Doors

I like to look at all the doors when I travel. These pictures aren't very good, but I am hoping tomorrow during the day I can get some good clear photos to share.

Wandering Around Waegwan

Some images from tonight's walk

Affordable Housing

Notice anything about the upstairs apartments? I didn't the first time we passed them, but on the second pass we did a double take.

I'll bet they are especially hot in the summer. The inside one had an air conditioner in the window but the other didn't seem to.

Give up? Shipping containers!

Dinner - Classic Korean

Went for classic Korean tonight. Pork Bulgogi, Kim Chee, and Rice.

Why?

Having grown up in the land of Big Gulps, I have to ask the question:

Why do Asian countries have very small drinking glasses (not holding enough to wet the throat) and little tiny napkins (you have to use a hundred of them to do any good)?

Observations

Just a few observations since I have been here in Waegwan, Korea:

When we eat in the restaurants, our drinks are brought to us in bottles. It has been many years since we've bought our soda pop out of bottles back home--at least not the glass kind. When we were on our cruise in Mexico, I noticed the same thing there. I would assume that reusing bottles is more economical than aluminum cans, but that is just my uninformed opinion.

Our food is prepared from scratch in little open kitchens in the front of the restaurant. The restaurant is the owner's home too. The cook usually prepares our order fresh and in small quantities (I don't mean that our portions are small). For example, when I ordered coleslaw, the cook cut just enough cabbage off of a head to slice up for my order or just enough meat and vegetables are cut up for a fried rice order. Nothing seems like it is wasted.

When we enter a restaurant, if we are the first ones there, they usually turn on more lights and turn on background music (American in the places right outside the post). It's like they don't want to waste the electricity unless paying customers are inside.

The restaurants are usually heated by portable gas heaters placed somewhere between the tables.

Some have as few as four tables. They must not need a lot of money to live on.

Wiring is not concealed inside the walls. It runs up the walls with plastic covers to make it look a little nicer.

I think we may have gotten way too spoiled in the US. Maybe we could learn from other countries and be satisfied with simpler things in life.

Like I said, just a few observations...

Another Day

Just another training day today. Nothing new to speak of. The day started dreary and ended much worse. It was cold and overcast this morning, but by the time we left the training site it was snowing lightly.

The walk to dinner was in a drizzle that by the time we ate and started back to the lodge had turned into rain. Tomorrow is supposed to get cold and snowy. It is a good thing we will be inside all day.

Dinner tonight was sweet and sour pork, rice, and kim chee followed by a couple of bottles of Fanta orange drink.

I Can't Get Over The Tall Housing Complexes

It is lonely on the road. That is one of the reasons that having somewhere to go to like church is so important.

We travelled back to Daegu today. This time we drove in to the Daegu Military Branch for church. There is a Korean Ward that meets there, but the branch is composed of military people and their families.

Sacrament meeting was attended by less than 30 people, which includes the two of us. As we entered the building, we were greeted by welcome handshakes and smiles. The branch president met us as we entered, closely followed by missionaries and other members.

We swapped "where are you froms" and then settled in for sacrament meeting. Even though the chorister was accompanied by a DVD player, the sound of the congregation singing hymns was as if the chapel benches were completely full of members.

With only a handful of kids in attendance, it wasn't surprising to see the only two young men blessing the sacrament and one of the single brethren passing. It only took one tray for water and one for bread to pass the sacrament.

It never goes away, the amazement of being thousands of miles from home, in fact it was only 8 pm Saturday night in Utah, but there I sat in a chapel with members of the church, taking the sacrament.

I was surrounded by members from Idaho Falls. It makes me think of my own ward. I always say that I think most of our ward is from Idaho and specifically Idaho Falls. I thought about our Bishop (not from Idaho Falls) but one of the first people who shakes my hand on Sunday back home. I thought about my home teaching companion and his ever friendly smile and handshake. Then, my home teachers who make it over to shake my hand.

And of course, all the kids. I miss their smiles and laughs. But most of all I miss sitting next to my lovely wife. Sundays are meant for families. That is the best part about it.

Being a member of the Church means I can find safety and security for three hours on Sunday, usually within minutes of wherever I am staying in the world. We had members from the US, Phillipines, Korea, and New Zealand all gathered together to worship.

