Honeymooners

Against the four couples’ initial apprehensions, their Gyeongju trips were appraised as a “pleasant surprise.”

Because of the tight schedule, traveling with complete strangers, and being guided by a cultural organization that had done nothing more than explore historic sites, anxiety replaced any anticipation. The fact that these couples were elderly honeymooners didn’t help the tension.

But four days later, the returning bus to Gyeongju station was lively, if not a bit saddened by the farewells. Couple Sohn Pung-un and Lee Byeong-yeol from Dangjin, Chungnam even pleaded to the other couples, “Our house is made of loess, please come and see us.” Similar requests from others were overheard as well.

The response to the four-day journey was startling. The awkwardness of the first day arriving at Gyeongju Station had completely disappeared after the first night. The changes kept coming faster, with new friendships evolving between the couples. Holding hands or linking arms seemed natural, even.

The Gyeongju honeymoon revived the faded memories of a honeymoon that had been lost behind the wall of time, recalling back vivid images of those days.

In the train heading towards Seoul, I thought, isn’t this kind of event exactly what old age needs? For a life that revolves around a spouse, not the children or others.

There was a trick to getting the rave reviews to the four-day excursion.

First, the open hearts and active attitudes of the participants was a must. Lee Man-deuk (70) and Jeong Eun-seon (66) were so full of energy as to change their outfits everyday, just as they had 42 years ago on their Gyeongju honeymoon. For Ji Jong-mahn (63) and Yoon Ho-ja (60) from Seoul, it was their first honeymoon in 33 years, and they were unusually earnest during the historic sites excursion. Park Yeong-rae (74) and Jeong Su-hwa (71) celebrating their 50th anniversary praised their eldest daughter-in-law for arranging and paying all expenses for the trip.

Second were the efforts of supervisor Jin Byeong-gil and volunteers from the Shilla Culture Center. Jin carried out and checked out the program himself, and the volunteer guide, Kim Hye-gyeong, a cultural heritage guide from Shilla Culture Center, steered the couples through the four days like family. The female members of the Gyeongju Seniors’ Club aged over 60 years old did tasks like tea service and assisted the photographing of king and queen costumed travelers without complaints. They even presented gifts from their club bakery, the “Seorabeol glutinous barley bread.”

The last is the support from related organizations. The Korea Tourism Organization and North Gyeongsang Province provided some of the trip expenses, helped out with the public relations, and dispatched employees to ensure a better program. The Tourism Association of North Gyeongsang Province and Gyeongju Hilton Hotel provided the food.

The “Gyeongju Honeymoon Memories” excursion was planned by Shilla Culture Center for the revitalization of tourism in Gyeongju, and supported by the Korea Tourism Organization. It was an attempt to bring back the old glory of Gyeongju in the mid-70s as the number one honeymoon locale to the elderly.

Jin says, “The purpose is not for profit, but for Gyeongju tourism. We operate this program directly and not through a travel agency because North Gyeongsang Province offers its support and expenses, which are higher than the participants’ fees.”

summer@donga.com