GETTING AROUND
I've been here in Korea for almost two weeks now and
I thought it was high time I started learning how to
move around. Unlike Cebu City in the Philippines, you
can't take a taxi anywhere for a buck. Here they cost
anywhere from $4 to $10 depending on where you're
going. The easiest way to get about is the bus. It's
also the cheapest at less than a dollar per ride. Of
course, learning the bus system is another matter.
Even though I have learned the Korean
alphabet, reading it with any kind of speed
or understanding is a completely different level of
skill. If a bus were approaching me, it's
questionable I could read the words on it fast enough
to know if I need to take it or not. Luckily, Jerry
was with me, as we also planned to visit some friends
of hers.
I still don't have internet access, and though WIFI is very prevalent, many are locked or require payment to use. Earlier that morning, me and Victor went to an open market were they were allegedly having a $1 shoe sale, though it turned out to be a marketing ploy, and I did find usable WIFI at that place. I guess if I needed to really bad, I could walk over there with my iPhone and check mail or something. Still, on the whole, this means the best way to access WIFI is still a coffee shop. Last week, when me and Jerry were walking about town, we found just such a shop and yesterday I decided I wanted to go there again before we went off to meet Jerry's friends.
Me and Jerry trekked off to the nearest bus stop, and this time I remembered the location of things and found recognizable signs I would not soon forget. We took a bus to Yong Tong area and got off right across the street from Holly's Coffee, the place we had been to a week before. To get there, though, we would have to cross this huge and busy street. Surprisingly, the way to cross it was a very large bridge. From a distance, it looked like a simple walkway to get across the road, but once we climbed the stairs to the bridge, it turned out to be more like a nice sized park. It is even called a park. It is very wide and on either end has circles with some kind of modern art pieces in them. The view of Yong Tong from there is amazing. I can't imagine how cool it must be at night with all the lights, video screens and signs. It certainly made me wish I had a camera.
In the coffee shop I was able to check mail and upload the previous post to the website, but we were running late to meet Jerry's friend who apparently said that if we don't get there on time, we don't eat. Since we were going to be eating free, we definitely didn't want that to happen. We got back on the bus and went off to the restaurant where we met her friend Chi-iung. There we ate an awesome chicken soup and something like pork cutlets which we wrapped in lettuce along with spicy kim chee or other vegetables. Though the girl's father, owner of the restaurant was there, she secretly got us some "tong tong ju", which I guess is a type of wine. It is similar in taste to Japanese sake, but sweeter and thicker, not being clear. It was very good. Many of the drinks I encounter here are good. Victor's mother gave me a bottle of rasberry wine the other day which was absolutely amazing.
Two other girls eventually showed up and they seemed to go crazy over me. I guess foreigners are more rare here as opposed to in Seoul, the capital city where they are common. They, of course, wanted to touch my hair and ask me many questions through Jerry translating. One girl even told me she loved me three or four times. She also hugged me when she left. After eating and drinking, Jerry's friend got a break, I guess, and we went outside where we met another friend from their school. It was dark now. Being students, who have to keep up an appropriate image, we went into a small alley where Jerry's friend could smoke without being seen. After that we went to a small video game arcade and played and sang some karaoke on the machine there.
All of Jerry's friends were shocked by how different she was. Traveling, especially overseas, changes people. When you experience a new culture or learn a new language you cannot come back the same. One her friends even said she seemed like a totally different person. In the past I guess she never studied and was not a good student, but now they witnessed her really speaking English and hanging out with me, which must be the furthest thing from whatever they might have imagined. Both Sally and Jerry have commented on a strange lack of desire to meet their old friends. They have become different, even after such a short time abroad, and feel that they may not relate to them anymore. Jerry's friend wants us to meet again today and go somewhere, but Jerry feels like it would be a bother or just plain boring.
