KORAIL Seaside Train - Sunday, April 18, 2010

I'd been interested in the idea of the Seaside Train since seeing it in a brochure the other day. The brochure was in Korean only, so I wasn't positive about all the particulars. Basically, it's a sightseeing excursion, by train, down the coast from Gangneung to Samcheok, and back. The distance is roughly sixty kilometers each way, and the transit time is about eighty minutes each way. There was a schedule included in the brochure, showing departure times of 08:40, 10:30, 12:00, 14:15, 16:10, and 17:40.

We got to the station just before 11:00, planning to get aboard that 12:00 train. The friendly, helpful ticket agent told us that the 12:00 departure was from the other end, in Samcheok. The next departure from Gangneung would be at 14:15.

We had over two hours to kill, so we started walking back through town towards the Home Plus store. We were taking our time, following an indirect route, just exploring the neighborhood. The day was overcast, with that north-east wind coming off the sea, cooling things down again.

As it was a Sunday morning, there were not many people out on the streets. We made it back to the Home Plus building in about thirty minutes, after doing some window shipping along the way. Inside the Home Plus, we wandered the isles on several floors looking at things, trying to kill some more time. This is a big store, and has pretty much anything you'd need.

A little after noon we went up to the sixth floor restaurant mall to get some lunch. Most of the small restaurants up there were doing a brisk business. We browsed through them for a while, trying to decide, and finally went with the Bob House again. Ok Hwa loves her some Bi Bim Bob. Inside, she surprised me by ordering the Bulgogi instead. I went with the Beef Soup. This place prepares exquisite meals. They are beautiful to look at, and delicious to eat. Our lunches cost 5,500 wan each, a little over five dollars American. A bargain in either country. If you're ever in the area, I recommend them highly.

We made it back to the station by 13:30, and bought our tickets. Our first class seats cost us 30,000 wan each for the round trip. There were a lot of people in the station now, and more were arriving by the minute. They were all here for the Seaside Train.

The boarding call was at 14:05, and we all streamed out to the waiting train. There were a lot of families with young children, and young couples, and the atmosphere was friendly and lively. There were assigned seats, and we found ours quickly. This train has a unique seating arrangement. All the seats face the port, or left, side of the train. That's the sea side of the train on the way down and back. There are two rows of seats. The one in back is slightly elevated, making it easier to see over the backs of the seats in front. There is a clear walkway along the right, starboard, side of the cabin, behind the two rows of seats, and there are big windows along each side, giving great views in either direction.

All those people who were at the station when we got back had evidently snapped up all the front row seats. Our seats were in the back row. The view was not as good from back there, but it was still very nice.

So, off we went, easing out of Gangneung. It was a smooth and comfortable ride. We were seeing the city from an unfamiliar vantage point, elevated from the streets along the raised railway. We passed over our everyday bus stop there on the main drag, and by the Jungang Market, then crossed the river into south Gangneung. Pretty soon we were out in the country, and then rolling along down the coast.

The tracks do not run right along the coast the entire way. Occasionally the line has to go around a mountain, or some seaside development, but most of the way it runs as close as possible to the beach. There are numerous tunnels along the line, also. One, in particular, seemed like it was about two miles long.

About ten minutes into the trip, we emerged from a tunnel to find ourselves right in front of the Unification Park we'd seen the other day, with the Warship and the Submarine. The driver paused here for a couple of minutes, to give everyone a chance to get a picture, then we were off again, running down the coast. A short while later we pulled into the beautiful seaside park at Jeongdongjin, where we had spent some time with our newly met friends the other day. There is a landing here, where the train stopped for about ten minutes, allowing everyone to get off and stretch their legs. Supposedly, this is the closest train station to a beach and ocean anywhere in the world. Everyone who had a camera was out making pictures of the train, the beach, and their loved ones. I joined in, getting some nice photos.

Under way again, we next rolled through the town of Okgye, with it's busy port, then by the beautiful seaside campground called Mangsang Auto Camping Resort. In addition to it's cabins and campsites, they have a section that looks like a mini trailer park. This is a bunch of nice, small travel trailers, permanently situated. I guess you rent these like motel rooms. The idea is to back your car up to the trailer hitch and park it there. This gives the illusion that you've pulled your own private travel trailer out here from the city. A fun, and clever idea.

The next town down the line was Mukho. This is where Ok Hwa was born, and spent her young childhood. She was pretty excited, and made sure to point out a couple of beaches where she used to swim and hunt for clams. Many of the beaches along through here are framed by rugged, rocky outcroppings, which extend out into the water. Lots of these jagged rocks stick up from under the water for many yards out. Swimming amongst this stuff must be tricky, at best, with the waves trying to push you against the rocks. She said her little brother got his head smashed pretty badly like this once, when they were very young.

An interesting feature of the coast here is that any undeveloped waterfront, away from towns, public beaches, ports, industrial complexes, etc., is fenced with heavy chain link fencing, topped by barbed wire and coiled razor wire. Every few hundred yards or so, there is also a small, concrete, camouflage painted military look-out post, bunker, or sometimes a gun emplacement. All this is to guard against infiltration by North Korean spies, or even worse, invasion troops. These people live with the ever present threat of North Korean aggression. It's a strange sort of relationship, because they also consider the Northerners to be their brothers, and long for re-unification. All this armed preparedness over here makes our lives in the States seem pretty relaxed by comparison.

Continuing our excursion, we next rolled through the busy town of Donghae, with it's industrial area and port. This town is about the same size as Gangneung, but not nearly as nice, from what I could see.

A few kilometers south of Donghae, we came to the charming seaside village of Ch'uam. There is a big, beautiful park here, right by the tracks, with a landing for passengers. The village is nestled between two small, steep mountains that frame a beautiful view of the sea. About half or more of the passengers on our train disembarked here. This was a mystery to me, but it became clear why later in the day. They all waved good-bye to us on the departing train, and began descending a long wooden stairway into the village below.

