Sea Level on Dokjeokdo

So I'm off the mountain (see previous post).  I wandered along a road until I came to a beach.  I found a dseerted dock with a bunch of beached fishing boats and sat down to read my book.  My guidebook said that this is a popular recreation island for Seoul-ites, but so far I've barely seen a soul, and none of them have been tourists.

 

This is a great spot, though, and I'm expecting that I'll be staying here for the rest of the day.  Just me and my book.  Then I hear some yelling from a house a little ways down the beach.  I turn to see a man waving.  He must be waving at me because I am definitely the only other person within about a 1/2 mile radius.  The man ran up to me and in halted English asked me what I was doing.  I did not need a translation to understand his surprise that I was there.  His name was Sok, and he invited me to lunch. 

 

Sok

 

He ushered me to his house, went inside for something and came out with another man who appeared to have some sort of developmental disability.  I'm pretty sure the man was a little scared of me.  We climbed into Sok's small pickup truck, and he drove us to the only restaurant that I saw on that side of the island.  Once inside, we met up with another man, and they ordered several dishes to share, including a seafood soup that was outstanding.  While this island may have a lot of Korean tourists later in the summer, it was pretty obvious that they don't get a lot of foreign tourists.  While we were there, I noticed several middle-school aged children peek into the restaurant, stare at me, and then giggle and run out.  Every time they came back they had more kids with them.  Even a few adults came in just to get a glimpse of me.  Sok explained that it was very unusual for the islanders to see anyone who wasn't Korean.

 

After lunch, Sok offered to take me on a tour of the island.  I accepted.  (I'm sure this was against several regulations for US service members overseas.)  I was so glad I did.  We spent hours travelling around the island, exploring places I would never have seen without a vehicle and a tourguide.  We stopped at beaches and points of interest along the way.  I felt a little bad taking up Sok's entire day, but he never acted like he had anything else he preferred to be doing.  It was a beautiful island, and after about 6 weeks in Seoul, I needed a peaceful weekend.

 

According to Sok, this beach is packed in late July and August, but it sure is peaceful on July 4!

 

 Another beach I would not have found without Sok's kind help.

 

 We took a short hike to get to this beach on the other side of the island.  Not too far away, we met an older couple who were gathering sealife on the beach.  They had buckets of small shellfish (looked like tiny limpits) and octupi.  Sok talked them into letting me help gather the small octupi.  If I understood correctly (they spoke no English), they used some for themselves and sold some at a fish market.  It was really neat for this island-girl who is pretty comfortable pulling crab and clamming to have that kind of cultural experience.

 

Toward the end of the afternoon, Sok and I passed this house and stopped because it is unusual to see such a traditional Korean home being built.

We visited with the two women who were building the house.  The woman kneeling must have been in her late 70s and only had one eye!

 

It was a lovely day made possible by the kindness of a stranger and a little bravado on my part.  (Didn't seem so extraordinary at the time, but looking back, I see why my parents were always anxious to know I had gotten home safely at the end of every weekend.)

Weekend Getaway

It's July, so I bravely planned an island adventure.  There is an island called Deokjeokdo that is off the coast of Incheon.  It is a popular getaway for people living in the northwest.  My guidebook mentioned that there were great views from Pijopong Mountain.  So my plan was to spend a little time on the beach and hike to the highest point on the island.  How hard could that be?

 

I started off by making my way to Incheon Harbor, which was the site of MacArthur's Landing.  This is the veiw from Chayu "Freedom" Park.

 

From the harbor, I boarded a small passenger ferry to Dokjeokdo.  I was the only non-Korean on the boat.  When I got off, it appeared that maybe this would be harder than I thought. 

 

This is the first site that greeted me on the boat ramp after getting off the ferry on Deokjeokdo--live chickens in a cardboard box!  About 12 of these boxes were loaded from the boat onto a pickup truck.

 

It was not the touristy signs-everywhere-visitor-booth-when-you-arrive type of place that I expected. This was a quiet island without a resort or tourist trap in sight. Exactly what I preferred, but I had no idea how I would find the trail to Pijopong Mountain or even a different beach. It appeared that I might be wandering rural roads in search of a trailhead, which is exactly what I set out to do. About 30 meters down the road, a young woman and her husband caught up to me. I had talked to her a little on the ferry. She had recently returned to Korea after living in Japan for a few years, and was visiting the island for the first time in several years. She asked where I was going, and I told her I was in search of a trailhead. She said I'd never find it on my own, and she convinced her husband that they should help me find it. So off we went. She was right - I would have never found it on my own. We wound down unmarked roads, walked up grassy pathways, and eventually walked between two houses (I was nervous about trespassing) and through a vegetable garden to a trail.

And thus started an adventure that has now forever become family lore. There was a very old woman working in the garden. My new friend explained what we were doing, and more specifically, where I was going. The old woman began waving her hands wildly and saying very animated words that I could not understand. Mind you, she's still kneeling in her garden. I must have looked bewildered because she then started pinching my legs and saying, "Snack, snack!" Oh, of course, she must have thought I was not prepared for the hike. (I remember this feeling from living in Mexico. The realization that someone thinks you are not that smart because you can't speak the language fluently.) So I opened my backpack and showed her my lunch, my snacks, my warmer clothes, my water. See? I am very prepared, I guestured. She again pinched me over and over while saying, "Snack!" "I have a snack," I said. "No," my younger friend explained, "She means 'snake'." Oh, snake! Well, I don't even need to be prepared for that. My guidebook said that there are no poisonous snakes, or any other dangerous animals for that matter, in Korea. And I'm not afraid of a little garden snake. I thanked the lady, who of course did not understand a word I said, and then thanked my friend and her husband for showing me the way to the trailhead, assuring her I would be able to navigate my way back to the ferry. And away I went!

 

Trail signs on the way to Pijopong Mountain.  It's a wonder I find my way anywhere!

 

After a good hike (note the sweat), I made it to a viewpoint.  And it was a beautiful view.  But of course I like to get to the highest spot I can find, so I opted to scramble on the rocks (similar to the one next to me in the picture).  I finally made it to the highest spot I could reach.  I climbed up on hands and knees... and came face to face with the largest snake that I have ever seen in the wild!  My scream may have frightened the snake away from his sunning spot, but I did not stick around to find out.  I hurried off the rock and ran at least a half mile back down the trail.  So now, when something is tough or when we think we might actually see a snake, my family pinch each other and say, "Snack!  Snack!"

A Little Less Lost

I started using a map printed in English and made it to a real palace--Unhyeongung.  It was small and peaceful.  I was the only one there!  Although the architecture is vastly different than what I usually think of when I think "palace", there are many similarities between these palaces and European palaces.  There is a separation of male and female living quarters, quarters for the help, rooms where the work of governing took place, and large halls for hosting big events.  There were also elaborate grounds, though of course some of which have long since been crowded by the city.

 

 The same day, I went to Changdeokgung Palace, built in 1405.  I love the ornate wood work of the palace gate.

This is Huwon (the Secret Garden).  The building is the palace library.  It sits beside beautiful gardens and a pond.  What a perfect combination!



Dinner Out

I was invited to have a traditional Korean dinner with COL Kim and his wife (they are Korean) and a few other people. What a fantastic experience! I can't believe I didn't bring my camera! We went to a restaurant where we sat in our own room, on the floor of course. The waitresses brought out all kinds of traditional dishes, just like the pictures you see with tables full of the dishes. Most of it was really good! There were dishes of tofu with chili sauce, mushrooms, cucumbers, two kinds of kimchi, noodles, seafood soup, little dried fish, fried fish, spinach, and a lot of other things--probably 25 different dishes in all. You use your chopsticks to take a few bites of each thing and usually have one or two things on your plate at a time (small plates). It's a fun way to eat. I'm not a fan of kimchi, the taste isn't horrible, but usually the smell makes me gag, but this place I didn't even smell it. One night it came with something that I got to go, and I had to take it to a garbage outside my hotel room because I couldn't stand the smell. One thing I really like about Korean cooking is that they don't fry their tofu! (But they do fry a lot of other things!) Anyway, it was a real treat to do this! Mrs. Kim is a professional singer and sings at one of a Korean culture center here that is in my guidebooks! I'd like to see her perform some time.

From L to R: CPL Ban, MAJ Baxter, COL Kim, me.  This was in 2003.  I have a current patient who just got here from Korea (2011), and COL Kim was his physiatrist, so he's still holding down the fort there.

Out and About in Seoul

I've had several chances to get out and explore Seoul. The subway system is extensive, so it is easy to walk downstairs to "my" station (Ichon) and get virtually anywhere I want in the city and beyond.  I love seeing the old gates and palaces.  I took this picture to illustrate the dichotomy (and beauty) of the new and old, which are often found side-by-side.

This is the Royal Guard Changing Ceremony at the Deoksungung Palace.

Traditional drum.

So this is pretty funny.  I used a guidebook for my first venture or two of exploration.  While I was out, I visited a tourist bureau and picked up several maps.  I think this was actually my first trip that I planned from the maps.  I was so excited to spend a Saturday at a major palace that I found on my map.  I plotted my route, got on the subway, and confidently followed the map from the exit station to the... prison.  That's right.  This is the entrance to the "palace" that turned out to be a prison where the Japanese tortured and killed Korean disenters.

So I went hiking on the small mountain behind the prison.  I saw this...

... and this!  An outdoor gym that is fairly typical.  You have to hike a long ways to get to them.

These men are all playing Changgi.  It is a 2-man game like chess, but often bystanders get involved.

All-in-all it turned out to be a good day, but I still think that next time I'll use a map that's printed in English!

My First Major Adventure

My first weekend in country, and I am ready to roll!  I took my first outing outside of Seoul, a visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).  It was a sobering day, but I thought it was very important that this be one of the first places I visited.  I wanted to see first-hand why I was here.  Although it is outside the city, the DMZ is alarmingly close to the city center.  After a short (30 minutes or so) bus ride along the Han River, complete with barbed wire along the entire river's edge, we arrived at the Joint Security Area.  This is the most heavily fortified border in the world, and like I said, it is only a few kilometers outside of Seoul.

The North Korean administrative headquarters in grey, and South Korean buildings in blue.  Look closely to see the North Korean guard at the top of the steps and the South Korean soldier posted in a martial arts position half way behind the blue building.  They face off 24 hours a day.  It is quite tense.

In this picture I am standing in North and South Korea at the same time!

ROK soldier posted in ready-position.

Republic of Korea in the foreground (trees); North Korea in the background (no trees).  Aside from the deforested side, it is really amazing how pristine the DMZ is.  The absence of people has allowed the flora and fauna to flourish, and is incredibly lush and, ironically, peaceful.

No women are stationed at the Joint Security Area.

The world's most dangerous gold course.  The rough is a live mine field.  Good incentive to improve your handicap!

Getting Settled

I finally get to move into my apartment tomorrow.  I found a place on the 18th floor of a highrise.  It's newly remodeled and has two bedrooms, hardwood floors, a nice kitchen, and a partial view of the river and of Namsan Park.  It's right across the street from the gate that is closest to the hospital where I will be working, and if I jumped out my window I'd land on the metro station.  It was by far the nicest place I looked at on that side of the post.  I saw some really snazzy apartments in Itaewon, but it would be a much longer walk to work, and they weren't anywhere near where I would run.  There is a running path along the Han River that should only be about 5 minutes from my place.  I'm looking forward to finally getting settled.  So far I think it is a good thing that I didn't bring my roadbike.  I think it would only get dusty.  I think I will have the opportunity to do some hiking, though.  The metro goes all the way to a big national park.

It will be a change to live off-post.  Right now I am surrounded by American thiings and English speakers.  I have to seek out unusual experiences.  I've wandered around Itaewon a little, which is not my type of place--lots of shopping and clubs--but it's within walking distance.  Today after church I planned to go to a changing of the palace guard ceremony at a palace by the city hall, but it rained really hard.  I decided to go another day when the weather is nicer.  That's the nice thing about knowing I will be here for a year.  It would have been my first attempt at the metro system.  Next week I am on a waiting list for a tour of the demilitarized zone.  I signed up for the tour on the 28th in case I don't get to go on Saturday.  That should be very interesting, and a good reminder of why I am here.  Yesterday I went to the Korea War Memorial, which is a huge museum about the size of one of the Smithsonians.  Lots of money was put into it.  I like going to museums that are in a language I don't understand because I don't feel like I have to read everything.  Most of the signs were translated in English, but not all of the tactical maps and chronological histories.  So I know we started with the Japanese Invasion in 1592 and ended with current UN conflicts, and I made up some of what was in between! :)

I oriented a little at work on Friday.  I will be travelling to Camp Humphries twice a month to treat the 5000 soldiers stationed there.  The chief of the clinic has also been going to Camp Walker, but I am going to let the new cheif know that I am really interested in doing that, too, if he'd like me to.  I want to get out with the troops more and start doing more at the unit levels.

View of the 121st General Hospital, Seoul Tower, and distant mountains from my apartment.  The mountains and tower actually appear much further away in this picture than they actually were.