“Sahyung! I think this is the wrong place.”
There was deep suspicion in Lee Hyun’s eyes.
He had fallen asleep on the plane thinking that he would be in Jeju Island.
Then along with the other foreigners, they went to the immigration procedures.
Jong Bom Ah said.
“That was only part of the truth…it’s a tradition of the dojo to have its members go out to see the real world.”
“…”
“We deliberately planned this trip a long time ago.”
To think that he would be somewhere like this. From how it was explained, he could not be mad at Jong Bom Ah. There was more to learning the sword than just the physical part. Every cell in the body had to be alive in order to wield the sword.
Traveling overseas in order to properly learn the way of the sword! Even after leaving on the trip, despite the other troubles, there was nothing to regret.
Moreover, it was traveling abroad. He did not have any chances to see the world out of Korea.
Lee Hyun asked to confirm.
“This is…free right?”
“Of course it’s free.”
“Whew.”
Lee Hyun let out a sigh of relief.
Even if it was annoying and cumbersome, since it was free he could not be angry.
“Everything is free so just relax and enjoy. Kuehahahaha! It’s a journey and others are paying for you, enjoy!”
“Where do we go now?”
“For now, we get on a helicopter.”
A helicopter was waiting for them at the Cairo Airport.
They flew past the dry air and sand of the Sahara Desert in Egypt to see charming buildings of brick and stone.
North Africa.
Two four wheel drive jeeps were ready for Lee Hyun and Jong Bom Ah.
The jeep was opened on the roof and had a leather tent that could be opened and closed easily.
“Youngest.”
“Yes, Sahyung?”
“Do you know how to drive?”
“I have never driven before, but I have ridden a motorcycle a bit…”
He did not have a driver’s license. He had driven a motorcycle to deliver food for a chinese restaurant once.
“Do you have one?”
“It doesn’t matter since there are not traffic police, just don’t hit anything.”
Jong Bom Ah threw him the car keys.
“Go start it.”
Lee Hyun sat in the driver’s seat in the car. He put the keys into the ignition.
Kua aaaaaahhahahahahang!
The car’s engine started with a cry. An off road, four wheel drive vehicle for crossing the desert!
Even if it didn’t look like much, the jeep had tremendous power.
Behind the driver seat was filled with food, water, oil, a tent, and other materials as well as a book about Africa. There was also white medicine boxes piled up.
“Well, let’s get started!”
Jong Bom Ah started his engine and went out first into the desert.
The car’s wheels kicked up dust.
“I will!”
Lee Hyun slammed on the brakes.
The car did not move correctly!
“Was the accelerator on the left or the right?”
Lee Hyun released his foot and stepped on the right accelerator. The car bounced and went forwards.
It was a fantastic place for a novice driver.
There were no lanes and you could park anywhere you want.
They passed by many piles of sand, desert scorpions, and even an oasis.
The wind was mixed with the sand as the two cars moved forwards side by side.
Taaaaang!
Dodododo.
Groups were riding on horses and shooting guns.
Lee Hyun came riding along with Jong Bom Ah in a Jeep.
Lee Hyun asked on a transceiver.
“Sahyung, who are they?”
— They’re either bandits or the militia.
“Would they attack us?”
— It’s okay. The dojo has contacts in this place. They’re not going to carelessly attack a marked car.
Lee Hyun’s car had come with a red painted patterned flag.
The armed horsement did not attack as Jong Bom Ah said, but they did get closer. The two jeeps traveled along the desert and they saw travelers on camels. Lee Hyun took out the camcorder to record the ride in the car. Houses were built with mud and straw in the first town where he met skinny children. The children had black skin and they were playing with a ball, he could feel lack of vitality in their expressions! Lee Hyun and Jong Bom Ah went to see the doctor of the village to deliver books and the boxes of medicine.
“Good… sign here.”
“…”
The doctor thanked them when he received it.
An old lady walked by and gave them a necklace made out of wood and stone for helping.
Lee Hyun asked.
“When did this start?”
“Master came on a tour of Africa about 15 years ago.”
“How many people will these boxes cover?”
“About 600 people maybe?”
“That much?”
“In Korea, almost absolutely all drugs come in a bottle, but here there are children dying everywhere.”
In the small hospital tent there where children lined up.
All the children in line that received a vaccination shot thanked the doctors.
Children from the next town over would come for vaccinations and then return.
Then the second village and then the third.
In the village, the other villages received hospitality as they shared the medicine.
There were people on the lookout for intruders but not many outsiders come since for a very long time they had lived on the high cliff.
“Sahyung, the desert’s land is very hard.”
“Rocky terrain is very broken and its very much like the desert sand of the Sahara Desert. It’s not much compared to the width of the entire region.”
Jong Bom Ah knew about the world.
The sand of the Sahara desert was different from expected since it was a endless sea of sand. But the land was covered by sand. They would not sink very deep since there was gravel and stone underneath. There were a lot of large trees nearby and bushes as well as rocks the size of houses in the distance. A single visit to Africa could save thousands of lives!
Three days after they began, they went back into the desert and they were escorted by the armed militia. As the car passed over the hill, he looked to the horizon and then his body began to shake violently. At night the temperature suddenly dropped so he needed to very several thick layers of cloths. Lee Hyun put water to boil in a pot as he turned on the burner. Under the light of the Milky Way, he drank a cup of coffee in the desert!
“A few tablespoons of sugar.”
Lee Hyun turned on the radio receiver to listen in.
There was a talk show in an unknown language and soon music began to play. He had heard it a couple times in Korea and it was Jae Lynn’s song ‘A Dialogue of Eyes’ in English.
Chapter 3: Wings
They went past the deserts, rivers, and meadows of the south.
In order to cross the border of Africa to other countries, you had to pay an entry fee to pass which was quite expensive. At the border of the desert there were two rivers flowing of which animals came by to drink water. There were all sorts of creatures from the animal kingdom such as antelopes, zebras, cheetahs, jackals, buffalos, monkeys, and deer. The sky was filled with flocks of various colored feathered birds. Jong Bom Ah said to Lee Hyun.
“This is pretty amazing. It’s like a small zoo.”
Animals in the dry wilderness!
Lee Hyun nodded.
“It’s just as you say.”
Sparrows sitting on a telephone pole could not even begin to compare to the animal spirit he felt from the animals such as the pink flamingo. The jeep was safe from animal attacks since it was made of reinforced steel, but they still had to be careful of the vehicle being turned upside down.