briefly back, baby!

Click to Embiggen.

I'm working again at Minjok's leadership camp.  It's Christmas day and I'm a little lonely, but I celebrated Christmas (Kitzmas) with my family on the 20th.

Yesterday, I had a short but great hike at Hwa-am Sa.  I did this hike a few years ago with a Sokcho friend and the wind was so strong my glasses were ripped from my face.  This year, I held on to my glasses (and kept a spare pair in the car just in case).  It was every bit as cold and windy as last time.  In fact it was so windy that I couldn't see precisely where I was shooting - hence the gap in my stitched photo above.

Eat in Sokcho and free Malaysia

I don't exactly plan to give up on this blog but it is easy to be distracted away - what with living hundreds of kilometres outside of Gangwondo now.

I still have 'Gangwon' as one of my Google reader alerts and occasionally I see an article that interests me - most of the articles are about soccer, which is a fun sport but I prefer to play than to watch or read about.  Anyway, I don't know why this one caught my attention; probably it was the international feel of reading about a Star Trek fan describe Sokcho for Free Malaysia Today.

In any case, Tiberius Kerk (Star Trek's captain was James Tiberius kirk) visited Sokcho and enjoyed Squid Sundae, although he was disappointed at first that it wasn't ice cream.
A few things bothered me about the article:

For a city filled with about 84,000 people, it was not surprising that the streets were not crawling with pedestrians. Sedate is the appropriate word for this city.

We were told that the Sea of Japan was nearby but we couldn’t identify it. The sun was bright and the sky was very clear when we arrived at the fish market.

The first sentence with 'filled', 'not' and 'not'.  My own writing is filled with phrases that do not make sense and so are not easy to read.  Dang, I can't imitate that writing- well, not deliberately.

I am not a VANKer so I don't mind the 'Sea of Japan' remark, but it is hard to travel anywhere without seeing the sea, not matter which name you use.

Clearly Mr kerk had fun in Sokcho and made me miss it a little.

Walkway washed out at Sokcho Beach

The Joongang provided this picture from Sokcho Beach:



A billow destroyed a 20-meter-long (66-foot-long) esplanade in Sokcho Beach, Gangwon, on Saturday. The 80-meter-long stretch of the same esplanade collapsed due to billows on Nov. 16. [YONHAP]
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Dictionary.com tells me that 'billow' is the right word: it means a great wave.  Still, I think someone at Yonhap or Joongang is depending too much on dictionaries.

Anyway, while I do expect that the proximate cause was a billow, the ultimate cause was smaller waves slowly eroding the beach over several months so that one wave could later complete the job.

Nov 14 Club Ride

I don't know why but I have always found Ulsan Bowi beautiful.  Five years of seeing it almost daily has not changed that.  This pic was taken at Sokcho Expo park before the start of the ride.

Here are two 'Beware of Mountain Fire' signs.  There were perhaps five more in the area.

This is why:

As I mentioned earlier, reservoirs are dry.  There is little water to be found, although I have seen no warnings in downtown Sokcho.

The ride last week was short and the only challenge was a one kilometre section that was dirt road.  This ride was nearly fifty kilometres and involved quite a climb.  There was a hill of 7% and another of 9%.  I don't really know what that means, but it can't be good when they go out of their way to measure and label it  Anyway, we stopped here for a few minutes at Dowon 'Resort'.  Above is Dowon Lake but I am not sure what or where the 'resort' is.  Still, it was goshdarned beautiful - at least when the 'lake' was out of sight.

Here are two club members returning down the hill.  I am the only rider with a road bike, which gives me a slight advantage on level ground, but a great advantage on the downslopes.  Still, the others were plenty fast enough and I was feeling a little grim by the end of the trip.

We ate lunch at a Chu-a-tang restaurant.  If you don't know what Chu-a-tang is, imagine a handful of cute little eels, and put them in a blender.  At the restaurant, a little girl was playing with a batch of fresh Dwenjang and even eating a little.

I don't know if I want to join the club.  On the one hand, I could have ridden as far or farther on my own in less time - chiefly because it took a while for club members to arrive at Expo Park and my bike and riding style are different from that of the club's riders.  On the other hand, I have not ridden since early October, except for club rides.  This ride was the longest or second longest of the year for me.  In addition, I was shown places I had not seen before.

What I need to do is do more riding on my own - or really, any form of exercise - in addition for the club rides.

Another boat comes south

One Free Korea links to a Korean article about eleven defectors who escaped North Korea by boat recently. Click on my link and look at that boat and imagine how far they had to travel and how bad it must be there to attempt it.

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Koreabeat has a post about another defector, a young girl whose mother didn't make it -I think she is alive but still in the North - and the family who adopted her.