About ten minutes later we rounded a mountain that was between us and the sea, crossed a wide river, and came into the city of Samcheok. This is where the trip ended, and the train headed back to Gangneung. This was a pretty dismal looking little city, in my opinion. We pulled into the tiny station, and everyone got off and went inside. There was nothing in there except a ticket window , and a small waiting room. The restrooms were in another small building next door. Out front of the station, there was a broad avenue with cars whizzing by, and not much on the other side except the river. Our side of the avenue was taken up by the station and rail yard. Not much of a destination. There was more to the city than this, but it was on the other side of the river, with no way to get there except by taxi or bus. The only interesting feature to this place was that mountain. The townspeople must have been busy planting, because a large portion of it was planted in cherry trees, which were just now coming into bloom. Also, both sides of the river were planted in cherry trees. Aside from this, there was nothing of interest here. All of us passengers just sat around the little waiting room looking at each other.

After twenty-five minutes or so, the boarding call was given, and we all headed back out to the train. It was sitting right where they had left it earlier. It was only four cars long, and the car on each end, in addition to being a passenger car, had a driver's cab on the end. They never had to turn the train around. The driver just walked to the other end of the train, climbed into the cab there, and drove it back in the other direction. Pretty ingenious.

For some reason we were assigned different seats in a different car on the way back. They were still first class seats, no different than the ones we'd ridden down in. Anyhow, we were headed back now, and after about ten minutes we came back to that nice little village, Ch'uam. All those people who had gotten off the train earlier, now got back on again. They were the smart ones. They had spent the last hour in a charming little village with a park, a beach, shops, restaurants, and so forth. We had to tough it out in that boring little waiting room. Someone should have said something about this to us. Oh, well, we'll know better next time, if there is one.

So, we did the trip in reverse now. It's not as interesting on the way back, because you've seen it all before, very recently.

On the way home from Gangneung Station, we hit our usual shopping spots in town, picking up a few essentials for back home. And, again, Ma and Pa were waiting for us on the little front porch as we pulled in. We're starting to get real settled in here. It's a shame we have to leave in a few days.

The official website of KORAIL (English Version): http://info.korail.com/2007/eng/eng_index.jsp

A slide show of today's pictures: http://s594.photobucket.com/albums/tt23/allenhare/Korea%2010/KORAIL%20Seaside%20Train/?albumview=slideshow

Lunch With Brother - Saturday, April 17, 2010

We got the news late yesterday that Ok Hwa's big brother would be visiting today. He was due to arrive on a train from somewhere at 13:45. It would be a short visit because he's very busy. He's the busiest guy I know, and I don't even know him.

We caught the 10:00 bus into town, and made our way over to Gangneung Station. I've never been to the Station before. It's a small, but very nice train station. There is a Tourist Information booth out front, where I picked up some more brochures in English. In 2001, during my first trip to Korea, we stayed in a hotel about one block from this train station. Back then, we arrived by bus, and so never had an opportunity to visit the train station.

Since we had about two and a half hours to wait, I suggested that we find a coffee shop nearby, to have a cup and a comfortable place to rest. Right out front, there was a little street of small hotels, where we found a second story coffee shop overlooking the train station. This was an old place, not one of the trendy new coffee shops. It was very nice, though, with low coffee tables and big upholstered couches. We settled into a couch by the front window so that Ok Hwa could keep an eye out for her brother. The coffee was 2,000 wan a cup, about a dollar-ninety American. We ordered a cup each, and then later I ordered another. The coffee was not bad, although I suspect it was instant.

After we killed as much time in there as we could stand, we hit the streets for a stroll around. We still had about an hour and twenty minutes to wait. We headed down this little street of small hotels, and it all looked familiar to me. When we got to the end of the block, we saw our old hotel that we'd stayed at in 2001. It's a six story building, and now I remembered taking a picture of this little street from the roof of the hotel. I also remember seeing all the trains coming and going over in the switching yard at the station.

This whole area, for blocks around, is filled with small and medium-sized hotels. It's a remnant from the days when most people traveled by train. There are still plenty of people coming and going by train, but the bus system has overtaken most travel nowadays. The inflexible train system can't compete with the speed, number, and versatility of the buses. Plus, the Koreans have been building and re-building their highway system non-stop. The Express Bus Terminal is about a mile to the west of here, and there are a number of nice, new, more expensive hotels over there.

We made our way back over to the Station, and just settled in for the wait. We still had almost an hour to wait. We watched a couple of trains pull in. All the disembarking passengers poured out through the Station to the parking lot out front. There, they were met by waiting friends and relatives, and quite a few of them got onto several tour buses that were waiting for them there. Gangneung, and this whole upper east coast area, are a popular tourist destination. Many people come here in the summer for the beaches, but it's a little cold for that right now. Even this early in the year, though, there are lots of great things to see and do around here. The cherry trees are starting to come into bloom now, there is the whole Gyeongpo area, which is a tourist Mecca, and there are two national parks in the mountains close by. So, it was a beautiful Saturday morning, and many people were out to enjoy it.

The 13:45 train finally arrived, and the passengers began streaming through the station. We were standing just outside the front doors, keeping a lookout for Big Brother. Finally, near the end of the line, here he came. I recognized him before Ok Hwa did. She was still looking past him, towards the last few people when he came right up to her and playfully tapped her on the nose. She was so surprised! She did not recognize him at first. It's been years since she's seen him, and he's gotten older. She was still looking for that thirty year old guy she remembered from her youth. He's fifty-six now, the same age as me, and looks it. His hairline has receded a bit, he's wearing glasses, and the years of smoking have taken a toll on his facial complexion. Still and all, he looks pretty good. He was dressed to perfection, in a nice dark gray suit, a black cashmere sweater in lieu of a dress shirt and tie, and very nice black dress shoes. He looked like he was ready to do some business, but he never did say what kind. To me, he's an International Man of Mystery.

We decided to get some lunch, and began walking over into the downtown area. A few blocks over, we settled on a restaurant, and went on in. This was a traditional, take your shoes off, sit on the raised floor type of restaurant. We sat down, and Brother ordered beef soup for all of us. He and Ok Hwa began catching up then, and I was not able to follow most of the conversation. Brother knows some sign language, of course, having three deaf siblings. As usual, Ok Hwa was talking almost non-stop. She was trying to tell him everything she has done, seen, heard, thought, or felt since she saw him last, all in about five minutes flat. He was laughing, trying to tell her to slow down a bit, but there wasn't much chance of that.

