Palgeum Island

I was joined by Madeleine Maree and Ian Schneider at Mokpo Ferry on a trip to Palgeum-do on an all-too-perfect Saturday. Good times, swell vibes. On a side-note, it is nearing election day in Korea. Our little excursion, at times, skirted around politically motivated activities.

"New Crew, who dis?"

The Dangers of Dopping

There is a South African colloquial term known as dopping. It originates from the Afrikaans dop, meaning to consume alcohol.

Anyway, after an hour of ferrying and dopping we touched down on Palgeum ground. We were mid-way through our island adventure when our supplies ran out. We then happened across a room of raisin skinned farmers (see photograph above). Luckily Ian had a decent Korean language skill-set. We approached them, specifically to query them as to the whereabouts of the nearest market. In true rural fashion we were told that the nearest market was 'up the road and to the right, over there'. Before we could set out on our journey again, the agriculturally inclined geriatrics invited us to join in on their drinking lunch. Korea has the highest rate of alcoholism in the world, so it was justifiable to see one farmer already passed out and another cross-eyed and swaying. At first we were naturally apprehensive. 5 minutes and a few soju shots each later we were out the door with giddy grins on our faces.

What ensued for the rest of the trip, you wonder? Soju has a weird effect on people although it isn't necessarily a strong dop, but it has a funny way of putting you in a different space. 

We weren't were plastered at that point, more accurately 'things got foggy for a short while'. What followed was that we zig-zagged along the road (almost getting run over on the narrow roads), we told each other how much we loved each other, we cheered when we found the market, and two of us scratched our heads when the third crew member inexplicably disappeared. Upon exiting the market in a calm state, with makgeolli, crackers and tuna in tow, the remaining two of us went to have afternoon tea under a gazebo. Eventually the missing member returned. It turned out s/he* had joined the crowd nearby - a crowd which had gathered to rally their belief in a prospective politician. Apparently s/he had danced, kissed babies, had photo-ops taken and even given a statement of support during a live broadcast. 

"Some peeps even asked me for my autograph", the gatecrasher said, "I've earned VIP status!" 

By that time we were running late to catch the last boat back to Mokpo, so on the walk back to the ferry we stuck out our thumbs in an attempt to save time. This was merely chance-taking as Koreans are notoriously paranoid about picking up hitchhikers, let alone three clap-happy foreigners. All I can say is, 'another bucket list item ticked off the list'. A South Korean in a Ssangyong sedan vehicle gave us a lift.

*Any reference to actual participants of activities of political parties have been hidden due to the sensitive nature of our contracts.