[H]er birth mother was caught by Chinese police and deported to North Korea. Mother and daughter have had no contact at all since. Yeon-ah then made her way to Laos and Thailand, and from there to South Korea. There are currently 90 such North Korean orphans living in South Korea, with between one and nine more arriving every month. Few are adopted.

local festivals

BizarroBrian has a list of festivals that have been cancelled due to fears of the spread of swine flu by cowardly or intelligent organizers. You are welcome to pick which phrase does not apply to Gangwondo festival organizers as at least two festivals went on as scheduled.

In Yangyang, the Songi Mushroom Festival went on without problems, although antibacterial gel was offered.

The little guy was too small to roll the bowling ball but he could shuffle it down to the mushroom-shaped pins. I am not sure if he is now in all the papers and next year's promotional materials.
Here are some of the famous mushrooms. I like mushroom but cannot notice any special flavour in these, the most expensive ones to be found. This box is 550,000 won or around $500 US dollars.

ADDED LATER: As a commenter noticed, as the mushrooms ripen or become more valuable, they also become more phallic. Or maybe, as a dick, they are more highly valued in a society that really, really likes 'nighttime stamina' or phallic symbols.

On Sunday, we went to Sokcho's Expo Park where another festival took place. It had basically closed so KwandongAlex worked on his driving skills.
he drove well for the hour we rented the vehicle. However, on the way back to the rental office, he smashed me in the ankles.

We were both fascinated by this line of kites reaching to the clouds.

The Salmon festival seems to be a go and will be held on October 17, 18.

I like the look of this

I first noticed the Gyopo Wife mentioning a 'car-free day' in Seoul and now the Joongang Ilbo has photos. As it is currently so early in the morning, I think I am reading yesterday's news and today's on the same page: I can see the announcement and a photo (below) of the result next to each other.

The recent 'green party' in Sokcho also included a long section of street closed to automobiles but cars that did travel through town had to take a somewhat torturous detour. It may have been well-advertised but I didn't see much before the day itself.

Anyway, these events where people can walk on the road always seem so much fun. I don't know if it is the usually forbidden pleasure of dallying where once you had to scurry but I do know I like to walk up and down the middle of the street.

They are so much fun, in fact, and are intended to benefit the environment, so I don't know why they are not more frequent. Perhaps various cities should start 5-day markets, closing the street every fifth day, or make the event once a month. Its not like a joke -if once a year is good, many times a year should also be good.

I'm starting to get carried away - how about opening the roads to automobiles once every five days? This would be a good time for stores to be restocked and ready for the next four days without daytime deliveries.

street fest and mermaid play

Blogger is so exciting when it comes to organizing photos in a blog post. They seem to be loaded in the opposite order to what you select them. Decide to have six and the sixth one is at the beginning.

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The little one and I went to see a children's musical, The Mermaid Princess, today and found that the main street was closed to traffic for a clean air festival. I also found that, although mostly cheerful, the little guy was unwilling to smile in any photos.

Downtown Sokcho has these fountains on the sidewalk and they always turn off a few minutes after we get to them. Still, we enjoyed them while we could.

Here is my son with a mascot for something.
There are lots of new statues and this one is to the glory of fisher-people. Perhaps this is a good photo to precede mermaid photos.
Here is the cast. The octopus/woman was hot but I wasn't sure if the 'princess' was a guy or not.
We found a coffee shop that served fresh fruit juice and we stopped in as we were early for the play. The owner's husband is a wood carver.

Festivals Coming up: The Korea Festival next week at Expo Park. The ultramarathon, which I blogged about earlier, is called the Yangyang Song-i Ultramarathon so I think the Song-i mushroom festival is coming up soon. If you love mushrooms, come to the festival. If not, it's no big deal.

come to Sokcho - any way you want.

It looks like another airline is going to try flying to our (well, Yangyang's) airport. I wish them well, but give them only a month or so (Click to enlarge the photo).

Earlier, I had heard about hopes for a high-speed train to Sokcho, via Chuncheon. I thought it unlikely but it appears Chuncheon is getting a fast train. Maybe they will extend it here after all.

I am surprised though, at how many transportation links Chuncheon is getting - In July an expressway was officially opened running between Seoul and Chuncheon -it seems to me that it will take passengers away from any rail service and/or that the rail service will take cars from the toll road. From the article:

The toll is 5,900 won for passenger cars for the entire route. Residents in Chuncheon and nearby counties will receive a discount of 700 won.

"We planned to open the highway in August but advanced the opening by one month, for the convenience of vacationers to Chuncheon and other destinations in Gangwon. We hope the road will ease traffic congestion between the two regions on weekends," a ministry official said.

By 2014, the expressway will be extended to reach Yangyang on the eastern coast.