The food came then, giving us a break from her non-stop chatter.The food was quite good. When we were done eating, we lounged there on the floor, talking some more.

Back on the street, Brother led the way, as we continued walking away from the train station. I did not know what time he had to leave, and didn't know how to ask, so I just followed along. The two of them were talking, and Ok Hwa got out of him that he was going in search of his wife's old house. Although the brothers and their spouses all live over in Seoul now, this is their old home town. He must have first met her and dated her here, before moving to the big city. Ok Hwa also found out from him that he and the wife are no longer toghther. I think she just got tired of his International Man of Mystery routine, and gave him the boot. He must be missing her. I would. She's a beautiful, charming, hard working woman. So, a little bit of nostalgia for Brother, since he was in the area. Why not go by the old house and think back on those golden days when they first met, when everything was magic? A few blocks later we found the place, a modest, but nice little house. It's just a couple of blocks off the main drag, tucked in between some office towers and a few medium sized hotels. Gangneung City is like that, with little single family houses, or even blocks of them, scattered throughout the high-rise urban jungle.

We went back out to the main drag, and stopped by the Dragon Pond Monument there. It is a small pond with a monument and house in the middle of it. It honors an old legend of a good man and his horse. The horse supposedly jumped into the pond and became a dragon. It forms a nice small park, giving a break from the urban concrete and steel.

We said our good-byes to Big Brother there by the Dragon Pond Monument. He was headed back over to the train station. International Men of Mystery have tight schedules, apparently. Ok Hwa and I were giong to do a little shopping before heading home.

On the way back up the main drag toward the Jungang Market, I stopped to take a picture of a large, beautiful Cherry Blossom tree in full bloom. It was in the courtyard of what looked like a school, behind a stone wall. I was shooting the picture from the sidewalk, through the railing at the top of the wall. Some young high school aged girls were just then walking through the gate into the school yard. They were all dressed for school, in matching plaid skirts, white blouses, and sweaters. I thought this was odd, it being a Saturday, and all. It seems that Asian kids take school much more seriously than we do. Anyhow, a group of eight or nine of these girls saw me and asked me, in perfect English, if I liked their tree, and would I like to take a better picture of it from inside the wall. When I asked if it was allowed, they said sure, no problem, come on in. They were very friendly and inviting, so we followed them on in. They were keen to know where I was from and what brought me to Gangneung. I introduced them to Ok Hwa, telling them that she was my wife and that we were here visiting her family. They seemed amazed by that. There were many questions back and forth, and they seemed in no hurry to get into the building. They were clearly enjoying our little visit, as were we. I asked them to pose in front of the Cherry Blossom tree, and they were very happy to do so. When I complimented them on their excellent English, they said that they had a great English teacher here at the school, and he's American! They seemed to take great pride in that. What a great group of young ladies. Gives me hope for the future to have met them. We said our good-byes and Ok Hwa and I headed on down the street.

Over by the Home Plus building, we were stopped at the intersection waiting for the light to change. We spied, across the street, a young American looking couple. As their light changed and they started coming across toward us, we ducked into a little convenience store there on the corner. A moment later, they followed us in, and we struck up a conversation. They looked to be about thirty years old, and were both very attractive and friendly. They said they were from Canada, and that they lived here in Korea, working as English teachers in a private academy. They said it was a pretty lucrative business to be in here. When I asked whether one needed to know much Korean in order to teach English here, they said no, not really. Well, what a deal! If I ever need to start a new career, I'll know what to do. They asked what we were doing here, and I told them about this being Ok Hwa's home town, and all. It turns out that they and I were fans of a lot of the same music artists, and we talked about the music scene in Canada and Texas for a while. We were getting along famously there in the little store, and I would have liked to talk with them a lot more. This was only the second time I've had anyone to talk with since we got here. I should have gotten their name and phone number, but I didn't want to appear too forward. We said so long, and Ok Hwa and I continued on the the Jungang.

In the market, Ok Hwa was still trying to find the perfect hand bag, or back pack or something, for her mom. She never did find anything she liked, though, and eventually gave up the search. Thank goodness.

On the way home, our timing was off again. We had another forty-five minute wait for the bus to come along. This business is getting old. I talked her into going for a stroll around the area, to kill some time until the bus arrived.

Finally done with our day in town, we arrived back at the house to find Ma and Pa waiting for us on the little front porch. It seems that they are looking forward to our arrival each day, now. I guess it's nice to have something, or someone, to break up the normal routine.

Here's the link to today's slide show:

http://s594.photobucket.com/albums/tt23/allenhare/Korea%2010/Lunch%20With%20Brother/?albumview=slideshow

The Return Of Mrs. Kim - Friday, April 16, 2010

We had no plans for the day, and so spent a lazy morning around the house. Ok Hwa wasn't going anywhere util her mom got home. I was getting restless, and so at 11:00 I took my cameras and headed out.

I started walking down this new road which cuts across the valley, north to south. I saw on the map that a little ways down it crosses the expressway that leads back to Seoul. Also, the map shows that pretty close to this intersection there is the Tomb of King Myeongjugun. That seemed like it might be interesting. It's not a very detailed map, so I wasn't sure exactly where this place would be. It was uphill all the way to the expressway, about five or six kilometers. I never did see a king's tomb, or a sign indicating one. It turned out to be a pretty boring walk, but good exercise.

I made it back to the house in just about two hours. Mrs. Kim still had not arrived, but Ok Hwa said that she'd called and would be here about 14:00. That gave me time for a nap. A short while later I was awakened by the arrival of Mrs. Kim herself.

It was all talk and excitement when she arrived. The old guy does not talk or do much while she's gone, but when she's here he becomes, at least, partially animated. They talk a lot between themselves, sometimes late into the night. Ok Hwa was, as usual, chattering non-stop. Mrs. Kim returned with her little back pack completely filled with foodstuffs. There was Kimchi, fresh meat, vegetables, and spices. It must have weighed thirty pounds. I do not know how she carried it. Her walking is uncertain, even without a load. She was in great spirits, as usual, always commanding whatever situation she's in.

