Travelling by Train and Bus

01/23/2014

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 didn't want to couldn't miss this train. I got into the station. four people in line: this is manageable. Once again seconds turn into minutes. I'm tapping my fought a mile a minute for every urge to yell and scream "Hurry up you waste of space." Surely enough I'm at the front of the line. I show her my happy pass.
"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.    

Down in Daegu + Review of Daegu Danim Backpackers

Down in Daegu

I went back down to Daegu after my stop at the embassy. Prior to this trip Daegu was just a run of the mill town with rain, DERP, and an adequate bar circuit. I planned on meeting someone later in the evening and had no idea how long it might last. My journal listed two hostels near the center of Daegu's subway system, Banwoldang. The first one I found was the Daegu Danim Backpackers. Since it was the middle of the week a wandering western boy was a sight for Suki and her co-workers' sore eyes. In the end I had a 6-person room all to myself.

The employees were really friendly and so were the other two guests in the other room. They invited me out for chicken spleen, a Daegu specialty, and I turned it down because of my other plans. But now I have a random trivia fact.

I had a nap and a shower before I went into the heart of the city to explore. First I went down into the maze-like underground mall above the subway system. The weirdest thing about this subway system was how there were over 20 exits but they'd be on the same side of the road just further down from the last one. I continued window shopping and wandered around the nearby department store. It wasn't as ritzy as the one in Gangnam but there were so many places to sit. I simply plopped down and continued my journey through Westeros while I waited for my fellow Canuck to get off of work.

Once I met up with her, we went to Dos Taco for dinner. It was good, but they wrap their tortilla around everything like its a bouquet. It was awkward to eat. We walked down to Thursday Party, I learned so things, walked her home, fell into a vortex leading to Awktropolis, then went back to DDB for a good night's sleep with a game plan for tomorrow.

Review: DDB 

I liked the open space and the general atmosphere of the place. It's off the main road but still really easy to find. If we only have 12 people going there for an Ultimate tourney I'd like to try and go there again. I can imagine the stairs might be a little difficult to climb after a few too many brewskis but the bed was better than the Kimchi Guesthouse. 

The staff was great and super helpful. They have a great stand of pamphlets for things in Daegu and Korea. One thing that looked really helpful is a book listing hostels in other major cities in Korea. Suki also gave me a number of a hostel in Gwangju that I never ended up using but she did have me set-up if I ever end up there. Suki and the other girl, whose name I didn't catch before she left to eat spleen, took really good care of the lounge area (much more Korean with floor pillows and low tables) and always seemed to be doing laundry. They made me welcome even when I strolled home at an unexpected hour. 

I don't think I have any complains apart from the water pressure in the shower but the water was still nice and hot. The bedding was crisp and clean too. I had a nice time there and the price was more than reasonable for the opportunity to shower, charge a phone, nap, have breakfast and midnight Singapore snacks.  

   

Homeward Bound... Early

01/21/2014

I have a confession.

Due to my negligence, indiscretions and impatience I have a damaged passport. This is as specific as I'll get: Shit just happens and it's not entirely my fault.

Anyways, I had read that there's a cool new E-Passport for us Canadians on the market that lasts ten years. This can potentially be the time clock for when I have to go back home and become an adult, because I'm not going through this ordeal ever again. I decided after visiting Sorae Village to stop off at the embassy which happened to be right by the Seoul Train Station. I walked up to the main desk and showed her my passport and asked if I needed a new one. Without batting an eye she said, "Yes" in that blunt as a shovel civil servant voice.

Now I need to fill out forms, find a fellow country (wo)men to be my guarantor and then return to Seoul ASAP. Thus, I'm going home on the first train to Busan and here I am.

This alters my route but the list of cities to visit remains the same (it didn't for long).

 Photos 01/22/2014

I went to E-Mart the night before to get my passport photos done. From the beginning I didn't feel I was doing the right thing. I got the right size at least and then I asked her to stamp the date and company info on the back. The photographer gave me those big popping eyes I had seen in Cafe O'Fete. Fuck. I rolled mine as she bee-lined it to the phone. Time to speak to the English Associate of E-Mart.

