Winter musings in Muju wonderland

Alanis Morissette’s Ironic plays non-stop in my mind as the bus rolls smoothly down the highway leading towards Muju Resort in Jeollabuk-do in the southwestern part of South Korea. "It’s ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife... It’s a traffic jam when you’re already late... It’s meeting the man of your dreams and then meeting his beautiful wife." And, may I add, it’s finally seeing snow and not being able to ski. Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think? A little too ironic, yeah I really do think...

Oh well, if the trip had come three years ago, before I had a back surgery, I could’ve discovered my potential in the skiing world and become another Janica Kostelic, that Croatian sensation who made history by becoming the first Alpine skier to win four gold medals in the 2002 Winter Olympics (yeah, dream on). But then again, since I probably had to balance a karma in a past life and was really meant to suffer from a herniated disc, I could’ve slipped and fell from a training session and ended up with a damaged disc all the same. Some guys really have all the luck and, in this case, my other companions composed of Asian media and travel agency representatives have theirs all for the taking.

The three-hour late afternoon trip from Busan, South Korea’s second largest city, is interesting enough. Well-paved roads punctuated by tunnels that cut straight through huge boulders and mountains are a refreshing distraction from my feeling sorry for myself. I don’t know why but I absolutely love Korea’s tunnels, a couple of them stretching for almost two kilometers. Who cares about the light at the end of the tunnel when the tunnels are well-lit and immaculately clean? In-between power naps and thinking whether I’d do an angel trick – you know, lying flat on the snow and flapping your arms and legs to make an angel impression – or do a Frosty the snowman bit, I look out the window and observe stone structures dotting the clearings on the hillsides and which are located near houses. Those, says our amiable guide from the Busan Tourist Association Mr. Choi Ku-sik, are ancestral tombs of the families that live nearby. Halfway through, the bus parks at a rest stop and we, well-insulated from the cold – 10 degrees and dropping – trudge to the toilet (well-lit and immaculately clean that my own home would be put to shame) and grab a bite at food stalls and restaurants. And the favorite comfort food for our cheery group in that freezing clime turns out to be a bag of freshly baked chesnut balls (think of our own donut holes but heavier and filled with chestnut bits) for 3,000 Won, or roughly about P165 (and this is one of the cheapest you can buy here, mind you).

It’s already dark when our bus makes a right turn and enters the municipality of Muju. Pity it’s not August; I would’ve cherished looking at what I consider one of nature’s most beautiful gifts, the fireflies. Every year towards the end of August, Muju celebrates the Firefly Festival. According to our guidebook, Muju is one of the last places where these so-called lightning bugs thrive. Fireflies are believed to survive only in pristine environments and these critters decided that Muju is the place to be if they don’t want to follow the way of the dodos and the mammoths.

I squint and peer through the window. No sign of snow. Minutes later, the popular ski resort, which was the site of the 1997 Winter Universiade and is a year-round resort that attracts about three million tourists a year, came into view. A snow-filled slope peppered with moving tiny dots – skiers – greets us as the bus weaves through the streets past ski shops and restaurants. People walking by are dressed warmly, in ski jackets and scarves, and bonnets and mittens so we figured it must really be cold outside. But, hey, where’s the snow? It’s all soil and cement. Dang it... I couldn’t help but wonder if we’d come too early for snow. And since we’re just gonna be there overnight, how am I going to do my angel trick? How ironic...

A charming log cabin-inspired Hotel Tirol is a welcome and warm escape from the cold – 0 degrees and still dropping – what with its homey, pine-scented furnishings including the best "seat" in the house – a computerized toilet bowl with all the amenities. It’s so warm and welcoming that it’s no surprise if you develop a fetish for toilet seats afterwards.

With the hearty traditional Korean dinner and a brief scare of fingers literally falling off from frostbite (since I wasn’t wearing the proper gloves when I decided to survey the skiing slopes) still in my mind the next morning, I didn’t really expect the marvelous sight that would greet me as soon as I looked out the window. Everything was covered with fresh snow – the rooftops, the parked cars, the hillsides. Our hosts tells us later that we’re quite lucky to have seen the first day of snow at Muju. On our part, we can’t help but think that it’s a nice welcome gesture from nature. It gives you a warm tingling feeling amidst all this unforgiving climate. How ironic indeed.

While the healthier, younger and braver souls in the group are busy with skiing lessons, we children of lesser guts let tour guide John babysit us for a while. After having an impromptu snow fight with each other, our group – Rachelle Moral from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Eu Liam Tan from Singapore, Raja Mazlan and Navjeet Singh from Malaysia, Shin Jin Gu and Satit Vannapravitr, and Mr. Choi, our trusty guide – make its way to the cable car. The goal? To go up the Seo-cheon Peak, 1,520 meters up the mid-level slopes. If it had been summer or spring, says John, we could’ve trekked up Muju’s highest peak, the Hyang Jeong (or Mt. Deokyusan), which is 1,614 meters high. The 15-minute cable car ride up Seo-cheon gives one a view of skiers gracefully, or awkwardly, traversing the length of the slope. Snowboarders also share the same space on this slope. John continues that there are beginners’ and advanced slopes as well so people have lots of options. In the summertime, tourists troop to Muju for its world-class golf course and have a choice of accommodations provided by Hotel Tirol, Muju Resort Kukmin Hotel, Muju Resort Family Hotel and Ilsung Muju Condo.

Upon reaching the top, the wind has picked up and it seems colder than the minus 4 degrees temperature outside. With hands freezing, faces flushed and cheeks red and noses running from the cold, we look up to see snow-covered sandalwood trees and marvel at pine leaves frosted with icicles. Coffee and hot chocolate never tasted so good and a glowing piece of coal never felt so warm in such cold weather.

After a hefty lunch of bibimbap – that delicious Korean dish of rice topped by 13 or so vegetables and fried egg (I think I understand why Koreans eat a lot, with really hot dishes to boot, and it’s because they have to keep their bodies warm from the cold) – we all got back to our bus and bid our hosts goodbye. It has begun snowing again, perhaps the gods’ way of bidding us farewell. Well, I didn’t get to do my angel trick, nor did I get to ski (aw, who cares?). But I did get to have a fun snow fight and was almost tempted to pick up some fresh snow and eat it. Trust the Malaysians and Thais to share our same sense of humor. We were all joking about getting a bowl, taking a scoopful of snow and topping it with some syrup and milk for dessert.

While feeling bitin (those who took ski lessons wanted to ski more but alas, it was time to go), the trip to Muju opened our eyes to all sorts of possibilities. Apart from Japan, it’s probably the nearest place Asian tourists wanting to get a piece of action in snow wonderland can go to. A tourist on a budget doesn’t have to go as far as the US or Canada to have an honest-to-goodness Winter Wonderland. It’s just three hours away from the Philippines to Busan, and another three hours of bus ride to Muju – the same length of time it’ll take you to get to Baguio. Definitely, you will have to shell out more but it’s worth it in the end. Especially if you don’t have a bad back.