Perfect Saturday Afternoon

After a morning lie in, I rolled over and checked my phone. A WhatsApp notification from Gail made me smile. “Want to get outside and have a little walk today? We could park at the hangars, take a 30 minute walk over a little hill to Starbucks at Songaksan, have a little treat there, then walk back. I could go anytime from 9:30.” This was just the nudge I needed to get out and about. We agreed to go at 2:00, after I was finished working on more Jungle Book stuff at school.

On drive to the Olle Trail, we caught up on life. Even though Gail and I work at the same school, she’s in Lower Junior School and I’m in Upper Junior, so our paths rarely cross. When we arrived, I was excited that it was a walk I wasn’t familiar with. The newness would be fun to discover! After climbing the stairs, I came across a section of the memorial dedicated to the 4.3 Incident, a tragic massacre that unfolded on Jeju Island between 1948 and 1949, resulting in the loss of an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 lives. I noticed the South Korean flag was at half-mast, most likely for the lost lives.

As we continued, we were greeted by the familiar Olle Trail tags, letting us know we were on the right track. Jeju has 27 Olle Trail routes all around the island, which are common tourist attractions also enjoyed by the locals.

As we followed the trail, our conversation flowed effortlessly, mirroring the leisurely pace of our walk. Gail is one of those people who makes everyone feel at ease. Her easy-going nature mixed with her propensity to listen actively and offer solid advice makes her such a great friend to have.

When we rounded the corner, we were greeted by a familiar sight, Mount Sanbangsan, a defining feature on our side of the island. The rapeseed flowers in full bloom made the landscape that much more interesting. As I snapped the photo, Gail asked, “Have you ever taken a photo in the yellow flowers?” I couldn’t remember whether I had or not. “Everyone must have a yellow flower photo! Get over there…I’ll take one for you!”

A little further down the trail, a light shower began, just enough rain to make us wish we’d brought an umbrella. “Let’s stop here for a bit,” Gail suggested, as we took shelter under some trees. A few minutes later, the rain subsided and we continued on our journey.

“We’re nearly there,” Gail said as we rounded another corner. This view of Sanbangsan included Brother Island and a full view of the sea. We both stood there admiring the beauty of this place we are lucky enough to call home.

Just down the hill was the Starbucks, but before I could begin the descent, Gail began surveying the various trails that led to the bottom, sizing up which one would be best. Confused by her analysis of the three options, she let me know that she’d be bringing her first graders here in a couple of weeks for a field trip, so she wanted to see which route would be the easiest for her little ones to take. Once she’d decided on the best route, we made our way down, dodging the piles of horse manure along the way. “Your students will surely be grossed out when they see all the horse poop!” I joked. “They sure will!”

Our conversation meandered its way to our summer plans when we sat down at Starbucks, sipping our yummy treats. Gail and I are doing a Bali wellness retreat together just after school lets out, but she’s trying to decide where she’ll go after that. She’s spoiled for choice for sure, debating between more time at the beach in Bali, a writing retreat, or visiting a mutual friend in Perth for a few weeks.

Realizing we hadn’t taken a selfie yet, I pulled my phone out, opting for the yellow flower backdrop. How cute is she?!?

On the way back to the car, I noticed the beautiful pagoda that I’d somehow not noticed the first time we walked under it. I had to snap a photo to complete my slice of life! As we drove back home, taking the scenic route along the sea, we basked in the joy of our perfect Saturday afternoon.