Walking through the Anjeong-ri countryside provides a look into a rapidly vanishing farming lifestyle. Elderly farmers work dawn to dusk, planting, harvesting and drying vegetables and rice. Farm houses display drying plants, and nothing is wasted. It is not to be missed.
One of the best ways to feel the pulse of the countryside is to walk through the villages and fields. Life goes on as it has for hundreds of years, and while you will see some tractors and other mechanized farm equipment, you will be amazed at how much of the cultivation is done by hand. Roadsides are full of growing vegetables, no arable land is wasted, and dawn to dusk will see farmers in the field as they have been for centuries. Look carefully and enjoy a rural scene that is timeless.
All the hikes are on concrete roads or well maintained dirt roads. Spring and Fall are perfect times to enjoy these hikes at time of day. Summer hiking is best early in the morning. Sun protection and a hat are always a good idea as there is little shade available.
On any hike around Anjeong-ri you will see a mix of old and new buildings. While it may seem jarring to the beauty of the hike, remember that the area is leaping into a tremendous building phase. On the country roads hike you will see a modern apartment building, and at it's base is a traditional compound house hundreds of years old. It is this mix that makes these hikes so memorable. Enjoy the landscape as it is, don't compare it to Ohio. In a few years all these historical structures may be swallowed up by the new construction surrounding Camp Humphreys. Go now, take your camera, and have fun.
