It Just Happened! ....like everyone was waiting for you

"Figure out the process, not the goals..." ~ from “Straight Lines and Curved Lines” by Master Beop Jeong.

I may be quoting Master Beop Jeong out of context, but this is exactly what I did given my circumstances. Be prepared to drop anything on my wish list, as long as I enjoy the journey. I don’t want to stress myself out.

In the process of asking and clarifying and seeking advice, my first lucky star surfaced. She introduced me to her friend in Korea – Kim will be able to answer your questions, why don't you email her?

Why not? Three weeks before I set off, Kim and I exchanged emails almost everyday. I guessed she must have either worked in the travel industry or is a seasoned traveller because every email from her has useful trip updates which reflect her empathy for the recipient. On both counts I was right.

Kim is a god-send, she kept me posted on the weather, she booked guest houses which have no English websites on my behalf, she checked out hotels and gave me her feedback (some of these are recommended by other travel sites), she found useful information about exchange rates and global ATM facilities, she advised on how to go to certain places of interests outside of Seoul, which travel agent to go with for JSA tour, which train tickets to secure in advance since it is start of cherry blossom season......and sensing my concern about the weather (which was so erratic I just did not know how to prepare for it), she offered to lend me her winter clothes. And plenty she did lend me.

And the big surprise? She was going to travel to Busan and Gyeongju with me! Everything that could potentially prevent this from happening faded away. I kept my fingers crossed until we actually board the train from Seoul to Busan. Things fell into place, just like a miracle.

This turned out to be one of the best trips we’ve made. In Kim’s own words:

“we were really really lucky to meet many nice local people while we were on the roads during our trips to Busan and Gyeongju. Remember, we did not plan anything in advance. It just happened! It was like each and everyone was waiting for you on their schedule, it was simply amazing!”