbitant fee for any food or service you needed. The three day ticket also includes free camping. American venues can be quite a rip-off. In Korea, the prices stayed the same. A bottle of water was a dollar, a beer was three dollars, dinner for two, which was delicious, was about ten, and t-shirts and souvenirs were the same prices you would pay at any other shop in town. Anyway, I bought a one day ticket for a more 'modest' price of eighty dollars. Indeed, it was still expensive to enter, but once inside I didn't have that trapped feeling that most large venue events have in America. So the ticket prices made a dent in the wallet, but once inside I was able to relax.

Once inside, I noticed a different atmosphere than what I am accustomed to here. I felt like I actually was younger again among other young rockers who have a lot to prove to the world. South Korea at times can feel a bit formal, and serious, but all of that disappeared the second I walked inside. There were not suits and ties, just young people walking around with either sandals or big rubber boots. The venue was a giant mud covered field near the sea, and it had rained the night before, so the ground had the same sloshiness as the mud festival. Wha was interensting though was, the tickets were on the more expensive side, and the ground was muddy, so I was able to enjoy the fact that one could walk freely to the stage and manage to find a good spot to watch and enjoy the bands.

The first band that I saw were Aussie group The Vines. Imagine Nirvana playing shorter, more polished songs. They weren't the headliners, but they played quite well for one of those 'middle of the afternoon,' bands. After that my girlfriend and I ate some ribs, then we went to see the next band The Gossip. They were quite unique. Imagine a larger version of Stevie Nicks, mixed with a bit of Aretha Franklin. That was their lead singer. I have to say, that she tore it up. The band was OK, but she really energized the crowd with her vocals and on stage personae. She even knew how to talk to Koreans, which might sound strange, but after living here, I've noticed that you can really impress the locals here if you have the right manners. It's not hard either. It just shows you that a little kindness goes a long way, and that's true here.

Anyway, the band I paid so much money to see were the headliners from Scotland; Travis. They were pretty darn good too. They weren't the best band I had ever seen, but they were pretty impressive. They have quite a large catalogue of songs, and were able to play a good deal of them in one evening. They finished the show with an acoustic version of 'flowers in the window.' It was a nice way to wind down from the day. After the last chord was played, we clapped for a few seconds then pushed our way through the mud to the exit and went to sleep. As I'm just not as young as I used to be. However, I'm still not that old. So if you aren't so old, and if you are in the ROK, I recommend making a trip to the Pentaport Rock Festival.