Lunch was quickly prepared, and we set down to a great meal of spicy noodle soup, fresh Kimchi, and all the usual Korean side dishes. After lunch Mrs. Kim and the old guy retired to the front room to watch TV, talk and take a nap. I wasted no time returning to the futon for my afternoon nap, also. Ok Hwa was left to clean up the dishes, and put away the food. I always ask if I can help, but she's perfectly content to do the kitchen work. It's the same way when we're at home. The kitchen is her domain, and she'd rather I stayed out of her way. What a gal!

After an hour or so, she woke me to say she was bored and wanted to go into town, I got up and got ready, and we waited on the porch for the 15:50 bus to arrive.

In town we got off the bus a few blocks before our usual stop. There is what looks to be a large historical house which occupies about a half a city block just before the intersection with the main drag. This house sits up behind a large ornate wall, and from the bus you can see over the wall into the compound. I've been fascinated with it for a long time, and today I decided we'd try to get a closer look.

The place is called Imnyeonggwan, Historic Site #388. It is not a house, but a series of government buildings from centuries ago. It is, indeed, open for tours at no cost. Most of the buildings have survived intact from their beginning, but a few of them were damaged or destroyed during the Japanese occupation of the early 1900s. These damaged or destroyed buildings have been re-built, and the rest restored.

The buildings are all very beautiful, and the grounds are a peaceful oasis in the center of the city. We strolled around at our leisure, taking pictures and admiring the beautiful architecture and setting.

After leaving Imnyeonggwan, we walked over to the Jungang Market, a few blocks away. We always end up there. It just draws us in. We wandered the many small lanes and alleys, window shopping and making a few purchases. I found a couple of nice small baskets to add to my collection back home. She was searching for a new purse for her mom, but I finally talked her out of that idea. It was turning cold again, and I had not brought my jacket. I wanted to find a coffee shop so we could get in out of the cold, and drink some warm coffee. We ended up at the Dunkin' Donuts out on the main drag. We sat in there warming up, and watching the passers by out on the street. After drinking our coffee, we bought a six-pack (of donuts) to go. We headed over to the bus stop and caught the 18:30 back to Sacheon Valley.

As we arrived home, Mrs. Kim was looking out the front door to see if we got off the bus. This made Ok Hwa so happy, to see that her Mom was waiting by the door, and happy to have her back home. That girl sure loves her Mama.

We had another great Korean dinner, this time featuring beef and Kimchi stew.

Today was the first day since we've been here that it almost felt warm outside. I don't think it's been above 50 degrees Fahrenheit since we got here. Today it got up to maybe 55 degrees. It felt good while I was out on my walk earlier in the day, but once we got in town late in the afternoon, and the wind picked up, I was really feeling the chill. We've been looking forward to seeing the cherry blossoms spring out, but they haven't yet. It's been too cold. There are a very few scattered trees around town that are starting to bloom, but most of them are holding back, waiting for warmer weather. We were here last year during this same time, April 6 through about the twentieth. It was much warmer then, and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Every flowering plant was in full bloom. It was amazing to see. We've got almost another week before we depart, and we're still hopeful of seeing the cherry blossoms before we leave.

Here is the link to today's pictures:

http://s594.photobucket.com/albums/tt23/allenhare/Korea%2010/The%20Return%20of%20Mrs%20Kim/?albumview=slideshow

Expensive Lunch - Thursday, April 15, 2010

Late last night we got a teaser of good news. Mrs. Kim was headed back up to her sister's mountain cottage in the morning, to do some more work. She wanted us to come along for the ride. This is the chance I've been waiting for. First of all, it involves a train ride, second it was something new for me to see, and third it was an old traditional Korean house, very authentic and rustic. It ought to make for some great pictures or video. We were to go in the morning and return that afternoon, a day trip.

This morning when we got up, I was excited about leaving on our little trip, when Ok Hwa informed me that Mrs. Kim had changed her mind. She wanted to make the trip on her own, and she was spending the night, too. Oh, well, maybe next time.

After Mrs. Kim left on the ten o'clock bus, we had a lazy morning here at the house. After a couple of hours boredom set in, and we decided to go into town. We caught the twelve o'clock bus with no clear objective except lunch.

In town, Ok Hwa wanted Bi Bim Bab, of course, but I talked her into having hamburgers instead. We went over to the Home Plus building, and up to the sixth floor Cine Mall. There, we settled on Kraze Burgers, an upscale burger joint. The burgers were seven to ten dollars each, fries for two-fifty, a green salad for seven-fifty, and a couple of Cokes for two-fifty each. I don't know what came over me, ordering all this food, and at these prices, too. The food was good, though. The burgers were very tasty, but had a sauce, "Kraze Sauce", that was a little different. The fries were excellent, and so was the salad, although it had some more of that "Kraze Sauce" on it. The tab was 36,000 wan, about thirty-four dollars American. An expensive experiment in Korean fine dining that we will not be repeating.

Back on the streets we headed over to the Jungang Market to see what we could see. We are always drawn to this place. It's just such a visceral experience to stroll those bustling byways. It's like street culture on steroids.

We ended up over at the D/C dollar store again. The guy at the check-out counter recognizes us by now, and gives a courteous bow and a friendly "Anyasao" greeting as we come in. She needed some laundry soap, or something like that for the house, but always manages to find some pretty little thing for herself, also. This time it was a nice little hair stick, with a pretty little jeweled fob hanging off the end. Very becoming. I was surveying some future purchases I wanted to make, to take home for gifts. They have some pretty cool things there that some young people I know might like.

Heading back through the Jungang Market to our bus stop, we picked up a few vegetables for dinner, and she found a nice pair of those pajama-style house pants like she got for her mom the other day. They have an elastic waist and are gathered at the ankle by more elastic, but are loose and flowing in between. They look like comfy, modern harem pants.

