The Way I Remembered

Index
Today I took a bullet train from Seoul to DaeGu. What would take five to six hours by car on a superhighway took only ninety minutes. That in itself was an experience. Yet as I watched the scenery, I was brought back in time. So many years ago, I remember traveling to my grandfather’s estate for his sixtieth birthday celebration. The scenery was as breathtaking to me then as it is today. The mountains—oh, how I love them!

“What is Korea like?” would be a common question. I would say, “You stand anywhere, turn in any direction, and you see mountains.”

There is something about mountains that I love. The majesty of the elevated forest stretching to the sky then reaching down to embrace those below with beauty and comfort. Mountains fill me with awe.

The old trains have been replaced by high-speed trains that I have only seen on TV. Looking out the window brings back memories of a time gone by. The same beautiful mountains are still here. We come out from a tunnel to see a beautiful valley whose sides rise to form mountains. We twist and turn around small mountains then enter another tunnel through the large mountains.

As we come near to a city, suddenly there are high-rises. There are so many of them, all looking the same. It feels like we have time traveled to another world, as if we are in some science fiction novel.