In Pursuit of Autumn Colours In Korea 2011

 Capture the silvery, delicate beauty of  eulalia or pampas grass ( Haneul Park in Seoul. /Newsis)  

Stunning maple reds are expected to be in full display between 18th and  20th October in Seoraksan. Brace yourselves for crowded trails and be prepared to share the beautiful scenery with hordes of visitors and wait in line to snap photos of your loved ones posing beside a particularly pretty tree.

The trees in Yeouido in Seoul are already changing colour also.

Fall foliage is expected to peak around 22nd of October.

Check out the photos of Korea's autumn colours on this blog for some inspiration.

Some hints from an amateur for great shots:

1. Go early to avoid heads intruding into your photos.

2. Head for the temples in the national and provincial parks.

3. Balance close-ups and wide-angle shots.

sources:

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/10/11/2011101100390.html

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/10/03/2011100300354.html
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/10/115_96329.html
http://www.pbase.com/dbh/autumn

End of Autumn and Start of Early Winter?

Here are two heart-warming pics of people enjoying the outdoors on Sunday the 7th of October.

At the Ulsan Park

Visually-impaired walkers with their volunteer guides at Dobongsan, north Seoul.

(Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han)

Then, Mother Nature flips the switch and this is what Koreans got on Monday morning. I just hope tourists in Korea at present packed some thicker woollies.

Read on the KBS World website:

"First Snow Falls in Seoul, Cold Weather to Continue until Wednesday.

The first snow of the season fell in Seoul and the Gyeonggi, Gangwon and Chungcheong provinces late Monday and early Tuesday. Seoul’s first snow came around two weeks faster than in previous years. Temperatures have plunged below zero in most inland areas and coastal regions are seeing strong winds.

The mercury is expected to drop further on Wednesday. Morning lows are projected to stand at minus seven degrees Celsius at Daegwallyeong in Gangwon and minus one in Seoul. The Korea Meteorological Administration is forecasting that temperatures will rise starting Wednesday afternoon."

source:
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/news_Dm_detail.htm?No=77012
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/11/08/2010110800326.html

Surreal Season

Nature has its own sense of humour - "How about a two-in-one? ", it seems to be saying. You can BOTH enjoy fall foliage while you practise your snowboarding moves on the slopes in Phoenix Park this October, thanks to plunging sub-zero temperatures earlier this week.

The ski resort in Gangwon-do  has opened for business half a month earlier than last year. It's not clear, though,  how much of the snow in the picture is artificially produced by snow machines or what percentage is Mother Nature's handiwork.

So what will the on-line papers show next? Kim Yu-na skating on a frozen lake under the maple leaves?

Expect the unexpected.

sources:

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2927685

Autumn's All-Too-Brief Lease?

This is just a short record so that I have some basis for comparison for next year. My suspicion that autumn is getting shorter seems to be confirmed but let's see what next week is like.

Update: Thankfully my suspicion was ungrounded. Those in Korea enjoyed quite a long autumn in 2010.

Maples leaves have already turned red in Namsam in Seoul.

 Golden gingko leaves are starting to fall in Gangwon-do.

Is it autumn or winter in Korea already?

Temperatures plunged to sub-zero levels this week.

sources:

Chosun Ilbo and Korea Times

Stunning Autumn Colours in Chuncheon

Although the main event was the 2010 Chuncheon Marathon in Gangwon-do,  I'm cutting and pasting this photo from the Chosun Ilbo on account of the arresting backdrop to the sports event. Forget about the participants running along the bridge. Just look at the tapestry of colours on the cliff in the background. What a sight. Wonder if any of the runners were distracted enough by the beauty to stop and stare?

Just wishing I was there.

From On the Nine Beautiful Sights in a Mountain  by Yi Yi


The seventh is maples and rocks where autumn's reflected
They are clad with silken cloth of thin clear frost.
Sitting on a cold crag I forget where my house is.