At the bus stop our timing was right. We caught the 308 at 4:08, and were on our way back home. It was a bit crowded, and I had to stand most of the way. About half way out to the valley, an ancient, but elegant woman got on the bus. She looked to be about one hundred years old, but was in excellent shape. She was slender, tall, and strait, without that osteoporosis curved back you see on so many of the older women here. She was simply, but sharply dressed, too. She wore a pretty pink jacket with embroidered design, light colored tweed slacks, and city shoes with flat heels. She topped it off with a nice wool cap with a short brim. A very well put together woman. Her face was beautiful, also. I can imagine she broke many a man's heart in her younger days. When she got on the bus, everyone stepped back to make way for her, and several of the older ladies who were sitting got up out of their seats and offered them to her. I've never seen that happen before. She chose one of the offered seats and alighted with perfect dignity and grace, without any arrogance at all. I was in awe of her, and kept stealing glances toward her as we rode along. She sat perfectly composed, seeming oblivious to all around her. About half way up the Sacheon Valley road, she got off and headed up one of the little lanes toward some houses in the distance, queen of all she beheld.

A short slide show of Kraze Burgers, and the D/C Store:

http://s594.photobucket.com/albums/tt23/allenhare/Korea%2010/Expensive%20Lunch/?albumview=slideshow

Yongyeon Buddhist Temple - Wednesday, April 14, 2010

We had no plans for the day, and nothing came to mind right away, so we were just hanging around waiting for Mrs. Kim to get back from her trip. We didn't expect her 'til late in the afternoon, so we decided to spend the day at home for a change.



I had time to kill, so I decided to head out for a walk. It dawned on me that I could make that hike back up to the temple, and make the video I'd planned.




I got my stuff together and headed out the door at 09:45. I told her that I'd probably be gone about two hours. I started walking, making fifteen to twenty second video segments every now and then. As I went along, I found more and more interesting things along the side of the road to include in the video. I knew I'd have to self edit some as I went along, or else I'd end up with way too much, and the video would run too long. What I do in the editing is string all these little video clips together in Movie Maker. Then I put a fade transition between each clip, fade in from black at the beginning, fade out to black at the end, titles and credits, and it all comes out looking pretty slick. I knew I'd be able to add or delete segments in the final editing to adjust the length, but I didn't want to leave a lot on the cutting room floor, so to speak.




So, the hike went pretty much as I'd imagined it. There was not any traffic, and I make pretty good time up to the temple. Once, a small private bus passed me heading up to somewhere.





Up at the temple I got lucky. The small bus that had passed me was parked over behind one of the buildings, and all the passengers were up in the main temple building chanting. I could hear one of the monks in there with his hollow wooden bell and mallet, keeping time. This would lend a bit of authentic soundtrack to the video. Aside from those people in the temple, I pretty much had the place to myself. I was up by the main temple building filming the large bell in it's separate pagoda when two ladies came out of one of the buildings down in the lower level courtyard. They were carrying what looked like covered rice bowls high above their heads. They came up the stairs to the main temple and carried the bowls inside. I got a few more video segments by the temple building, bell pagoda, and in the courtyard below, and figured my job was done.





I started back down the hill feeling pretty satisfied, and just savoring the walk through this beautiful countryside. The sun had finally come out after several days of overcast. It was a beautiful day, and was really the first day that felt like spring since we'd gotten here. There was a cool breeze coming out of the north-east, but the sun on my shoulders, and the exertion of the hike were keeping me warm.



Back down by the lake I was admiring the set of monuments by the side of the road, when I noticed that there were not any burial mounds with them. There are usually burial mounds nearby the monuments. Then I noticed again the small, steep, winding, but paved road heading up the hillside. I'd noticed this road when I'd come up here before, and wondered where it lead. All the other roads leading to hillside burial sites were unpaved, so this one intrigued me. I know I'd promised her two hours, but I just could not resist.



This little concrete road was steep! It had those grooves in the concrete to give added traction to car tires, too. Well, I huffed and puffed up this little gut buster for about a quarter mile, 'til it leveled off at a little parking area. There were stone staircases leading up each of the two hills flanking this parking area.



Looking up the staircase to the right I saw stone monuments and earthen mounds, and realized that I had found another burial site. I headed up there to check it out, and discovered the most elaborate burial site I've seen. This was a two level site with stone retaining walls and lots of granite statuary. There was rectangular stonework around each of the mounds, one on each level. This is the first time I'd seen human figures represented in the stonework. At the bottom level there was a stone statue of a woman on each side of the mound. I climbed up to the uphill mound and there was a stone statue of a man on each side of the mound, as well as other statuary. It occurred to me then that these must me husband and wife burial sites, with the wife in the subservient, downhill position, and the husband in the dominant, uphill position. It all made perfect sense now. These people must have had some money. At most of the other burial sites I've seen, there are several mounds on each level. At this one there were just the two levels, and one mound each, with lots of expensive granite statuary. The stone monuments down by the lake, and the paved concrete road all added up now. These must have been important people indeed.

I went back down to the parking lot and up the staircase on the other side. It was pretty much the same over there. Something about this second site was more comfortable to me, though. The setting was more pleasing somehow, something to do with the landscape, the trees, and the rocks. As a place to spend eternity, you couldn't ask for much more. There was the same two level layout, with the female statues on the lower level, and the male statues on the upper level. There were stone lions by the upper burial mound also, giving it a regal touch. I had never seen stone lions at a Korean burial site before.

After making pictures from every angle I could imagine, I headed on back down the hill. I was hiking for home in earnest now, as I knew I'd been gone longer than two hours. Back at the house I pulled off my shoes and went in and checked the time. It was 12:30. I'd been gone for two hours and forty-five minutes. A mighty fine outing.

Mrs. Kim arrived about twenty minutes later, and all was chatter and activity. She was tired from her trip, but set about working in the kitchen right away. Ok Hwa was right by her side, helping her and talking non-stop. That woman loves her mother and enjoys being around her more than any woman I've ever seen. Ok Hwa can be as hard as nails to the world at large, and to me sometimes, but around her mother she's still the loving, obedient little girl she must have been years ago. It's pretty heart-warming to see it.

