Tongyeong is spread over at least 3 different islands that are actually connected by small strips of land/fingers or bridges. I live in "new Tongyeong" (TY, from now on), and the original city is across one of these fingers, only about 4 km away (a bit over one mile). What's amazing about NEW TY, is that a decade ago, it was under water! They "reclaimed" the area, filled it in, and built it up! The area I live in, new TY, could be considered a suburb. It's all new building, modern, with many shopping areas. Again, think in terms of 1 square mile. My school is ~1000 ft. from my house: 2 blocks (if bing.com is accurate). It's a 5 minute walk, if I saunter... It is a 10 minute walk to the huge shopping center of EMart. (A side note: Emart is similar to WalMart, except they don't' carry items made in china, and it's not all cheap crap. It's not inexpensive, and the items are of high quality or good quality. One thing I've noticed in Korea, they do not make "cheap" goods. Inexpensive, yes, but not the cheap stuff Americans have an affinity for,i.e, all the junk you can get at Walmart.) Korea is small compared to the U.S., and it is densely packed with people. And yet, all the mountains have been designated as "national parks" so those areas are not built up. And of course the "countryside" has a smaller population density. What is amazing is the speed with which they were able to build an entire second city of TY! And it's not the cheap, quick fabrication you find in the States. For instance, my apartment, although it must have been constructed rather quickly, ti has not been built cheaply and shabbily! I'm on the third floor, there is a busy street below, and I have many neighbors. And yet, I never hear them! I'm in a large complex and never hear anyone coming or going, water running, talking, music...nothing! The cabinets, doors, frames, everything are made in a quality manner. It's such a change from the quick, sub-par construction builders put together these days in the States! Anyway, Old TY has a lot of character of what I consider (from my foreign perspective) "authentic" Korean: traditional buildings, it's a fishing village, outdoor fish/veg markets, etc. My new TY is, like I said, a new suburb with a very modern feel. And the wonderful thing is, it's only one mile away! I will be there frequently when I get a bike and learn the bus system! Director and I had to go to Immigration, so I get to see Old TY, walk through the market, buy a tasty snack of squid, and have lunch! More to come.... ciao for now!
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author's note: ICloud/itunes/Applegodintheapplesky has seriously ticked me off-- because they've changed the order of all my photos and made it almost impossible to return them easily to the correct order--, I will try to get these photos re-ordered because I have nothing better to do with my time!!!
The flight over was incredible: Korean Air's coach class is equivalent to any U.S.-based airlines' First class accommodation and treatment! I suppose U.S. airlines are in a pinch because no one wants to fly them anymore because it is a pretty unpleasant experience; they've made everything a hassle, the customer service has nose-dived (excluding southwest Airlines!), and they charge extra for everything ( Oh, that will be $20 to barf in this paper bag, and we only accept American Express) LOL. Seriously! I looked at flights on Delta, and if I wanted to sit in a MIDDLE seat for 14 1/2 hours, I could pay a regular, non-refundable fare (~$!000). But if I wanted a window seat (which were nearly all available and empty, I had to pay for a the full fare, non-refundable ticket, i.e., hundreds more. Nice job Delta. You lost a customer for EVER! Anyhoo, Korean Air fed us twice: two full meals plus snacks, and gave us the choice of American style or Korean style food. Wine and Beer were FREE (wouldn't you know on the one flight I choose not to drink because I want to minimize jet lag, drinks are gratis--ha!). Headsets were free, every seat had pillows and blankets, individually plastic wrapped and sanitized for single use (none of the gross used blankets or pillows). I also had my own flat screen with movies, radio, etc etc, plugs for charging, including a USB, and polite and prompt service. The seat size was comfy, my knees were far from the seat in front, as well as my hips from either side of the chair. I've noticed on most U.S. domestic flights that my knees are jammed into the seat in front, and my hips barely fit into the seat, hello! I am not overweight, large, tall, or anything other than small! Well, I ranted so long, I almost forgot some of the other amazing aspects of the flight! I'm not sure exactly where we were geographically, but the flat screen offered the option of route mapping, and views from the cameras positioned on the bottom, rear, and front of the plane! it was incredible, looking out the window at one point and seeing ice floes. I'll have to research and figure out where we were over Russia or the North Pole or what, but it was amazing and I've never seen a sight like it outside of national Geographic videos! As we flew over Russia's snow covered mountains, which became the alpine ranges of China, I was taken aback once again: I have never seen mountains that looked like those! Then rivers began to wend and iwnd through the mountains, then the white morphed into grey rocky faces, and then greenery crept up... hours later, civilization appeared. As we passed well above North Korea, we took a circuitous route well away from the northern part of the Korean peninsula, over the Sea of Japan. Heading into Seoul was akin to flying over the Caribbean Sea, as island began popping up out of the sea randomly. 14 and one half hours later, I arrived in Seoul, Republic of Korea!!! Passing through immigration with no problem, and retrieving my checked bags all took maybe 20 minutes or less! I walked through immigration and into the main concourse, and the first thing I saw was a Baskin-Robbins! UGH!!! [My escape from America is not complete: the horrors of American commercialism have oozed into every crevice of the world like a stinking filth! I live near a 7-11, and of course have passed by a McDonald's. I don't understand why AMERICANS eat the nasty non-food at McDonald's, so how can Koreans or anyone else eat it!!! Gross!] I almost missed my flight from Seoul to Busan, but that's best left for later. I am so happy to be in Korea! On Day 4! |
iGallivant...is in Korea loving Korean food and culture! Archives
November 2015
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