칠곡은 어디메고 풍암楓巖에 추색이 좋다
청상淸霜이 엷게 치니 절벽이 금수이로다
한암寒巖에 혼자 앉아서 집을 잊고 있노라


sources:http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/10/25/2010102500358.html

http://image.chosun.com/special/inside/flash/100920/100920_autumn_eng.html

http://www.ling.ohio-state.edu/~kyoon/sijo.htm

Autumn Leaves Have Reached Seoraksan!

Autumn leaves have started to appear in Seoraksan! Head for Gangwon-do to catch the fall foliage.

Mountain climbers find autumn has arrived at Mount Seorak in Gangwon yesterday. Cool temperatures seem to have spurred fall colors to appear on mountains in the middle of the Korean Peninsula. [YONHAP]

For earlier postings on Seoraksan, click on the headings below:

Part 1 - Not So Easy Getting Away From It All

Part 2 - Beware of Traffic Jams On Mountain Roads

Part 3 - Osaek In The South Corner

Part 4 - Lessons For The Novice Hiker

Part 5 - Sample The Waters At Osaek

Part 6 - Where To Stay In Osaek

sources:
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2926391
http://www.korea.net/news.do?mode=detail&guid=50243
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=651225
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=257506

Much Ado About Mushrooms, Part 1

As Chuseok is actually a harvest rather than a thanksgiving festival, I thought I’d mark the occasion with a posting on Songi or Songyi beoseot a.k.a. the pine mushroom a.k.a. (Tricholoma matsutake or matsutake mushroom, Tricholoma nauseosum, 松茸).  See warning at the end of this posting.

Beogre you go all gung-ho and head out for the hills to go mushroom hunting, bear these figures in mind. Although there are apparently over 2000 varieties of mushrooms in the Korean peninsular, most are inedible or poisonous. Fewer than 20 kinds are cultivated commercially. More disquieting is the fact that, there has been a 60% decline in mushroom harvests over the last decade. In 2009, only 100 tonnes of songi mushrooms were collected.

Their increasing rarity has ensured that their nicknames such as “golden mushrooms” and “diamonds of the forest” are well-deserved. Once plucked, the mushroom doesn’t grow again; it can’t be cultivated and it’s particularly sensitive to environmental changes. Among South Korea’s most expensive natural products, songi mushrooms have almost become so endangered that you need to be certified to harvest them and even then, each harvester may only be allowed to remove one mushroom.

The best quality pine mushrooms can fetch princely prices of 800,000 won per kilogram ( about $670). Hence Kim Jong-il’s gift of 4 tons of songi beoseot to Roh Moo-hyun during one summit visit in the past was not something to be sniffed at metaphorically. In Japan, these mushrooms known there as matsutake were the exclusive privilege of the royalty until the 17th century. These days, they are still coveted corporate gifts during Chuseok celebrations.

But certainly, the whole point of enjoying songi mushrooms is to relish its wonderful scent. Its aroma has been described as a “distinctive cinnamony pine smell” and people have praised its “delicate woodsy taste”. It also contains less moisture compared to other species so it can be stored much longer.

But that’s just the least of its virtues. Pine mushrooms have more vitamin B2 than other species; they make excellent low-calorie foods and they are rich in fibre and minerals. According to the Korean Donguibogam (Treasure Book Of Eastern Medicine), wild pine mushrooms “are known to be the greatest among all mushrooms because it has the pine tree’s vigours and delicious fragrances with no content of poisons”.

More recently, researchers have found that the pine mushrooms can lower cholestrol, and help to improve blood circulation. They can also be used to treat hypertension, colitis and even cancer. “In 1996, researchers at the National Cancer Center Research Institute of Japan found that polysaccharide extracts of matsutake drastically slow down tumor growth in guinea pigs.” It’s also been touted as an aphrodisiac but I’m more interested in the claim that it can help to tighten wrinkles and get rid of facial spots caused by exposure to the sun.