I took a nap while they prepared lunch, and then after lunch, Ok Hwa and I headed into town. We went back over to the Jungang Market browsing for veggies, then hit the D/C dollar store for a couple of items. Last on the shopping list was the Home Plus store. I wanted to see if they sell alcoholic beverages, and they do. They had a pretty good Scotch section, but, alas, no single malt. I settled for a 50 cl. bottle of Chivas for 28,000 wan, about what you'd pay for it in the States. They also had a good selection of beer. Along with all the Korean beers, there were four or five Australian beers I've never seen before, plus Heineken, Budweiser, Miller Genuine Draft, and Corona. Back over in the liquor section, they stock Jose' Cuervo Gold Tequila, and Kahlua coffee liqueur. Not bad.

We'd had the presence of mind to check the bus schedule before going into the Home Plus store. This way we knew to stay in the warm store 'til five minutes before the bus was due. Outside, the clouds had rolled back in, the temperature had dropped, and the wind had picked back up out of the north-east, making it feel like winter again.

Here's the slide show of pics from the burial sites:
http://s594.photobucket.com/albums/tt23/allenhare/Korea%2010/Two%20Burial%20Sites/?albumview=slideshow

Gangneung Unification Park and New Friends - Tuesday, April 13, 2010

We finally found the battleship, and boy, is it something.

We met the bus here by the house at 08:50, and he sure doesn't wait around for anything at that time of morning. He just turns around, picks up what passengers that are waiting, and immediately heads back to town.

I made a short video of the ride back down the valley and into town. It turned out better than I expected. We got off where we did yesterday, and waited for the 111,112, or 113 bus to come along. After about twenty minutes the 113 came along around 09:40, and we climbed aboard.





The 113 only takes a couple of neighborhood detours before heading out of town. After turning south of the main drag, it's only about three blocks 'til we cross the Namdaecheon River. This is the largest river in the region, and flows right through town. I've never been across the river into South Gangneung before. There's not much of the city south of the river, though. After a couple of kilometers we were out in the country. It's about twenty kilometers down to Gangneung Unification Park. That's the official name of the place where the battleship is. The whole way down there, and the park itself, are within the city limits of Gangneung City. We passed a lot of pretty countryside and farms along the way. The further south you go from town, the closer the mountains come down to the coast.

The sun had come out this morning, lifting our spirits, but it was cold, and very windy. When we exited the bus at the battleship, it was downright uncomfortable. The wind was coming hard out of the north-northwest off the sea, and it was hard to stand outside for very long. The battleship was an awesome sight, though, sitting there huge as can be, completely out of the water on dry land. The submarine was about a hundred yards north of the battleship, looking very small by comparison.

We were having a very hard time of it out in the cold wind, so we ducked into a little snack bar there, for a coffee and a break from the wind. After our coffee, we put on a brave face and headed back out. I was dying to get on that ship, but I figured I'd tour the sub right quick, and get that out of the way. Then I could really savor the big ship, taking it all in at my own pace.

There is a sign by the ship with this information:
"Unification Park
"First of all, thank you for visiting this Unification Park in Gangneung. We want to inform you about the Unification Park.
"The Purpose - The center was made so that people may understand about the infiltration of the North Korean submarine on September 18, 1996. It also helps to foster a desire for the unifying of the North and South, so the submarine and the retired warship are on display at the original infiltration spot.
"Jeon Buk Ham (Dark Destroyer 916) - Length: 118 m, Width: 12.5 m, Weight: 3471 tons, Speed: 32 knots, The Full Capacity: 280 people. The ship was made in the USA in 1944. The ROK Navy used this ship for 27 years, from 1972 until 1999. The ship was retired in 1999. The ship was used in the Second World War, The Korean War, and The Gulf War. The ship is the only warship in the world which is displayed on land. The ship was pulled out of the water by a 1500 ton and a 1800 ton floating crane. The ship is the height of a three story building with a one story basement. There are seventeen of the twenty-nine rooms available to be seen.
"North Korean Submarine Exhibition - In September 1996, twenty-five Red guerrilla infiltrated into the land of South Korea by means of the submarine, which was soon found. The incident was a great shock to us, and incurred our wrath. The submarine was salvaged by the Navy, and is now on display at the original infiltration spot. Size: Length: 35 m, Width: 3.5 m, Height (tower included): 6.7 m, Weight: 325 tons (shark shaped submarine), Speed: 8.8 knots (the maximum speed under the sea), The Full Capacity: 30 people.
"The Curcumstances Of The Case - About 05:00 on September 14, 1996: The Red guerrilla left the submarine base in North Korea for the purpose of spying on South Korean military facilities. At about 20:00 on September 15, 1996: They arrived at the sea right in front of the Anin region of South Korea, and three of them infiltrated into the land while the others were on standby in the submarine. At about 21:00 on September 17, 1996: The leader of the three gave a signal to the colleagues in the submarine, and then ordered them to come closer to the seashore because the waves were so strong. While approaching the seashore it was washed away by the waves, and driven onto the rocks. Eventually they abandoned any attempt to find their way back. At about 23:50 on September 17, 1996: The armed Red bandits set fire to the inside of the submarine in order for destruction of evidence such as confidential information and documents. They escaped from it and fled to Gwaebangsan Mountain. From September 18 to November 5, 1996: Counterespionage operation was in progress for 49 days, and the Red guerrillas were mopped out completely. Counterespionage operation's military achievements and victims: Of the 25 spies, one was captured alive. 13 spies were shot by South Korean soldiers. 11 were murdered by their colleagues. 11 South Korean soldiers died a glorious death. 22 South Korean soldiers were injured. Six South Korean civilians were killed."
A pretty dramatic incident by any one's reckoning.

After reading this account of North Korean treachery, I was anxious to see the inside of the sub. Maybe it would shed some light on their mental state, and on their level of technical expertise. I pulled out my video cam, then crouched and ducked my way through the sub, from one end to the other. Pretty fascinating stuff. Lots of dials, levers, cranks, pipes, conduit, and other mysterious mechanical, electrical, and plumbing apparatus.





