Soonchang - Hyerim Farm (the forest of wisdom) I came there by accident .. Website

Mr Lee and his wife and met when volunteering in Calcutta India.. When he got back he decided to give up city life. And live in the countryside and farm in a good enviromental way. ...many of his visitors have been in India there also. So if you want to meet some interesting people and you are in Sunchang drop in.


I came by accident and only to visit the farm, but it was a pleasant accident. It was an interesting place with interesting people who all spoke English : Mr Lee (Seung Chul), Noona, Soo-Ran, Yoon Kyong, Mukul, and Dyan Lee.
I arrived in pear harvesting time so I ended up WWOOFing there for 10 days helping with the harvest, helping with English classes, playing lots of stupid games, experiencing farm life.
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My friend in Chungju had told me to visit her friend in Sunchang, but I thought it was near to Seoul; so I wasn't thinking about it. After the Koksung Festival Mr Cho Byoung Tai, dropped me off at his friends Motel in Okwa. I went for a walk. I passed a sign saying Sunchang 12Km. I was very surprised, I didn't realise Sunchang was nearby. So on Sunday I went there.

Sun arrived and met the people Mr Lee his wife Noona (big sister) , and some visitors from Seoul : Tyan, Su, Yoon Kyong, and Mukal (born Indian now Korean). I had arrived in the middle of the pear picking season so we went straight to work : picking the pears , boxing them and transporting them in Mr Lees truck to the cooperative warehouse to be prepared for sale.

Mon - Tyan and Mukal returned to Seoul. The rest of us : again more work with the pears 2 village men came to do the heavy work , then I went to Mr Lees townhouse to help him witha couple of classes

the tunnels of 500 pear bushes the 800g pears on the trees growing in their protective paper bags picking the pears
Me helping with an English class The 4 dogs including "Chicken Killer" taking the boxes to the warehouse
The village women working One of the things we were busy doing was making pear juice. The juice has lots of vitamins inside ....and is good if you have a cold like me !
it was a rainy day and therefore a day off for Korean farmers - everyone had decided that I needed some new glasses. So we would drive into town and get some. It was lucky I had been planning to buy some when my hangul was better. All of us helping in the packing shed

Mr Lee driving the rice tractor

Mr Kwong took us walking in the nearby Kangchonsan Park
unphoto imagine : The Suspension Bridge in the Park
Me , Mr Kwong, Su, Yoon Kyong

Tues Mr Lees was a nice place but I had to leave to see more of Korea so I went to Naju. And they sang .."Don't Go."

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