Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, South Korea.

On post is a tour group called Discover Seoul.  They offer many different tours, and on the schedule I saw a half day tour to 'Suwon Fortress' on the Saturday before Columbus Day.  I went into the office, and there were two men trying to sign up for an all day tour.  The tour rep said we had to have at least 3 people sign up, and these guys are only here for 6 months, so I offered to join forces and do the all day tour.  Lesson number 1:  Stop being so nice and letting other people change your plans.  The guys were very nice, but all day tours in Seoul are not for the recent arrival.

We had to be at the bus on Humphreys at 6:20 am for the ride to Yongsan Army Base in Seoul, about 2 hours northwest of Pyeongtaek-si, Anjeong-ri. 

 It was a beautiful day.

Traffic was very busy.  There are festivals almost every weekend during the month of October in Seoul.

We got there about 40 minutes before the tour bus was to pick us up, so we all had coffee and breakfast on post.  Doug and Noel (pronounced Nole) were both most recently from Hunter Army Airfield!  Retired military, they now worked with a company that repaired helicopters and instructed helicopter repair for the Army.  That seems odd to me, that the Army has to hire outside its ranks to work on helicopters.

The fortress is a huge park-like area with the surrounding wall enclosing a palace and parade grounds and meeting places for the royalty.  Unfortunately, during the occupation of Korea by Japan from 1910 to 1945, Japan made it a point to destroy every culturally significant place to the best of their ability, so little to none of the original structures exist.  Hwaseong Fortress was rebuilt in the 1970's.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because every brick, stone, piece of wood, etc. was cataloged, and the plans and how it was built and this cost all survived, so it was rebuilt exactly as it was built from 1794 to 1796.  King Jeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty built Hwaseong Fortress to house and honor the remains of his father Prince Sado, who had been murdered by being locked alive inside a rice chest by his own father King Yeongjo after failing to obey the command to commit suicide.  King Yeongjo was apparently very threatened by Prince Sado.

Gift Shop

                                           

Archery field

East Gate

Ceilings were elaborately painted

The Korean Cut Outs are life sized for the late 18th century.

Park Map

 Wall views from the train.

Warrior training.  Some of the facial expressions are quite intimidating.

 This was our first stop on our all day tour.  I enjoyed watching the warriors, but it was difficult to see because of the crowds.  It was a lovely day, so being outside was great, but it would have been nice to be able to sit down!

Driving in South Korea

On our first trip here, Bill and I purchased a 'junk' car from one of Bill's coworkers who would be going home in several months.  The car is called Galloper and is made by Hyundai.  It has been rode hard and put up wet, i.e. it is full of rust and squeaks and odd ways, but it works.  We paid $1000, and it has faithfully (for the most part) performed its duties for these past several months.  I am driving this car almost every day now, and I am pleased that I took back up driving a standard transmission fairly quickly.

Naturally the laws regarding driving are a little different in Korea.  Green is still go and red is still stop and we drive on the same side of the road as back home.  Koreans are just a bit less likely to feel the need to obey the traffic laws as well as we do in the states, at least most of the time. 

Parking can occur anywhere and at most any time.  Four lane roads are typically only two lane roads since the outside lanes become parking.  Double parking may occur here as well.  Of course, side walks and entrances to bike lanes serve as quick 'in and out' parking spots. 

Suffice to say if your vehicle will fit there, you can park there provided you aren't blocking traffic or other cars.  If you do block others, well, just don't park there too long.

Traffic lights are very different.  Like I said, green is go, red is stop, but just where do you stop?  Some of the lights are a good distance ahead of the stopping spot.  Some lights aren't at intersections at all.  Those are to allow pedestrians to cross.  Problem with that is there are no pressure plates.  The lights cycle through regardless of whether or not there are cars or people waiting to go, so you will sit at a red light forever when there is no traffic any where near you.  Koreans get around this by running red lights.  They stop, look, and go UNLESS there is a traffic camera at the intersection, just like the ones we have at home.  Those intersections are marked, thankfully.  If for some reason you decide to sit at one of these red lights, Koreans will just go around you.  They go around from the right if they can, and if they can't, they'll go around your left.  Koreans don't care if they scare the fool out of you.