She was passable at best. My eyes got a serious workout. She didn't know what a stamp was either nor the action of stamping. WHAT WAS YOUR REWARD AS A STUDENT IN PUBLIC SCHOOL!!! Turns out there are no stamps for this kind of procedure. Wait, hold on, you're telling me the Wal-Mart of Korea doesn't have a certifiable passport photo process? The EA told me the photographer can just write the information down. Her writing took up the entire back of the photo. Why should I be surprised the nimrod told me to smile for my passport photo.

Once I returned to the embassy I presented the woman I talked to yesterday with the photos taken the night before. She took them to the backroom and claimed the photographer used an odd lighting making the photographs invalid. I hope people will happily accept straight-faced, wallet-size, autographed photos of your's truly for the next 10 birthdays/ Bar Mitzvahs on my calendar. Just kidding, I threw them out in a cyclone of rage. The woman behind the glass told me there was a studio across the road that'll know exactly what to do. They did, I walked out, but not before the man behind the lens gave me two of the sweetest tangerines I've ever eaten. The entire hour of good things made me feel so much better, I treated myself and bought A Clash of Kings to occupy myself on my way to Daegu for the night and the long road ahead to Haenam to my guarantor.  

Searching for Sorae Village

The guide book said to head straight out of exit 6 of the Express Bus Terminal Station. I walked straight out of the exit for ten minutes until I ran into this beautiful French paysage:

Walking back disappointed I saw a sign for Sorae Village. I needed to turn right out of the station. It was a sad "D'oh" kind of moment. As I was writing in Cafe O'Fete admiring some nice prints and drawings on their wall of art, I waited for my burnch: ordered at 10:22 was served at 10:40.

The coffee was bold and unfiltered. The salad dressing was Caesar mixed with balsamic and I didn't mind because I got my black olive fix. The Egg and Ham Sandwich wasn't held together very well spilling out with every bite. It was all very tasty but not worth $13. I stepped out of the cafe feeling satisfied and started to explore a little more.

At first glance it was clear the roads were narrower. Despite that the traffic was regulated unlike my school's area. I turned off the main road and started looking at the town houses. The area didn't feel very Korean, I don't know what France feels like so it could have been that, but I don't know. The homes where built with red brick up to and either three or four floors. The contours of most blocks were cement walls roughly seven feet high. I saw a couple French people along the other side of the main road or hand-talking with one hand and a phone in the other, but it was mostly Koreans in plain sight. I had this magical idea I'd meet a French baker with a quaint little shop in the middle of the place, then realized that the owner would sensibly hire Koreans to take Korean orders, I tried speaking French at Cafe O'Fete and the girl across the counter gawked at me with the biggest eyes I've seen on the peninsula. I tried at least and saw an area with a different vibe compared to the rest of my trip. 

There was a Paris Croissant which is a change from the usual Paris Baguette but then I saw the former in a train station later on my trip.  

An Evening in Gangnam

I walked out of the guesthouse at around quarter to six and found a beef soup place on route to the hub of everything in the area. The soup was scrumptious and for the first time I stated, "I have eaten well" in Korean after rehearsing several times before leaving my table.

I continued walking carefully over the snow and slush that was slowly turning into ice. I found the COEX center and walked in. There's a Kimchi Museum there but it was closed. Other than that it's just a huge conference center. Bust.

Spur of the moment I decided to cross over Bongeunsa. The temple area was completely deserted at night, all I could hear was the crunching of the snow under my feet. The experience was eerie but at the same time so beautiful with the snow. I plan on seeing more temples this way if the opportunity presents itself.

 

 

Next I hauled my snowy boots into the Hyundai Department Store for a browse. It was, to no surprise, exactly like every other department store in terms of layout. There were some differences; this store had GQ staples like Brooks Brothers, D&G, and Diesel as opposed to those bizarre Konglish ones at the one in Haeundae. Along with those name brands came the seven-digit price (sometimes eight) due to their universal appeal and quality patterns and design. Koreans are very fashionable and that comes as a blessing and a curse. Some Korean fashionistas are prone to embellish and add too much stuff to everything and pass it off as cool when really it an make you carsick. Example: shoes with leather cap and vamp with a Fair Isle patterned quarter? Bleeeeh.  