After leaving her friend, me and Jerry went to Dunkin Donuts and then finally to a small soft ice cream stand. We sat and talked in another coffee shop. All of this was in walking distance from where we were. In the end we got back on another bus, in front of Holly's Coffee again, and went back home. It was empty though. We sat on the computer for a short time before Victor, Sally and Sunbin came home. They were at the PC Room, which I will write about in detail another day. I've been there many times already. Finally Mother and Father came home and we all sat around talking and finished off that bottle of rasberry wine I was given the day before.
I still don't have internet access, and though WIFI is very prevalent, many are locked or require payment to use. Earlier that morning, me and Victor went to an open market were they were allegedly having a $1 shoe sale, though it turned out to be a marketing ploy, and I did find usable WIFI at that place. I guess if I needed to really bad, I could walk over there with my iPhone and check mail or something. Still, on the whole, this means the best way to access WIFI is still a coffee shop. Last week, when me and Jerry were walking about town, we found just such a shop and yesterday I decided I wanted to go there again before we went off to meet Jerry's friends.
Me and Jerry trekked off to the nearest bus stop, and this time I remembered the location of things and found recognizable signs I would not soon forget. We took a bus to Yong Tong area and got off right across the street from Holly's Coffee, the place we had been to a week before. To get there, though, we would have to cross this huge and busy street. Surprisingly, the way to cross it was a very large bridge. From a distance, it looked like a simple walkway to get across the road, but once we climbed the stairs to the bridge, it turned out to be more like a nice sized park. It is even called a park. It is very wide and on either end has circles with some kind of modern art pieces in them. The view of Yong Tong from there is amazing. I can't imagine how cool it must be at night with all the lights, video screens and signs. It certainly made me wish I had a camera.
In the coffee shop I was able to check mail and upload the previous post to the website, but we were running late to meet Jerry's friend who apparently said that if we don't get there on time, we don't eat. Since we were going to be eating free, we definitely didn't want that to happen. We got back on the bus and went off to the restaurant where we met her friend Chi-iung. There we ate an awesome chicken soup and something like pork cutlets which we wrapped in lettuce along with spicy kim chee or other vegetables. Though the girl's father, owner of the restaurant was there, she secretly got us some "tong tong ju", which I guess is a type of wine. It is similar in taste to Japanese sake, but sweeter and thicker, not being clear. It was very good. Many of the drinks I encounter here are good. Victor's mother gave me a bottle of rasberry wine the other day which was absolutely amazing.
Two other girls eventually showed up and they seemed to go crazy over me. I guess foreigners are more rare here as opposed to in Seoul, the capital city where they are common. They, of course, wanted to touch my hair and ask me many questions through Jerry translating. One girl even told me she loved me three or four times. She also hugged me when she left. After eating and drinking, Jerry's friend got a break, I guess, and we went outside where we met another friend from their school. It was dark now. Being students, who have to keep up an appropriate image, we went into a small alley where Jerry's friend could smoke without being seen. After that we went to a small video game arcade and played and sang some karaoke on the machine there.
All of Jerry's friends were shocked by how different she was. Traveling, especially overseas, changes people. When you experience a new culture or learn a new language you cannot come back the same. One her friends even said she seemed like a totally different person. In the past I guess she never studied and was not a good student, but now they witnessed her really speaking English and hanging out with me, which must be the furthest thing from whatever they might have imagined. Both Sally and Jerry have commented on a strange lack of desire to meet their old friends. They have become different, even after such a short time abroad, and feel that they may not relate to them anymore. Jerry's friend wants us to meet again today and go somewhere, but Jerry feels like it would be a bother or just plain boring.
After leaving her friend, me and Jerry went to Dunkin Donuts and then finally to a small soft ice cream stand. We sat and talked in another coffee shop. All of this was in walking distance from where we were. In the end we got back on another bus, in front of Holly's Coffee again, and went back home. It was empty though. We sat on the computer for a short time before Victor, Sally and Sunbin came home. They were at the PC Room, which I will write about in detail another day. I've been there many times already. Finally Mother and Father came home and we all sat around talking and finished off that bottle of rasberry wine I was given the day before.
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