Gimhae

I moved into my new aprtment, and started school. No classes yet, so I've only been spending a few hours a day there. Nothing too interesting this time around, but I think I'll be making a lot more trips this year. Being hemmed in by Seoul made travel a hassle. There are also a lot more mountains, temples, and other historic sites to see in the area.

The view from my apartment


I have been able to ride my bike a couple of times. There is a nice biking and walking path along the local stream. I rode part of it, and it appears to be a quick and easy escape out of town. The new subway line to Busan is also under construction.


Getting out of town and into the country side takes about 10 minutes. To the north and west it is hilly, with mountains all around. To the south are rice fields. Going east I ran into Busan traffic. So at least I have three good directions to bike this year, as opposed to the one I had in Incheon. Here is the view from the south, looking back into Gimhae.

Moving On

The cold winter winds keep me off my bike. So I haven't been out and about too much lately. I am also in the process of packing and getting ready for my move to my new job in Gimhae, which is in the south, close to Busan. The warmer weather and new sites should bring some posts in the near future.

Meanwhile, I have added some older pictures from Beijing and Mexico.

The Slooooow Boat to China

Day 1 - Leaving Korea
On to the boat, for what is supposed to be about a 15 hour journey to Qingdao, China. It's not much cheaper than flying, but I can take my bike on board for free. We head out of Incheon port, past the islands off the west coast of Korea, and begin cruising across the Yellow Sea. The seas are a little choppy, which seems to give most people on board a little bit of sea sickness. Nothing too major though. We head to bed, expecting a morning arrival in Qingdao.


Day 2- Waiting

The morning comes, and we soon see bits of land. We come into sight of Qingdao, and stop. And wait. Apparently, the winds are too high and we are not allowed to enter the harbor. We wait. And wait. There is no let up in the wind, so we're staying on the boat another night, just off the coast.




Day 3 - Waiting


The gathering flotilla of boats around us
New Year's Eve. The wind appears to be a little stronger than the day before. So of course, we must continue to wait. And wait. By early afternoon, when it becomes apparent that we will be staying another night, the GS25 convenience store on board sees a run on provisions. First to disappear is the kimchi, which every Korean must eat at every meal. Beer is disappearing fast as well. Ramyeon is moving at a brisk pace, but they keep resupplying it. The ham and cheese remain untouched, as does the peanut butter and jelly. The lack of bread may have something to do with it. At least it is the only thing preventing me from buying it. By this time, I've become acquainted with about every English speaking person on board. Another teacher from Korea who I actually knew before hand. A couple of American's who are teaching in Russia under the Fulbright program. One of whom did her BA dissertation on Uzbekistan. A couple of Polish women. A British guy and his Chinese girlfriend. A Japanese tour guide and a Malaysian woman who was leading an outing of her company's Korean customers. There were also a few Koreans who could speak a little English as well. So early in the evening, we sat down in one of the ship's lounges and began our New Year's Eve celebration. Even though most of the other passengers were from countries which celebrate the lunar New Year (aka Chinese New Year), by midnight, we had a pretty good crowd who had joined in.


Day 4 - Entering China

One of the hills of Qingdao
We finally get the word that we will be entering the harbor. So after almost 70 hours, we finally reach our destination. After more waiting in lines I finally step on Chinese soil. I loaded my bag onto my bike and headed for my hotel. I only had a general map of Qingdao, so it took me a while to find it. After checking in, I headed out to get some money. Several attempts to use my ATM card failed, and I finally gave in and tried my credit card. It worked. So now I just had to find something to do. So for a few hours, I walked around checking out a couple areas of the city. There was even a nice Chinese college student who spoke some English and helped me find an area I was looking for. I can't say that's ever happened in Korea. After several hours of walking around, I had finally had enough activity for the day and headed back to the hotel with some Tsingtao beer.


Day 5 - Leaving China

A cityscape of Qingdao
After one night in Qingdao, it was time to head back home. So I loaded the bike back up and started heading west towards the port. For several hours I rode around, often the wrong way down one-way streets, and checked out some of the sights along the coast. Overall, the city has a nice vibe to it. Less gawking than Korea. A nicer downtown. And a much better coast. Unfortunately, the pollution appears to be almost as bad as it is in Incheon.

Day 6 - Getting Home

The trip back was much more uneventful. The GS25 was still pretty empty. The dining room still didn't have very many food options - although they did manage to get some kimchi. There were a few people that I recognized from the trip over.

Korean News

The latest big news here.

From The Korea Times:

The police and military were continuing Friday a full-scale manhunt for a fugitive who attacked two marine sentries and fled with their weapons, but so far have only found his burnt-out sports utility vehicle.

At a meeting of top military commanders, Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo ordered them to step up efforts to catch the man in cooperation with the police. The authorities have strengthened guards at major government facilities and banks, with 1,800 troops searching for the suspect.

Police found the charred Korando SUV _ identified from reports by witnesses _ in a rice field in Hwaseong, southwest of Seoul, 105 kilometers away from the assault site and 10 kilometers away from highway exit.

At 5:30 p.m., Thursday, a man said to be in his 30s, ran his car into the marines _ Sgt. Lee Jae-hyeok and Pfc. Park Yeong-cheol, both 20 _ who were walking back to their base, outside a military checkpoint on Ganghwa Island, northwest of Seoul. Park was rendered unconscious while Lee was knocked down.

After driving back to the soldiers, the suspect got out of his car, pretending that it was just an accident. He then stabbed Lee with a knife several times, while Lee retaliated by hitting the man in the head with his K-2 rifle until he bled, according to Lee and witnesses.

That would be the same Ganghwa-do I visited a couple of months ago.

In less exciting news, the sledding hill at Incheon Grand Park is open for business.

Sorae Market: The Video

As fall entrenches itself here, I haven't been much in the mood to explore any new areas. I've been out several times on the bike, but the early sun sets, chilly winds, and a back tire that keeps wanting to go flat on me have kept me close to home. I made another trip down to Sorae last weekend and pulled out the video function on my camera. It definitely won't be the most exciting 9 minutes of your life, but I figured it would be a good glimpse at one of my favorite locales here in Korea.