WARNING:
NEVER go mushroom hunting without a expert to guide you on what's OK to eat. It's not so easy to differentiate edible fungi from the poisonous ones!
More on songi mushrooms in the next posting.

sources:
http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2010/7/27/lifeliving/6406310&sec=lifeliving

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_2_1.jsp?cid=697207
http://eng.yangyang.go.kr/page/foreign/eng/index.jsp
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2010/06/144_65111.html
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2010/05/146_53193.html
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_2_1.jsp?cid=293158
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsutake
http://10magazine.asia/7124/a-taste-of-korea-songi-beoseot/
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2010/05/144_51633.html
http://www.sporelab.com/pine.html
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?gotoPage=1&cid=861566
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2092853
www.korea.net/news/news/NewsView.asp?serial_no=20071005009...
http://teachmekorea.blogspot.com/2007/09/mushrooms-and-trekking.html
http://www.ecplaza.net/ecmarket/imageview.asp?imageUrl=http://image.ecplaza.com/offer/c/chunho211/5216705.jpg
http://www.tradekorea.com/product-detail/P00156398/Two_Way_Cake.html

ETA for Autumn Leaves 2010

Here's some vital news from KBS for those chasing the fall folliage:

"Autumn foliage is expected to be visible at the nation’s major mountain areas starting in the early part of next month, or a week later compared to previous years.The Korea Meteorological Administration said Wednesday that autumn leaves at Mount Seorak will be visible around October third, while Mount Jiri and Mount Songni will see their leaves turn red starting around October 20th. Autumn foliage is expected to be at its most colorful at Mount Seorak around October 20th and at Mount Naejang around November sixth."

Keep your fingers crossed, folks that the weatherman has got it right.
Click here  for the latest update.
Check out this 2009 posting also for a little more perspective.
 
source:
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/news_Dm_detail.htm?No=75695
http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_4_13_3.jsp

Footnotes for Naejangsan, Part 6

Here are some tips for visitors to Naejangsan National Park:

Naejangsan National Parks Visitors Centre above

 1. Check out the National Parks Visitor Centre ( not to be confused with the National Parks Information Centre) - tourists can make use of the free internet access to email friends and family about how their feet are killing them! For more info on getting there and staying there, click here.

Naejangsan National Parks Information Centre

 2. Get free map which shows topography of the park and information from the friendly staff at the NP Visitors Centre  here before setting off on your walk. I regret assuming that it was beyond my ability and fitness level to attempt to reach one of the lowest peaks here and denied myself the opportunity to brag about it to friends.

 Study the contours and gradients and check your feet before heading for the peaks and ridges.
3. Forget about looking for waterfalls in autumn/ fall. They're not terribly exciting as this is the dry spell. As a matter of fact, it can be so dry that the locals practise water rationing at times so check with the ajumma if before you take a shower in your yeogwan or minbak.

4. Check with the meteorological department - I was at NNP a few days before the autumn leaves were expected to turn 100% red and was lamenting that I only saw them at 60 % of their full maple glory. By a stroke of luck, I found myself back in Naejangsan a few days later, when they were supposed to reach the peak of their scarlet hues according to the autumn foliage schedule and guess what happens? It rains and pours and many of the poor dampong drop to the ground, limp and despondent.

source:
http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/FU/FU_EN_15.jsp?cid=808007
http://naejang.knps.or.kr/Naejangsan_eng/intro/facilities.html

One Man's Photo Opportunity is Another Man's Dreaded Labour

"I HATE maple leaves!", a Korean friend declared emphatically sometime back while we were talking about autumn. Turns out while doing his national service, he was given the task of sweeping the grounds of his barracks. Apparently there were a number of maple trees there that shed their leaves with scant concern for his never-ending labours. One person's delight in autumnal foliage is another's dreaded daily grind. Just one example of the Ying-Yang tension (or is it balance?) of life in Korea, I guess. Or is it a case of too much of a good thing? Love maple and ginkgo leaves but I certainly wouldn't want to be in this gentleman's shoes. Still remember grumbling each time I had to sweep the fallen leaves from the mango tree in our tiny garden.

Credits:
Yonhap News
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/news_photo_detail.htm?No=13878

Dear Bloggers in Korea, Can I Get Some Foliage Reports?

