After a nauseating three-hour ferry ride from Anmok in Gangwon, we finally arrived at Jeodong port in Ulleungdo. “I don’t think I can stomach another ferry ride on the same day.” I told my sister, so we made an impromptu decision to stay overnight in Ulleungdo upon arrival despite lacking the necessities since we initially planned for a day trip. Here was what actually happened: I didn’t do ample research on this trip to Ulleungdo. It was pure oversight on my part because I had been so used to spontaneous travelling in Japan and even in Southeast Asia that it didn’t occur to me to plan for my travels in advance. In retrospect, I should have done more extensive planning especially when we were embarking on a trip to a distant island, miles away from the mainland of South Korea. Getting to Ulleungdo required us to bring our passports for identification as well. “The ferry ride lasts for about three hours assuming that weather conditions are favorable. However, if the weather goes awry on that day, the rides would be cancelled.” I only found out about this the night before our planned trip to Ulleungdo. How could I have missed out on such an important detail? . . . A couple of phone calls later and thankful smiles exchanged with the lady at the tourist information centre who helped us out, we found our way to the guesthouse and then circled the port market to see rows of squids hung out to dry in the sun. The market was devoid of activity in the noon because most of the proceedings and exchanges had already taken place in the morning during the auctions. The smell of dried squid lingered in the air, and it somehow reminded me of my mother’s homemade lotus root soup with dried strips of cuttlefish added into it. Being a squid fishing base, Jeodong port is lined with many fishing boats docked, kitted out with large light bulbs and fishing machinery. Shortly after, we headed towards the coastal walk near Dodong port, where we began the day’s hike. It was at the peak of the August summer and the scorching heat was unbearable, but respite came in the form of the frequent breezes whistling into our ears and the rhythmic sounds of the waves. In the midst of our hike, we landed at a family hut and sat down for some cold barley tea, where we met an ahjusshi, a middle-aged man with a dog chatting with the owner. When we were about to leave, he signaled to us with both palms faced out, a gesture that indicated to us to wait for him. Although little Korean was spoken between us, he seemed to know that the next stop we were headed towards was exactly where he was returning to – the lighthouse. Within minutes, the owner came out of the kitchen with two big bags of homemade banchan (a variety of Korean side dishes, kimchi being the most common one) for the ahjusshi to take home with him. And so, we trailed along into the woods, he walked barefooted with his dog following close behind. The dog often stopped to look behind – as though to check on us if we were also following suit. He was like our guide dog during our very brief encounter. When we parted ways at the lighthouse, the ahjusshi offered us two slices of apple and the dog came by to bid farewell too. I can still remember this because it was such a heartwarming memory – to receive such a kind gesture from a stranger and the fact that the dog went crazy pouncing on a dead bird. It was also in the vicinity of the lighthouse, where we met a tour guide and a group of Korean ahjummas from Daegu who donned hiking attire. He mentioned that he was a volunteer guide, bringing them on this hike since he was familiar with the route down to the port. He reached out to us and said that if we did not mind, we could wait for the ahjummas to return and join them. During the wait, we talked about my time in Japan, the existing tension between South Korea and Japan (due to an ongoing trade war), about Singapore, about our late Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and that he respected him. The ahjummas returned soon after and we began our descent not knowing how perilous the terrain was. Simply put, we were unprepared for the hike through the forested area with steep turns. It would have been more manageable if we made the ascent via that route instead, but descending was a whole new level of struggle. We made it down in the end after an almost endless descent. If not for the ahjummas who took turns to hold onto our arms so that we could steady ourselves every time, I swore I would have slid down on my butt with my palms caked in mud. We returned to our guesthouse hoping to have dinner in the family restaurants nearby, but because most of them specialised in seafood dishes and they weren’t to our appetites, we ended up slurping down Nongshim’s Shin ramyun (spicy instant noodles) and had banana milk at the convenience store. It was also because we were too late for dinner because most restaurants had already taken their last orders and were closed for the day.
The sun had gone down by then and it was much cooler to stroll around Jeodong port. Amidst the darkness, we saw the pair of lighthouses guarding the port, like traffic wardens guiding the ships and ferries coming and going. We caught sight of the squid fishing boats out at sea, their boat lights twinkling in the inky darkness. I was reminded of this word. Hiroko-san mentioned it when we talked about the lights from the fishing boats that dotted along the Shimane Peninsula in Japan. She wrote it down so that I could remember: 漁り火 / いさりび (pronounced as isaribi, a method of using fire that emits light to lure fish in order to catch them at night.) As we watched the boat lights glittering like stars, I felt incredibly grateful after experiencing all the adventures we have been through. We were blessed to have met the ahjusshi staying near the lighthouse and his dog, the tour guide and the group of ahjummas on Ulleungdo. Beyond blessed.
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