One of the things that amazes me about Korea is that I was expecting to see Temples and Shrines everywhere I went. In Japan, you can see Temples and Shrines in just about every neighborhood. Here, you see crosses atop chapels in almost every neighborhood you pass and in the cities they seem as prevalent as LDS chapels in Utah. Someone told me that since the Korean War, christianity has become the major religion in Korea. I don't have facts to back that up.

It was a nice day.

Daegu Photos

Day Trip To Daegu

A taxi ride, two train rides, two subway rides, and ten miles of walking...equals a day trip to Daegu, South Korea.

People, people, people everywhere. Going to Daegu from Waegwan is like going from a sleepy village to a metropolis. Neon and billboards are everywhere on everything. Young people scurry about with their friends enjoying a Saturday out in the city.

You don't see many older people in the city. At Daegu market we saw them,
but mostly the young people are out and about. I guess the older folks
don't find much use for the shops that line the streets of the city or the
malls under the streets at the subway stations. I think that the older
Koreans are satisfied shopping at the neighborhood small market and eating
at the small mom and pop restaurants in their neighborhood. This new world is not for them.

The market was the most interesting place for me to see. It reminded me of
Nishiki market in Kyoto, Japan. The stalls are grouped by what the seller
is selling:

Herbs, beans, rice and grains, seaweeds, ground peppers, fresh vegetables, fish (live, dead, and dried) alongside squid and octopus.

Beef and all the parts that go with it (liver, heart, and blood a few).

Chickens, pheasants, and pork were also on display.

Used clothing alongside new clothing. Textiles, shoes, and household goods
all had a place at the market.

It was bitter cold outside with a nasty wind blowing at us all day. It was
great when we found the local Outback Steakhouse and settled in for a steak
and baked potato. Sometimes a bit of home is just the medicine for a
homesick heart. A stop at the Dunkin Donuts next door just topped it all off.

It was a wonderful day. Shopping, people watching, photographing, good
food, and plenty of exercise. Who could ask for more?

Glimpses of Daegu Market

Walking Around Waegwan

We took a nice long walk around a little bit of Waegwan before dinner tonight. It is a quiet little town. The narrow streets remind me of walking the back streets in Japan. As darkness fell, the lights came on, but in Korea, as in Japan, the residents do not light up their homes with 100 watt bulbs. They light only the room they are in and then with a more subdued light. I even saw an old lady with a candle in her hand going down some stairs in the front alcove of one home.

The homes vary in size and age. Most of the single homes that we saw were old, dirty and in pretty bad shape (at least from the outside). In Korea, it is prestigious to live in a high rise apartment building. I am not sure if they buy or rent them. I haven't had any conversations with Koreans so I don't know much about their lifestyles. I am just an observer making guesses. As we made the three hour drive from Incheon airport to Waegwan when I first got here, I saw high rise apartments in all of the larger cities and towns we passed by.

Tomorrow we will take the train to go to Daegu shopping. I am very excited to see the markets and take lots of photographs.

Friday Night At Big Johns

Friday night dinner at Big Johns Restaurant. Cheese Ramen and Cheeseburger Steak Dinner. It is hard to find a restaurant after work that is close enough to walk to that has English menus and tables. It is a guessing game and sitting on the floor for most Korean restaurants. So places like Big Johns are popular for us Americans without anywhere else to gather and eat. There are only six tables in Big John's and the family, since they live there, was eating dinner at one of them.

The Candy Hunt Is On

Started the hunt for Korean candy for the kids back home. I always have to bring candy and gum home to my kids when I go overseas. They have their Japanese favorites and some of what I have gathered so far look a lot like their favorites (if only I could read the Korean labels to tell what they are).

Was able to make it a few doors down the street for dinner last night--the American Restaurant--where their rules are:

1st: Very Clean

2nd: Delicious Food

3rd: Customer Service

And if you doubt that, they even post them on the wall for all to see.

I had the BBQ chicken and rice dish with a cherry juice and coke.

It was very good. I hope that I can get something more Korean as I venture in to town tomorrow on a picture taking outing.

In the US rice is the last thing I would ever order on a menu. In Asia I can't wait to eat it. Japanese and Korean rice is so succulent I love it.

Bon Appetit

Tonight we ventured outside the gate again for dinner. This time we ate at the Country Restaurant. I ate Kim Chee Fried Rice (with egg on top) and Fried Chicken. I washed it all down with a Korean Pepsi. It tasted very good. Nice change from the fast food mini mall.