Is global warming quickening the extinction of Maple Korea?  Am confused and worried.

Credit: Yonhap News

The glorious picture of autumn  above was featured on the 27th October this year. Then on the 2nd November, KBS features the scene below. Both shots were taken in Gangwondo.

Credit: Yonhap News

On November 2, KBS reported that the first cold wave alert was issued for certain parts of the country. It looked as if an early winter has descended on Korea. The following day, I read this:
"The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) forecasts warmer weather than years past, with mild temperatures continuing through early December."

What gives? Are autumns in Korea getting shorter and shorter?  A friend who's in Japan told me that the leaves are just turning brown before they drop off while in other places, trees are already bare. As a tourist from a non-temperate country and who loves going to see the autumn foliage in Korea's  many national parks, the prospect is ALARMING.

Would really appreciate it if any blogger who lives in Korea can let me know if the maple foliage is still enjoying a fairly long shelf-life.

We Interrupt Normal Postings for Some Autumn Leaves

HAPPY AUTUMN, EVERYONE!

Sources:

from my collection of maple leaves picked up from the grounds of various national parks in Korea

Later but more colourful than usual

Oh, to be in Korea now that autumn is here! It's my favourite season and here are some reasons why you should be there this year:

1. You may not trust the weatherman much but it's worth paying attention to the predictions of the Korean Meteorological Administration. If you're planning a trip to South Korea this October or November, look out for the details that the KMA will issue later.

The change in autumn foliage will be later this year but the good news is that the leaves will be more colourful than usual. Apparently, that depends on the summer temperatures as it affects the colour chemistry in the maple trees. According to KBS, "Autumn foliage will reach its peak on October 20th at Mount Seorak and on November fifth at Mount Naejang."


2. KBS reports top male singers like Kim Tae-woo, ( formerly of g.o.d. ), Park Hyo-shin, Wheesung, and Hwan-hee (formerly of Fly to the Sky) will hold concerts this autumn. Ajumma's fantasy: to have front-row tickets to all their concerts.

Wait a sec: just being there to see them 'live' is fantasy enough.

3. It's Festival Season in Korea. Check out the list of festivals here. UPDATE ( 17 Sept 09): Apparently at least two  international festivals have been cancelled because of the H1N1 scare. Don't tell me they're going to cancel concerts as well.

source of photos: KNTO Website http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_4_13_3.jsp

Seoraksan, Part 1 - Not So Easy Getting Away From It All

If you don’t have much time and you just want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, it may be best to take the express bus straightaway from the Incheon International Airport out to places like CHUNCHEON where you can then change buses to go to Seoraksan National Park. Click here for the schedule of bus services from the airport to Chuncheon.

However, you may need to be psychologically prepared for the masses of Seoulites who choose to descend on this famous autumnal attraction in Gangwon-do which makes getting away from it all a little harder to achieve.

It’s a matter of good luck and good timing. You want to be there to see the maples at the height of their scarlet glory but so do thousands of other local and foreign visitors. After all, we all have access to the same information provided by KNTO travel advisory which posts the dates when the autumn foliage reaches its peak in different parts of the Korean peninsula.

pic: KNTO

* You may try to avoid the city only to find the city folk turning the pristine outdoors into bewildering near-chaos with the impatient honks from the long queues of tourist buses on Highway 44 struggling to squeeze into the car parks.

* You may curse yourself for failing to making reservations for a decent place to sleep and end up trying your level best to catch forty winks in a foetal-like position in your seat in the coach.

Above: Very serious photographers vie for best spots to catch the 'dampong'

The usually quiet mountain trails are not unlike the human traffic of the local shopping mall during autumn as you have to share narrow footpaths with endless groups of children out on school trips, ajummas from walking clubs chattering away excitedly or passionate photographers jostling for the most ideal spots for capturing the prettiness of the dampong ( maple ) leaves.

Below: School groups can be scary!

For more on Seoraksan, click here.

sources:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264219
http://www.airport.kr/airport/traffic/bus/busView.iia?seq=604&flag=E