Finally, a new ferry service overseas has started for China, Russia and Japan.

This is the second major ferry traveling from Sokcho; the first links Sokcho and Baekdu Mountain in North Korea....

The ferry can accommodate 750 people and is able to carry 180 containers. Travel starts each week on Monday at noon, when it leaves for Japan, and runs until its return on Sunday. However, it is a longer journey than air travel, taking almost one day to get to Japan and an additional 22 hours to Russia.

Sokcho is excited about the latest opportunity which is expected to boost the local economy as it becomes the first port on the Korean east coast to grab two exclusive international ferry links.

Fishermen returned from N. Korea

I don't have any special insight to the story but it is my beat, so I should at least provide links and background.

About a month ago, a fishing boat with four crew from Sokcho crossed into North Korean waters. So far, I think no one is publicly saying why although suggestions of navigation equipment or engine failure have been common. I have not heard anyone mention espionage although it is probably in everyone's sub-conscious.

Last night, they came home. Well, they were returned to South Korean territory -with their boat. I suspect none of the crew have been home nor will be for a few days longer. They may have had some contact - closely monitored - with their family.

For my mother and other foreign visitors, I think the return of the fishermen is connected to the offers of family reunions for Chuseok (An important holiday coming soon); both are related to offering more of a carrot to South Korea. The previous government was very North-friendly but the current one is not (and I approve, for all that's worth). Threats and missile launches haven't brought significant offers of aid so North Korea is trying a friendlier tack.

Anyway, on to some links:

The Korea Times

The Marmot's Hole

ROK Drop

2009 Seorak triathlon

The Seoral International Triathlon (which doesn't actually take place in Seorak National Park) is scheduled for June 28.  The website is here.  The banner went up today but the deadline for entries was a week ago. 

I'll be away when it takes place so I don't feel,"dang!  I should have trained and entered it." the way I usually do.

Walk or run on Saturday

I registered for the walking festival this morning. The website was hard to follow so I went to a Tourist Information booth and the attendent there, after a few long phone calls, determined that foreigners don't need to pay the 5,000 won entry fee. To register, I gave the attendent my name and phone number - much better than the formal registration that asked for my home address, email, phone number, age, gender, and more.

KwandongAlex and I will do the five km route starting at 10AM on Saturday. It starts at Seorak Park Hotel, near the main Seorak office and more or less two km from the main entrance. I expect we will be joined by the Domestic Blisses.

This evening I found a poster at the apartment lobby for a series of 'marathons' in Gangwond0 (and possibly elsewhere - I didn't study the poster too closely). Sokcho's run, seven km around Youngnang Lake, is also scheduled for this Saturday, starting at 9:00 AM. The poster included a website, but it is just the general one for the Gangwon Ilbo* (the provincial newspaper) and not specifically for the run.

I notice that the run will be held on different days in different cities. Perhaps I can do a similar run next weekend.

I don't know if the Gangwon Ilbo is simply sponsoring a run for health and advertising purposes or if the events are for something else. Both the run and the walking festival carry "Pyeongchang Olympic bid 2018" promotions.

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*I am currently using the Windows side of my computer and google's Chrome browser. When I looked at Gangwon Ilbo's website in Chrome, a list buttons for regions appeared right in the middle of the page obscuring much of the text. In Explorer, it is comfortably on the right side.

Nude photo event at Sokcho Beach this weekend.

The Korea Nude Photography Association and the Kangwon Ilbo are offering some sort of nude photo session at Sokcho Beach this Sunday morning.  come to Sokcho for the walk on Saturday and get an eyeful before you go home the next day.

Wow, the two events were held on the same weekend last year.

parties in Sokcho

I'm an early-to-bed kind of guy and I have a son who is early-to-rise so parties aren't as thrilling for me as they used to be.

That might be why I hadn't hear about the June 6th Sokcho Beach Apocalypse party.  Apparently, it is being advertised on Facebook but I couldn't find it.  I will be in Donghae for a staff party so I'm going to miss the excitement here - I wonder if Kwandongwife, who will be on duty at the coast Guard office, will be called in to translate for the police.

updated

When: June 6, 2009 or 6/6/9
What: Beach Blanket Apocalypse (BYOBlankets and Beer)
Where: Sokcho Beach
Who: Every single sweetheart in South Korea and their cousins, brothers, and mothers 
Host: Ryan Scott and Toni Duckworth
NOTE: You may also bring your own tent and sleeping bags and set up during the day. But please NO GLASS.

Facebook link.

