Tuesday was a great day; sunny and 80+ degrees. I slept until 11am, had breakfast (leftover doughnut from Anyang trip, cereal, green tea), visited the PC Bang, and went to the gym. After the gym, I purchased some tteokbokki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tteokbokki) and returned to the apartment. Mid-afternoon, I decided to leave the children of Sanbon behind and venture to SuriSan Mountain for some hiking. Because of Children's Day (Korean holiday), there were mad kids everywhere in Sanbon. Seriously, it was nuts.
Now I should preface this story by adding that previously, I was told the #2 and #3 buses service SuriSan. This being said, I left my apartment with my backpack and headed toward the nearest bus stop, located across from E-Mart. After only ten minutes, the #3 bus arrived and I hopped aboard. The driver seemed friendly, smiling and not at all phased by my awkwardness with the unfamiliar bus procedures. Moments later my bus card/subway pass cleared, deducting 700 Won from my CityPass account, and I took an open seat near the driver. Now it's important to note that, at this point, I was all smiles as I prepared to leave Sanbon for my day on the mountain. Or so I thought..
Unfortunately, my smile quickly disappeared and was replaced with fear, followed by panic and a mixture of other emotions. This all started when the driver began racing through the busy streets of Sanbon, shifting gears (manual transmission), swerving in and out of traffic, bouncing over speed bumps, accelerating through red lights, and narrowly missing multiple pedestrians. I only wish I were exaggerating to make the story more enjoyable, but there is no need. Everything happened as it is told; word for word, event for event. At one point, I am almost certain he clipped the side mirror of a parked car, and knocked over a scooter, also parked on the side of the road. The best part, however, began shortly after the ride commenced, just as things started to get hairy, when "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas began playing on the bus radio. I swear, I am not making this up.
So, the panic set in soon after the song was finished and I realized after a couple turns, that we were no longer headed toward SuriSan Mountain. Yes, after only ten days in Korea, I know enough to recognize when we are headed the opposite direction from the mountain. Instead, we were now headed back toward, and soon past, E-Mart and on to the next town. Realizing there was not much I could do about the situation, I decided to sit back and enjoy the ride, as best I could given the craziness of the driving. Figuring we would eventually return to Sanbon, we drove to Busan City, made a few stops, narrowly missed hitting more pedestrians, and returned to the E-Mart only 30 minutes after the journey began. The driver seemed only slightly puzzled when I did not exit the bus and instead got off at the very same stop I entered. Because I felt satisfied with my bus experience for the day, I walked to SuriSan, which is perhaps only 1 mile or a twenty minute walk from the bus stop.
SuriSan was fantastic. It was a challenging hike, exactly what I was hoping for, and I probably did 5-6 miles, through some very steep and rocky terrain. I located a trail map online, but it's in Korean, and there is a description of the trails with some pictures. (http://www.austinbike.com/mtb/surisan/index.asp#_self)
I encountered some mountain bikers, in addition to several hikers, and a some families who, no doubt, dragged their young to the mountain for some forced exercise. No wildlife, other than the two old Korean men (age 80 years?) who took my photo at the summit, and forced me to chug a glass of fermented rice wine (makgeolli) with them. Again, no joke. Some great photos were taken at the top, and are posted. The descent was only slightly difficult, following the makgeolli, and the steepness of the hill. Half-way to the bottom, and in the middle of no where, there was a playground with free weights and outdoor aerobic equipment. Most bizarre, but there were several Korean men working out in the middle of the forest. At the bottom of the mountain, I caught the #2 bus for downtown Sanbon, and without incident, returned home around 8pm.
Wednesday, I taught two morning classes, both Free Talk English, and had a delightful lunch with Jinny (see KOREA Day 5). Went to the gym afterwards and ran four miles before class this evening, so I feel good and am ready to soon retire into a reclined position in my hospitable bed. I have finally overcome my fears and plugged the laptop in, so I am writing this from my apartment listening to music.
Life is good..
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment