I misread the train map. I thought I would need to change trains at Daajeon to get to Osong to go down the west coast. There was no need to transfer. Instead of making a train to Mokpo at 11:40 which was ten minutes after my train arrived got to Osong. So I got to stay in the Osong station on the outskirts of Cheongju. The station reminded me a lot of the Thunder Bay Airport. Lots of glass, lustrous grey beams and built in the middle of nowhere. The station wasn't like most stations; there wasn't a subway line or bus terminal nearby, just a line of four taxis at the main entrance.
I stayed inside had some mediocre Korean food from the only restaurant in the station. When I wasn't eating I was reading GoT and have started pondering how applying a war-lens will affect the work. This could be an essay worth, dare I say, drafting. I spent the 3 hours reading in the empty solarium until I realized I'd be on the train for dinner. So I went back up to the restaurant and bought a some kimchi "stew." On the way to Mokpo I saw giant insects made of hay in the middle of a dirt farm.
I made it to Mokpo without a hitch and took a taxi to the bus station where I simply hopped on a bus to Haenam. In the black of night I couldn't see anything super amazing like giant bugs but there was a light over head so I just kept reading and double checking I hadn't lost any pertinent forms for my guarantor. I made it to the bus station where I met my buddy. We went to eat with some of the other foreigners in this small town. I must say, it was some of the best barbecue I've ever had! The meat was great and on the outside of the grill were little canals filled with melted cheese and scrambled egg. This has flipped K-BBQ on its head for me. Thanks Haenam's BBQ place! I don't know what it's called but I know how to find it; the town is pint-sized.
After dinner my buddy signed the forms and the back of the my photos, then turned on some great episodes of The Trailer Park Boys and we chilled out til the late hours of the night drinking soju and OJ.
01/24/2014
I left Haenam with everything I needed and got to the bus terminal several minutes after the Mokpo bus had left. I needed to hang around for another hour. This scared the shit out of me. Doing the math I would have an hour and fifteen minutes to get from the Haenam station to the Mokpo Train station in order to get my train. The bus driver drove like Schumacher of the early 2000's and the cab driver drove like a cab driver. When I was in the cab looking for the nooks and crannies in the morning traffic and eyeing the clock sweat was just pouring down my forehead. The road around the station was gridlocked. I hopped out of the cab and walked to the nearest set of lights. Standing there for thirty second felt like thirty minutes, looking at my watch every second didn't help the feeling. I had less than ten minutes before the train was off. I
"One to Yongsan Station"
"Yongsan Seoul?"
"Nae"
"Pirstuh class"
"Whatever, bali juseyo [hurry please]"
She inserts the happy pass into the standard machine just like every other transaction on this trip. The ticket prints off. She looks at it and puts it under the table. The attendant starts typing again. What?? 3 minutes.Another ticket prints off she hands it to me I grab it before she has time to circle the time, location, and car number. I bolt up the stairs to the platform and hop into the first car I see and walk all the way to my seat as the train begins to roll.
I found my seat and contemplated for the longest time about getting a beer. I ended up not getting one and just closed my eyes smiling. Something I thought would be impossible less than 48 hours ago has been completed. The train ride went off without a hitch yet again and then I took the subway 4 stops up to city hall and walked into the embassy.
"Hi, I'd like to submit my passport application."
"Do you have an appointment?"
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!???? I'VE BEEN HERE 2 OF THE PAST 4 DAYS INQUIRING ABOUT A PASSPORT RENEWAL AND YOU NEVER THOUGHT TO ASK ME WHY I HAVEN'T BOOKED AN APPOINTMENT ESPECIALLY SINCE I'M TRAVELING OUT OF THE COUNTRY IN 4 WEEKS.
I guess a majority of things are impossible when you have service from some sort of slow-witted turd of a "concierge." I asked if I could book one today. Nope. What about Monday? Nope. Tuesday? I'll try. It managed to work out. Still I was incredibly upset. I was so angry I thought I was going to have an aneurysm, or jump through the glass and go Richard Harrow on everybody, but then I'd have to do even more paperwork -- and jail time. But I took the high road, I politely asked for a customer satisfaction form to illustrate the lack of service I had received and wiping all the nice things they did under the rug. Urge to kill fading, fading, gone. Still stewing in my own juices of rage I walked to the train home not looking forward to commuting 8 hours Tuesday for something that could have been entirely avoided if that imbecile could put two and two together. I still don't feel better. Now, after my appointment, I'm nervously waiting for news to be delivered that my passport is on the way. I've called several times. Once the turd, mentioned above, disconnected my call, the next day I left a message sparking a painful game of phone-tag and because I don't have voice mail, it's super annoying.
Hopefully all works out. I want to see some beautiful isles, animals, and genuine people that aren't affiliated with any government body. Please cosmos let me have this. I've been a bucket of nerves these past three weeks, I could use a plane ride outta here.
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