“Hello, Kind People”: Travelogue by Lee Byeongryul and 9 Others

February 15, 2024 694 Views

Until 2015, the last year of the existence of Power Bloggers, I was selected as an “Excellent Blogger in the Travel Category” for three consecutive years, naturally leading me to travel. However, prior to that, I had never traveled. It was a time when I was too busy just trying to survive.

Before I first encountered this book in 2013, I had never traveled. I had neither the financial nor the psychological means. I was just preoccupied with the struggle of figuring out what to do next and how to live on.

“Hello, Kind People”: a book containing the travel stories of 10 individuals.

Since I didn’t have the luxury of leisure and romance associated with travel at the time, I came across the book “Hello, Kind People,” which contains travel stories of 10 individuals, in an attempt to indirectly experience the feeling of “travel” through literature.

In the book, each of the 10 individuals recounts their travels to different places for various reasons. Among the 10 figures, I could recognize some familiar names, such as the singer “Lee Juck” and “Jang Kiha.” It feels different to see them referred to as authors rather than singers.

In the 10 travel stories, each individual eloquently expresses their emotions and thoughts about the places they visited. With occasional photos accompanying the text, there’s no need to rely solely on imagination to visualize the landscapes of the places they visited.

The book introduces 10 individuals and their travel titles as follows:

Novelist Eun Heekyung: “I went to Australia to meet my lover. His name is Wine. I got drunk. Because of that scenery.”
Film director Lee Myungse: “Contemplating the flowing river from the bridge over the Kwai River.”
Poet Lee Byeongryul: “Oh, people who love December.”
Novelist Baek Yeongok: “In Hong Kong, tasting the dream of living an extravagant life.”
Novelist Kim Hoon: “Realizing how powerless humans are in Micronesia.”
Musical director Park Kalin: “Immersing oneself in the almost transparent blue endlessly.”
Chef and essayist Park Chanil: “Virtual lunchbox in the city of mobile, Ecoban.”
Musician Jang Kiha: “How much will I miss this place when I return?”
Novelist Shin Kyungsuk: “The world’s transit point, ‘Please Take Care of My Cat.'”
Musician Lee Juck: “Spending festival days in Quebec, where the past is alive.”

“Traveling to New Places Through Others’ Perspectives.”

Traveling to unfamiliar places is sometimes a dream and a realm of imagination. Especially, examining places I haven’t personally visited through the eyes of others entails deep imagination.

Naturally captivated by the fantasy of “travel,” I find myself wanting to travel someday when I have the time and leisure.

Escaping from the routine of everyday life and experiencing the thrill of new experiences in entirely new places, even just in imagination, brings joy.

This book, with its travel stories from the individuals introduced, is a great way to cultivate a sense of peace of mind by experiencing journeys to new places.

“Hello, Kind People”