afloat in a field of tea

The blossoms were bursting and I just had to make it out to the fabled green tea fields before I leave Korea. It’s been a destination for me for quite some time, but that whole winter thing really got in the way. So, now that spring is here and the flowers were quickly falling, Priya and I traveled on Sunday afternoon out to the fields to soak up some of the new sunshine. Of course, completely Korea style, we’re driving down the highway in the bus and I spot some sort of small green fairy-like creatures standing beside a white unicorn pulling a Cinderalla-style carriage set up in a parking lot off the side of the road. Whaaaa? Right. Just as I’m pointing it out to Priya who’s just spent the past few hours being rather car sick, we make a right turn into that very same parking lot. What luck! Green tea fairies, I shout. And we dash towards them post haste. Photo shoot fun! Why are they here? Why are they in the corner of the parking lot? Whaa? Ah, Korea! I do love thee and thou insane cuteness.

We wandered up the wooded path to the fields. What a gorgeous place. Undulating rows of green tea, in step with the rolling hillsides surrounding the fields. Magnolias, cherry blossoms and a variety of other trees in full bloom dotted the hillsides. We took the requisite, “look at me! I’m hiding the tea field! Look!” until the green tea police bellowed in Korean through a blow horn to get the hell out of there, we assume. The Koreans around us giggled and we all scampered out. We hiked up to the top of the hill to look down at the sloping fields. Truly fabulous. We met some really great Canadians who are living in Wando, a seaside town to the south of Gwangju and invited them to lunch with us. I ate a delicious green tea noodle jajang myeun (noodles with black bean sauce). That’s when I got the word about badkitty in the hospital. thankfully, jim was in town to take care of her. He did an amazing job being there for her. Our boss did, as well.

We all managed to get a cab to the bus station and we jumped on a bus to come home. Straight to the hospital I went to check on our dear friend. She was not feelin’ it at that point. Pretty bad pain. Really bad. We stayed with her until she feel asleep. We visited with her every day she was in the hospital. I can’t imagine being in that kind of pain and in some strange hospital for a week. I’m glad we were there to hang with her. She was certainly a true inspiration to me. Taking it all in such stride. An incredible sense of humor and a biting wit that cuts through all the bullshit and keeps her afloat here as her life continues to just throw completely bizarre curveballs straight at her face. I’m glad to know her. I’m thankful to have had her in my life since our Thanksgiving dinner. She’s an inspiration to me and a great partner in crime. I will miss her dearly. But thankfully, she’s an Oakland girl, so sometime soon, we’ll be back in the same place.