I am currently sitting in my apartment drinking a cup of Boseong green tea. Mmm, tea!
It was England that made me an avid tea drinker. It was there that I discovered that there was more to life than Tetley, and so a new obsession began – one that resulted in me stuffing bags of Yumchaa loose leaf into my suitcase. Then again, how can you resist a tea with a name like Berry Berry Nice, Mango Sunrise or Chilli Chilli Bang Bang?
So during my time in Korea I thought it would be fitting to visit the nation’s best known tea plantation – the Boseong Tea Fields.
The town of Boseong is sleepy at best. We arrived at a crumbling bus terminal – cracked walls, squatter toilets, a disinterested attendant at the ticket window. A quick stroll through the area revealed more dogs than people, and more tractors than cars, and with those figures in check we boarded the bus for the tea fields.
Having been dropped off by the side of the highway, we followed the road that led up a tree lined path, which in turn revealed breathtaking hills of green safely tucked away from peering eyes.
Be prepared for lots of steps, and when you find yourself gasping for air rest assured, the views will be worth it! I took my time wandering down the the rows of tea bushes and chewed on a few leaves for good measure. Best part of it – I hiked up the mountain in a pair of flip flops with a weighty backpack strapped on. Now that’s the face of success!
And how do I treat myself after climbing up a tea-laden mountain and making my way down a muddy slope? With a cup of green tea ice cream, of course!
Getting there:
Catch a bus bound for Boseong from the Gwangju Bus Terminal. The journey is one hour and a half and the views are quite scenic. Once you arrive at the Boseong Bus Terminal you’ll need to get on another bus headed for the tea fields, and it’s a short 15 minute ride.
