John’s Diary – Part 3a Fun
Time to relax again. Feel free to leave a comment at http://gcasey.edublogs.org/2007/01/09/johns-diary/#comments
Johns Diary 14th Feb 07 
There were plenty of signs around Mokpo to remind me that today was Valentine’s Day. Although as we get further from Seoul (this is 343km south west) there is less English spoken and seen. TV channels still contain perhaps 8 in English as well as some 50 that are not.
Mokpo is on the coast and yesterday we had significant amounts of rain for the first time since arriving in Korea. Today it is finer, colder and windier – the last of these guarantees a truly frigid feeling. Mokpo is bigger than Geelong at around 250,000 people and houses as well as apartment blocks are plentiful.
On 12th we climbed the local summit, which only took about 30 min but it gave a great view – we had seen it beautifully illuminated the previous evening. There are, of course, local markets as well as the now very familiar Korean versions of western-styled shops and malls, which are very colourful, open until late every night and almost deserted in mid-winter. It is of note that, at this time of year, there is almost no greenery anywhere in Korea. Almost all plants are deciduous and the grass turns grey or brown. I assume that in summer etc things look different.
Our hotel which is called Baekje Tourist Hotel is inexpensive (Aus$40 per night) and the quality of the accommodation reflects this.
Certainly Gail will never die wondering about anything and has harassed every tourist information office about every conceivable issue. She has formed a strong relationship with one lady whom she has talked to at least 6 times in 3 days.
We learnt to use the bus system thanks to Gail’s discussions with “her” information lady and, at least as far as Mokpo is concerned, we feel quite expert in its use. For about AUS $1 you can get on any bus and travel for as long as you want around a very large and complicated loop. The cost is the same whether you travel one stop or 100. There are hundreds of these buses constantly in motion. You have to pay again for each bus you enter. No tickets, just cash as you get on. This gave us very inexpensive tourist sightseeing – also the buses are beautifully heated and comfortable and on a day like today it was a good place to hide away as well.
Western food is harder to come by here but we manage quite well with or without it. Californian red and white wines are about Aus$7 per bottle even in Mokpo but Australian wines are triple that cost.
The whole country seems to be gearing up for the Lunar new year holidays 18-20th Feb and shops sell lots of specialty “packages” including alcohols, shampoos, cosmetics and meats which will be given as gifts to family members. Beef is not common in Korea (lamb is almost non-existent) and the big supermarkets are selling special packs of beef with perhaps 4kg for up to Aus$260. The meat is not lean with strips of fat throughout most of it. It looks to my eye to only be fit for mincing. None of it is like filet steak and even the best cuts are thin and have been through the tenderiser.
We also went to a Natural History Museum where we saw lots of archaeological artefacts such as dinosaurs, animals, fish, birds, etc. Included in the price (Aus$4 each) was a visit to the local cultural centre. These buildings were almost brand new and almost deserted apart from the few employees and a visiting group of school students, who were more fascinated by us than anything on exhibit. We are getting used to this – the kids were all nice and, as elsewhere, they love to practice their rather sparse English skills on us.
We have been resting, back in Seoul for 5 nights. This part of Seoul (Yeongpyeong – south west of the river) doesn’t have the glitz and glam as elsewhere we have been – it is a little bit like more like western suburban Melbourne. There are lots of high rise apartment buildings and ours is just one of those.
Some of the streets are narrow, virtually without footpaths and yet are lined with numerous small restaurants and other shops. Gail had her hair cut in one of these and swears to return here each time she needs a hairdresser in Korea (because the hairdresser was good!). Car repair/servicing is prominent in this area. Although not flash it still feels safe and comfortable – one could settle here.
Our residential building is monstrous but our apartment is tiny although comfortable (it has basic cooking facilities – one stove top and a microwave) and is fully serviced every second day. Our residence is called the Oh-mok Gyo Co-Op Residence which is two small blocks from the local Korean style supermarket (which has everything that we generally want although it is small) and two small blocks from the subway and Gails hairdresser. Also it is a $3 taxi ride to the very large Home Plus shopping complex.
As an aside, I have found that I enjoy almost all Korean beers, not just Cass but also Hite and Prime and OB Blue as well as the Korean traditional drink of Soju which is very inexpensive compared to spirits. Soju mixes well with orange juice or coke and at a quarter the price of whisky etc it seems to be very good value.
I now have to go and get my washing from the co-op laundry. There is one on every floor – total price $2.50 to wash and dry. Accommodation each night costs about Aus$60 at the coop residence, in this the off-season.
A couple of days ago we found the Yeongdeungpo Market (not even noted in the Lonely Planet guide book which normally is terrific) almost by accident and we are not even sure we have really seen most of it. I bought a couple of shirts and underwear which I had been needing and were shocked to find Listerine, Bacardi, peanut butter and numerous other items that we had not seen since leaving Australia – and then we found all of the fresh food, a genuine peoples market about 100 times better and bigger than the Vic Market fresh food complex (although Gail wasn’t in the least impressed by the whole dog bodies for sale) but the overall experience was exceptional. We plan to come back here to do weekly shopping once we have a residence. If I am allowed to be a house husband I now know where to shop.
Last night, as a result of being at the market, we had a combination of Chicken, Pork, and fresh broccoli, onion, tomato, zucchini, capsicum, bean-shoots, carrot and potatoes (chips – freshly cooked/not frozen) not exactly a traditional Korean meal but something that reminded us of home.
To enable us to feel secure and continually in contact with each other as well as available for contact with potential employers we have purchased a mobile phone each, second-hand. It must be remembered that Korea and Japan have a mobile phone system different to the rest of the world. We only wanted simple phones but even somebody else’s cast-offs have many more functions that interest me. Overall it cost us Aus$100 but it means we have prepaid phones linked to the LG Telecom system and about 2 hours of call credit each. Off course we will not bring the phones home – they will not work in Australia!
Tomorrow, Gail is forcing me to leave my much loved, but small, apartment and we will be on yet another adventure.