The department store was too expensive for my blood, thus, I didn't buy anything. I walked back a different way, map in hand, to see if I could see the Joseon Tombs. Once again closed since its 8:30 and very dark. The grounds did look very nice from the outside. I thought about checking it out the following day but I didn't want to pass up the idea of seeing old French people handle themselves in Korea.      

Review: The Kimchi Guesthouse in Gangnam

The entrance and building as a whole are really fancy-looking apart from the canvas hamper by the elevator. The lounge and eating area are modern with some metal patio tables thrown into the mix.

Sam was the only employee I saw during my stay that offered his services. He knew the area really well and speaks English with the best of them. He'll be the guy smiling when you walk in, he even takes you up to your room too.

I had no qualms with the size of my room, I found it cozy and the water in the shower heated up instantly. My mattress was lumpy and you could feel a couple of the springs. The desk area was fine. I had no idea how to work the cable box/ TV set, so I squashed the idea of falling asleep to late night Korean TV. Thanks to that though I've fallen back into my Wilbur Smith book.

In a pinch this was a really nice place and the breakfast was standard for a hostel. There were certain things I liked about it and other things I didn't. In the end, after a long day, a bed is a bed.

What you see walking in.

Open concept bathroom. Equipped with panda-themed TP holder.

View standing on the bed. 

How's the view out the window you ask? Like every view from a cheap hotel, motel, or loveshack in Korea it's 3 feet of space then cement.  

The Trek to the Kimchi Guesthouse

Let's start at the very Beginning

01/20/2014

I woke up at 7:30. I had a list of things to do before I high-tailed it to Seoul:
- Take out recycling/ garbage
- Do the dishes.
- Pay bills.
- Mend Winter coat.
- Pick up blister pads.
- Pack toiletries after using them
Nothing opened until 9 so I had a nice breakfast and ginger tea before I did the dishes. I brushed my teeth and packed it all into the side pocket of my gym bag. I put a pen in my pocket along with a small notebook because you never know when a good idea will strike. I dropped my recycling off and tossed my garbage bag into the dumpster. It rained the night before and I was banking I would see some snow in Seoul. I walked past my usual tailor who wasn't there, paid my bills at the bank and he still wasn't there when I circled back.  Thankfully there was one open a 5 minute walk away. I handed my coat off to a lovely lady, grabbed my blister pads for my new boots, picked up my coat and grabbed my gym bag at my apartment door. As my foot propped open the door I decided to go to the bathroom before I left. While taking my pants off I discovered a huge blue splotch on my leg. That's the first time a pen has ever exploded on me. I cleaned it up dismissing the hold-up as a random occurrence.

After a trip to Starbucks I picked my Happy Pass up at the ticket booth and grabbed the next train to Seoul. I caught up on some podcasts (Geeks and Beats and The Monday Morning Podcast - both great in their own way) and buried my nose in travel books, jotting down locations as I skimmed through while consulting my weathered map. Looking out the window, the lakes were starting to freeze over. In the end I decided I would be off to Gangnam a year and a half too late to do the dance. I found a guesthouse (see title) and plotted my route there, I perked up once I knew I had a place to stay. Coming in the sky was grey due to either the millions of cars or the clouds, it's tough to tell in a city pushing ten million. Sure enough, at the Grand Station in Seoul there were mounds of snow shoveled into neat little piles in the middle of the courtyard on route to the spiderweb subway system.

   
I got off at the wrong station. I was only off by one but I ducked into a cafe and mooched some Wi-Fi to figure out where I was going. By the time I got out the sky proved to be cloudy; it started to snow! Not these tiny little bits you would get in Busan but those big clunky flakes. They clung to my coat and didn't melt away. It felt like coming home. Now settled in my Guesthouse (it didn't take long) I was ready for dinner. I was feeling some soup and sides followed by some window shopping and stopping at the business building for a peek. At that moment I just wanted food to get rid of the gut rot brought on by my second coffee.