Emerging from the other end, the wind hit me hard again as I made my way down the staircase. Spray from the surf crashing on the rocks nearby was giving me a wet, salty sprinkling. At the aft end of the sub is the caved in section of the bottom that hit the rocks. Looking at it, and the rocky coast, it's hard to see how any of them made it out of there alive.

Ok Hwa was back in the snack bar waiting for me, and I was making my way back in that direction from the sub, when an American guy emerged from around another exhibit and said "Hello". I greeted him back enthusiastically, welcoming any chance to have a conversation with someone. It's been a week now since I've really talked with anyone. We hit it off right away, and were exchanging basic information, when Ok Hwa came up. This fellow's name is Jay, and he and his Thai girlfriend were on holiday, also. He is retired from the Navy, and still works for the Defense Department as a teacher on one of the bases down in Daegu. That's in the south-east of the country, about 60 kilometers north of Busan.

They had a car, and invited us to ride along with them. I told him that we had not seen the warship yet. He said not to worry, take as long as you want, and they'd be waiting in the car for us. He also said that it's a destroyer, not a battleship. We spent about twenty minutes touring the ship, then joined them at their car. We ended up spending the rest of the morning and the afternoon with them. They were a great, friendly couple. They were on an excursion up the east coast, and had spent the last two nights up at Gyeongpo, our favorite beach. We headed down the coast road, enjoying the dramatic scenery. After a few kilometers we stopped at Deungmyeongrakgasa Temple, a beautiful Buddhist Temple set in a wooded hollow by the sea. We spent about a half an hour there, looking at everything and taking pictures.

Back on the road, we continued south to the next little town, Jeongdongjin. This is a quaint little seaside village with a beautiful park and an impressive huge hotel on top of one of the hills surrounding the town. It looks like they've somehow managed to pick up a large cruise ship and set it down on top of the hill. Very dramatic. I know it was probably built up there out of concrete and steel like any other building, but it sure looks like a cruise ship, down to the last detail. We got out here and strolled around the park for awhile, then decided to get some lunch. Over in the older part of town, we found a promising looking restaurant, and went in. It was one of the sit-on-the-floor varieties. The food was excellent, though, and only thirty-six thousand for the four of us. That's about thirty-three dollars American.

After lunch we continued south down the coast for a ways, admiring the fantastic scenery. The mountains really do come right down to the sea along through here. We stopped for more pictures by a beautiful cove, then made our way inland, back to the big highway.

We were headed back up to Gangneung via the expressway, and Jay asked where he could drop us. At first we were going to have him take us right out to Mrs. Kim's house, then remembered that we were planning to pick up some Honey Chicken on the way home. We had them drop us off in town, where we said our good-byes. We were reluctant to part, but we had our separate ways to go. Jay was an intelligent conversationalist and a really friendly guy. He and I could have spent a lot of time talking about everything. I've got his card, and will get in touch with him when I get home.

We finally scored the Honey Chicken, but it was not the honey infused chicken like we'd had in Seoul last year. This chicken was good though, real American-style fried chicken. The only problem was that we had to wait about thirty minutes for the 308 to come around to take us home. When we got there, Pop was waiting for our return, lonely without Mrs. Kim. The three of us dove into the chicken, and finished off the ten piece box in one sitting. A little while later Ok Hwa prepared us a regular Korean-style dinner as well. We were all feeling pretty fat and happy as we laid it down for the night.

Click this link for a slide show of today's pictures:

http://s594.photobucket.com/albums/tt23/allenhare/Korea%2010/Unification%20Park/?albumview=slideshow

The Search for Honey Chicken and The Battleship - Monday, April 12, 2010

We finally slept in 'till 06:30 this morning. We must be getting acclimated. Mrs. Kim was up and about right away, also. I found out this morning that she will be gone for the next two days. She's going back to her recently deceased sister's house to do some cleaning and organizing. We offered to go along, but she said that it's very rustic, has only one room, and no indoor plumbing or electricity. I can take a hint.

She was dressed and ready to go, with her little back pack by the door, waiting on the bus to come by at 09:00. She heard the bus arrive, and headed out the door to meet it, but the driver did not wait like usual. He quickly turned around and headed back down the road, leaving Mrs. Kim standing in the doorway waiving her arms and yelling. How rude. She had to wait an hour for the next bus to come along.

After she left at 10:00, Ok Hwa and I started getting our stuff ready to go. We had an hour 'till the next bus. I was determined to find that battleship today. We caught the 11:00 bus and headed towards town. We got off a couple kilometers from our usual stop up on the main drag. There is a spot near a big intersection on the north road where I'd seen the elusive Honey Chicken restaurant. The plan was to eat lunch at Honey Chicken, then go in search of the battleship. I'd spotted the Honey Chicken yesterday on the way home. We were stopped at a traffic light where we always have to wait a couple of minutes. The landmark for me was the Robin's Pizza restaurant. The bus always ends up right in front of Robin's while waiting at that red light. The Honey Chicken is just a few doors up.

It was still a bit early for lunch, so we looked into a few shops, then went over to the Family Mart convenience store for coffee. As we stepped out of the store with coffee in hand, we looked up to see that billboard advertising the battleship. It's called the Gangneung Unification Park. The idea of re-unification with North Korea has a lot of currency with a many South Koreans, especially on a government level. The fact that the Gangneung City municipal government has a city park dedicated to it comes as no surprise. Not only is there a battleship, but also a submarine! It was right there in the picture on the billboard. I was hot on the trail again.

We ducked into the Red Cap travel agency, which was right there on the corner. I thought maybe they would know something about it. We were met by the cutest, nicest, most helpful young lady you could imagine. She was not personally familiar with the place, but she set right about trying to find it for us. She looked on her computer, and made a couple of calls, but still could not come up with anything. She apologized profusely, and suggested that we check in with the tourist information people. We thanked her and headed out to have lunch at the Honey Chicken.