In July, is another beach party (From Facebook):

Host:	Wes Putman
Type:	Party - Night of Mayhem
Network:	Global

Start Time:	04 July 2009 at 12:00
End Time:	05 July 2009 at 05:00
Location:	Ganseong to Sokcho

Phone:	01058119312
Email:	wesputman@yahoo.com

Description

The day starts with a trip to Hwanjipo beach and spans the next 4 beaches south to Sokcho. Each beach will deserve a bottle of soju being shot off in its honor as we make our way down. Each little beach villiage has a bus stop, and the total cost to Sockho will be 3,000 won. Once we reach Sokcho beach it will be time to go all out and I hope you enjoy the night wherever it takes you!

I hope I am not breaking any Facebook rules pasting their material here.

at the busstop

I met my wife and son at a bus stop yesterday and while waiting for them, I found these two girls studying a ladybug.  I asked them their ages and the first girl held up one finger and said "Ney Sal" (four), while the other girl managed to hold up four fingers.

Sokcho City Tour

KwandongAlex was excited about riding a double-decker bus and I was excited about being a tourist in my own town again.  Here are our adventures.

First, the schedule, below, is already wrong.  In a larger sense, it was always wrong, as the bench was built in front of the information -wrong planning.  More practically, there are now two courses and two buses, rather than one covering the whole route.  The double decker covers points north and along the coast, while the single level bus -still very nice- goes inland and to Seoraksan.

Both leave Expo Park, near Expo Tower and the main entrance to the lake-side park.  I think both buses start at 9:00am, but we caught the second tour.  The inland bus departs at 10:22 and the double decker at 10:30.  The third tour starts at 12:50.
Here, we are on Sokcho Bridge, looking down at the human powered ferry.
The tour went through a fish market near the lighthouse and people could ask for a stop, but none did so we headed on to Cheung-kan-jeong, a pavilion north of Sokcho proper.

We spent twenty minutes there which was just enough to see the pavilion and jog (I'm not kidding) the riverside walkway and still have time for a bathroom break before climbing back aboard the bus.  Next stop, Youngnang Lake Resort.

I debated getting off the bus there and eating and looking around for the two and a half hours until the next bus would arrive.  There is plenty to do there but perhaps not 150 minutes worth.

The next stop was the inter-city bus terminal.  Soon thereafter, I saw a woman balancing what looked like wall paper on her head as she walked comfortably down the street.
Soon, we were back at Expo Park.

Although I have described it as a double decker bus, they cheat a little to make it so.  I am not that tall but couldn't straighten up on the first level, which was quite small.  The engine filled the back third or so of the first floor.  Youngman buses: German technology, Chinese prices.

We didn't ride the other bus as the route looked long for the little guy to just sit.  Also, the first bus had been comfortable and the driver skilled enough, but the roads were narrow and required a lot of swaying and sudden stops - not great for a youngster who gets car sick.

Oh, the fee for a day was 5,000 won.  We could have gotten off the bus and reboarded as often as we liked.  There were the two courses and the buses run five times a day.  Most of the passengers were women in their late fifties and older, although I don't know how well the tour has been advertised

Long waits at hospitals?

I have only received excellent care at Korean hospitals.  Typically, if I am sick and need to visit emerg, I wait less than twenty minutes.  Actually, I have never waited longer than 20 minutes here.

That conflicts with a Korea Herald report:

The time a patient spends in an emergency room could be as long as 14 hours in Busan. On the other hand, in North Gyeongsang Province, the average time spent in an emergency room was about two hours.

Indeed, the review found great regional disparities in the availability and quality of emergency care. Busan and Gwangju did not have any regional emergency medical center that met the legal requirements while all of the regional emergency medical centers in Gangwon and South Chungcheong provinces fulfilled the requirements.

I hae had friends, however, who have horror stories based on visits to doctors here.  One woman, asking about an injured ankle was told, "no solution, always disabled." - The problem has, indeed, been solved.

Another friend with leg problems is the El Camino Packer.  His own surfboard treacherously have him the Nancy Kerrigan treatment and now his knee is in bad shape.  I hope he recovers quickly.

Archeology on Chungdae Mountain

First, what I think is an immature magpie, the first I have ever seen.

As I climbed up Chungdae mountain, I saw some university-aged men heading down with farm tools in their hands.  I was surprised until I saw the taped off area at the peak.

At first, I thought they were digging to  pour concrete or something construction-related.
However, seeing brushes in their hands made me rethink things.

Finally, I saw these shells and realized they are unearthing Korean War vintage artifacts.

I wonder what else they will find and what made them decide to search there in the first place.  I guess Gangwon was one big battlefield so they could conceivably dig anywhere.

On the street

I have seen temporary bridges along every river from here south to the Yangyang border.  I predict a long, hit summer of construction work.  There seems to be a formatting problem -sorry if all this is underlined.
A local taeKwonDo school is upset about President Roh Mu-hyeon's death.

can you embiggen this photo?