Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 10:55pm
Travel time was three hours via KoBus, departing from Anyang at 10am and arriving at the campground around 1pm. Both Friday and Saturday nights were treated to a marvelous sunset with a fire-red sun filled sky. It was gorgeous. The campground, however, was packed full with Korean families of all shapes and sizes. We, of course, were the only way-guks (foreigners) and we demanded attention everywhere we went. It was so crowded that when we awoke late Saturday morning, 11am, we were surrounded by new neighbors on all sides of us. Normally, this would not be an issue, except our neighbors conveniently parked their automobiles within five feet from each of our tents. A little inconsiderate if you ask Alvin and I, and an infringement on our small campsite. Not cool.
The temperature Saturday was easily pushing 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so a dip in the Yellow Sea was a must. Since we were the only foreigners in sight, we also seemed to be the only men swimming with our shirts off. It's a crazy thing, but Koreans go to the beach near fully clothed. I don't understand it. Koreans do, however, know how to camp. Since this is only my second time visiting a campsite in Korea, I remain even more impressed with the tent and portable kitchen set-ups Koreans pack with them when camping. It's truly amazing. Also, the very first thing they seem to do within 30 minutes after arriving and pitching their tents is cook up a fantastic looking meal on the grill. It's almost as if the meal is the true destination and the real reason behind their weekend excursion. They don't mess around. I love it.
Regarding food, Alvin and I cooked up some delicious bulgogi and dak-galbi, accompanied by kimchi, rice and pasta dishes, and ever-popular Cass beer. I purchased a small propane powered grill (only 20,000 Won on sale) to assist with the cooking, and it was one of the best purchases I have made. On the negative side of the weekend, one of my two tent poles snapped, and I sliced my finger while attempting to correct this issue. A minor setback, but easily fixed. The other negative part of the weekend were the mass swarms of mosquitos that descended upon the coast this weekend. Writing this post now, I still have bumps up and down my legs and covering my feet. They were relentless.
Finally, this leaves me with the Sunday bus ride home. It seems KoBus sold more bus tickets than available seats, so we were forced to stand the entire three hour ride to Anyang Station. Seriously. It was a terrible experience and I wish I were joking about this. Every time the bus stopped at one of the four or five scheduled stops, maybe two people would exit and another five or six would come aboard. The bus driver tried to tell the oncoming passengers there were no seats available but they kept on coming. We were literally packed like sardines and left standing in the aisle of the bus. At one point I counted the number of passengers standing in the aisle. 32. The experience was entirely bullshit if you ask me, and it has left Alvin and I preliminarily discussing the purchase of a cheap automobile for future travels.
South Korean news this week:
Monday - 37-year-old South Korean golfer Yong-Eun Yang wins the 91st PGA Championship. An incredible golf match and an equally incredible day for South Korea athletics. Golf is popular with the wealthy and many businessmen in Korea, but some have suggested it's popularity will increase rapidly amongst young players, similar to Tiger Woods' effect some twelve years ago in the U.S., following this triumphant victory.
Tuesday - Ex-President Kim De Jung dies from pneumonia at age 85. This is the second former President to die within my short four months in Korea, and another tragic loss for the country. The country is, once again, in mourning, though this time is not as shocking as the last. I will admit I did not know much about President Kim prior to his death, but I have since learned a great deal about this distinguished leader and his remarkable political career. Some interesting facts:
The 15th-Term President of Korea (1997-2003); served in Korean politics for over 45 years, he is the only Korean to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, he survived at least one assassination attempt leaving him with a permanent limp, he was kidnapped by the South Korean military in 1973 and taken to sea where he was to be executed but was instead saved by a covert operation involving the American CIA, he was placed under house arrest for almost seven years, he was imprisoned for over two years as a political prisoner in South Korea, he was once charged with sedition and sentenced to death, he lived in exile for two years in the United States, he was re-arrested immediately after his return from exile in the U.S. and once again placed under house arrest, and he successfully founded several political parties, including; the Party for Peace and Democracy as well as the National Congress for New Politics. In addition to these many achievements, he is accredited with being the first truly democratic president in South Korean history, the first South Korean President to engage in peace talks with North Korea (2000), and he is responsible for leading South Korea through it's turbulent financial crises and I.M.F. bailout during the late 1990's.
Wednesday - South Korea delays it's 502 billion Won ($402 million U.S.D.) rocket launch for the seventh time since 2002. What was supposed to be an inaugural day for South Korean aerospace suffers yet another setback in it's troubled, non-existent space history.
Other happenings this past week: I continue to cook in my apartment, especially since I have recently discovered all meats on sale at E-Mart after 1030pm. This past week, I prepared grilled steaks on more than one occasion, and despite what my good friend Dan from Chicago may say, it can be a Korean influenced meal if you add red pepper flakes and grilled kimchi to it. And the beef quality is not half bad. It actually makes for a delicious meal, especially when you serve it over a bed of white rice with a side of grilled garlic cloves. Yum!
Unfortunately, it was while eating one of these garlic cloves on Tuesday that I nearly passed out and died on the floor of my apartment. The garlic, apparently, was not fully cooked and was so potent there was an intense pain in my chest, my throat swelled shut leaving me gasping for air, and this grown man was reduced to tears. I literally crawled to the refrigerator where I drank milk from the jug to help cure my ailment. Why milk, I'm not sure, but it was the first thing I saw during this panic attack. Seriously. I love garlic and normally cannot get enough of it, but this was some type of magic garlic clove and it hurt me bad. Later that night, I experienced some of the wildest dreams ever and crazy ridiculous night sweats.
This Saturday, I will travel to Busan for the first time. A fellow Toledoan named Greg is hosting a party at his apartment Saturday night and has graciously invited me to come down and stay the weekend. I am very excited about this trip, as Busan was my first choice when selecting cities to live in Korea. Busan is the second largest city in South Korea; they call it "Seoul in the South", and it's located directly on the ocean at the Southeastern tip of the peninsula. Greg, who has lived in Korea for many years, was also very instrumental in helping me prepare for my experience; answering my many questions and providing tons of useful information. His advice was, in fact, priceless, and I look forward to partying with him Saturday.
More updates next week. Have a great weekend.
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