When we got to where I'd seen the Honey Chicken, it was closed, with the security door rolled down. It looked different and didn't say Honey Chicken either. I must have been mistaken. Since we were right by Robin's Pizza, we decided to eat there instead. It was noon by now, so we went on in and got a table. Another very cute, nice, helpful young lady met us, and showed us to a table and brought us a menu. She knew a little English, also, and helped us place our order. We got a Robin's Combination and a couple of Cokes. When the pizza came it was beautiful, and very tasty. Really it was and excellent pizza, much better than I had expected. Robin's has a small fleet of distinctive bright green delivery scooters parked out front. The scooters have big matching green pizza carrying boxes on the back to keep the pizzas warm in transit. I bet they do a hell of a business.

Just before our pizza came, that nice young lady from the Red Cap travel agency came in, talking on a cell phone. I figured she was here to pick up some lunch. To my surprise she came over to me, smiled and handed me the phone. I took it and said "Hello" and an English speaking woman answered, and proceeded to tell me exactly how to get to that battleship. She told me to cross the street, find the bus stop there, look on the schedule, and find the 111, 112, or 113 bus. Either one of them would take us to the Unification Park, she said, but the ride would take about an hour. Now, that's just excellent customer service, and I was not even a paying customer of these people. For this young lady to go out of her way to help with our little adventure was simply amazing. She did not expect anything in return, either. It's just the Korean way. Also, this is not a tipping country. If you try to tip someone in a restaurant or coffee shop here, they are really embarrassed and try to give it back. I've given up trying. Refreshingly, anyone involved in customer service in this country actually gives great service. I love this country!

After our lunch, we went over to the bus stop to check on the 111 bus. There is a schedule posted on the wall there showing the times that all the buses stop there. We'd just missed the 111, and the 112 would not be along 'till 14:00. The 113 would not be along 'till 15:30. We were out of luck. We weren't going to take a taxi out there, and we weren't going to wait an hour and a half for a bus, either. I guess we'll try again tomorrow. So early in a day that held such promise, and we'd already struck out on both of our objectives.

We could still go exploring, though, so we started strolling down the street towards the center of town. Right away we came upon a large steep hill on the right, with a beautiful new set of wooden steps leading up to the top. There was a large building up there, and reading the sign, Ok Hwa informed me that it was a library. I always look for a chance to get up to a higher vantage point to take pictures, so up we went. The view from up there was great, and I got some good pictures of the city. Descending down the curved driveway on the other side of the building, we made our way back down to street level.

We continued along the street for a while, taking pictures. Pretty soon we came upon a sign for the Gangneung Art Museum. It was up another high, steep hill to the right. When we got up there, the museum was closed. I should have known. Almost every museum I've ever seen has been closed on Mondays.

Back down on the street, we made it to the next bus stop, and caught the 202 over to the Express Bus Terminal. We hoped that they might have a bus going out to the Unification Park, but they didn't. One of the good things about the Express Bus Terminal, though, is that there is a Tourist Information Office there. There is also a huge 15 x 15 foot Tourist Map of Gangneung City set up by the taxi stand there, and the place names are printed in Korean and in English. How's that for catering to the international traveler? Over at the Tourist Information office, there was a rack outside with a fold up, pocket sized version of that tourist map of Gangneung. This one is in Korean only, but when I inquired inside they gave me the same map in the English version. They were a free hand out, so I picked up a couple of them, and thanked them. We headed into the bus terminal, which is like a mini mall. There are a lot of interesting shops and restaurants in there. I was browsing a book and magazine kiosk, looking for anything in English, when the nice lady working there handed me a beautiful picture book, with English captions. It was the companion book to the free, English version of the tourist information map I'd just picked up. Published by the Gangneung municipal government, it has beautiful photos and excellent descriptions of everything you'd want to see or know about Gangneung City and the surrounding area. I asked how much it cost, and she indicated that it was no charge. Did I say yet that I love this country? Well, I love this city, also!

I was fascinated by this book, and started reading it right away. Ok Hwa interrupted me, reminding me that we should keep moving. We went out and hopped aboard the 202 again, headed for I know not where. I was too busy to care much, reading my new book. After a short distance, Ok Hwa realized that we were headed away from the main drag, so we got off. We were a few blocks away, in an area we'd never been on foot before. We started walking over through unfamiliar territory, towards our comfort zone. I took an immediate liking to this new neighborhood we were in. The little streets held lots of interesting shops, coffee houses, restaurants, and bars. Every now and then, through an opening in the buildings, we could catch a glimpse of the Home Plus building, or our familiar rail overpass, so we knew where we were and where to go. After a few blocks we emerged on the main drag, one block from our Dunkin' Donuts. I made a note of the street we'd come down, for future exploration.

For me the day went downhill fast from this point. Ok Hwa decided that she was done exploring, and wanted to head back over to the Home Plus store to do some shopping, then head home. My mind had been expanding, looking forward to exploring more new territory. She was not to be dissuaded, however, so I was in a funk from this point onward. We got our shopping done without much talking.

One thing I was glad about was that I found what I hope is some decent dark black instant coffee at the Home Plus store. Mrs. Kim keeps on hand what she calls coffee, but it's really an instant coffee-like substance with lots of milk and sugar. Not much for a guy who drinks strong dark roasted black coffee. Short of getting a percolator and ground coffee, this is probably the best I can hope for.

The weather turned colder today, overcast with a cold northwest wind coming off the sea. Our time here this year has been a lot colder than when we were here at the same time last year. I brought a light jacket, but I wish I'd brought something a little heavier. We spent a chilly thirty minutes waiting for the 308 to come around.

The plan for tomorrow is to get up early (easily done), and find that battleship. We spotted the Honey Chicken shop again today on the way home, while stopped at that light. It's just a couple of doors over from where I thought it was. This morning we just didn't go far enough down the block, and missed it. We figure we'll pick up a ten piece box tomorrow on the way home. I hope the old man likes it. I think he needs some cheering up now that Mrs. Kim is away. We all miss her.

Here's the slide show of today's pictures:

http://s594.photobucket.com/albums/tt23/allenhare/Korea%2010/Honey%20Chicken%20Battleship/?albumview=slideshow