Autumn

Old Leaves

Walking through the park today I noticed that there were three distinct groups of people, divided by age. There were those under 12, who were dressed up warmly in coats. There were those over 50, who were dressed up warmly in coats. And then there were those people who dress themselves and are more worried about fashion than pneumonia. These die-hards, and I'm grouping together every Korean aged between 13 and 49, hang around the park playing ball games, riding bicycles or, as witnessed today, participating in cheer-leading competitions. They seem perfectly happy wearing shorts and T-shirts, as if denying that the weather is any less warm than it was in August. Perhaps if enough people wear summer clothes, winter will not come.

Autumnal Foliage.

Yes, that's right. Fall, my second favourite season, is here. And that gives me free reign to use my favourite expression: Autumnal Foliage. I love the way those words roll off my tongue. And so, when one wants to view Autumnal Foliage in the Daejeon area, where does one go? Why to Gapsa, of course. The Autumnal Foliage of the Gapsa valley is officially one of the eight best scenes of Kyeryongsan National Park. Last year I went over the mountains twice in an attempt to view this. I arrived too early the first time and too late the second. This year I didn't bother with the mountaineering first: I didn't have the time to walk up inclinations. I cheated. I got a friend to drive me to Gapsa.

It never ceases to amaze me how Koreans can congregate. They gather in droves, and never seem annoyed that whatever they are visiting is being simultaneously visited by the population of a small town. At the drop of a hat, hoards of people cram themselves onto buses, and streams of traffic crawl out of the city to wherever it is everyone is going. This particular weekend, it appeared to be Gapsa. Perhaps if I'd stayed in Daejeon I could have gotten away from all the people.

Autumnal Foliage and People.

The slow drive up the Gapsa road was welcome. If there weren't a line of traffic, we wouldn't have had the scenery unfold slowly, becoming more and more spectacular as we neared the valley. Every turn in the road brought a fresh view of forested slopes, rich green rice fields and the golden aftermath of recent harvests. The best view was when we took a wrong turn and drove down an avenue bordered by trees with leaves so golden they seemed to glow.

Autumnal Foliage and Cars.

Finding a parking space was a minor challenge, after which a ten minute walk saw us in the heart of the Gapsa valley. The reds, oranges and yellows of the trees were incredible. We arrived about an hour before sunset, so the light was fading fast, but the magic of the setting sun was making the spectacle a real work of art. If only I had been the only one there: the beauty of nature is never quite tranquil in Korea because of all the fashionably dressed people taking pictures of it with their handphones... Between calls of course.

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