Left turns can only be made when you have a green arrow, so if the light just turns green, you have to sit there.  Some left lanes are both turn and go straight and yet you might just get either an arrow OR a green light which means if you get a green light but want to turn left, you are supposed to sit there.  Guess what happens next?  The people behind you who want to go straight GO AROUND YOU from either side, whatever is available.  If you get an arrow and want to go straight, well, ummm, I haven't been in that particular situation yet, but I can only imagine I will cautiously go straight.

Because of all this, intersections are rife with danger.  Whether you are stopping or going, you just never know what the other car is going to do.  Even though you have a green light, you have to watch for folks running the red light just like you would be doing if you were in that lane.  I pray at intersections.

What about the police, you say?  Aren't they out there writing tickets?  That would be a solid no.  I have seen police, but they are usually directing traffic or handing out tickets to large trucks or heavy equipment.  The police tend to leave the average driver alone as long as they don't hurt themselves or property.  So far from what I've seen it all seems to work.  I suppose I need to give it more time.  And time I seem to have plenty of!

A quick update

I haven't posted in a few days, so I just wanted to let everyone know all is well.  We are getting rain today from the typhoon that is passing just south of the peninsula.  Okinawa was hit hard according to CNN International, but winds gusted at 90mph and I am sure they have dealt with much worse.  Nonetheless I worry for Bill's nephew, Robert, and his family who are stationed there with the USMC.

Yesterday we had our Korean cable hooked up, so we now have more than the one channel American Forces Network is broadcasting.  AFN usually has 7 or 8 channels, but the government shut down has all channels but that one off the air.  My dad said the commissary on Hunter AAF is closed for the time being.  Thankfully they won't close our commissaries since we are overseas.

I had Marie at the veterinary clinic on Humphreys yesterday for her annual visit.  The vet said leptospirosis was a big problem here, so I should avoid standing water.  I had Marie vaccinated with the L4 and will have Tweek done today.  I am afraid to give that to Pepsi because it may trigger her inflammatory bowel disease to flare.  I also discovered I would not be able to get her or Dollar's prescription foods through the vet clinic.  I homecooked for Pepsi yesterday; took me pretty much all day.  I only have one 5 quart pot, and the oven is small, so I did several batches.  I may need to do this for Dollar as well, but I have plenty of his dry food, and the little bit of canned he gets can be whatever.

I called Osan's vet clinic, and they don't need a civilian vet either, but they do have a rescue group there called Homeward Bound that could use a volunteer vet.  I spoke with the vet on Osan and will get over there next week to see what is needed and how I can help.

That pretty well sums up the last few days.  I will hopefully have more exciting things to tell next time!

The Dogs of War

What war?  The ongoing war between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (the 'North') and the Republic of Korea (the 'South') is the war I refer to.  We are in a war zone, and I have the 'gas masks' to prove it.  As I was organizing the kitchen, I found two chemical/biological escape hoods in case of such attacks.  Where are the hoods for the furkids, I asked?  The hubs said we could buy those, and a dear friend who should know these things suggested the small dogs could fit in our hoods with us.  The hubs also informed me I had to prepare documents for the Billard Family NEO Battle Book.  I have yet to know what NEO stands for, but 'Battle Book' I got.  It will contain all the forms we need to leave quickly in case the North should decide to go to battle with the South.  The motto for United States Army Garrison Humphreys is "We fight tonight!"  The motto for the United States Army Corps of Engineers stationed in South Korea is "We take flight tonight!"  The hubs says this with a straight face. 

My dogs of war can't be bothered with all this talk of preparation 'just in case'.  The sun is out, the grass is dry, and there are new odors to sniff!

 Marie would like everyone back home to know that the sun and grass in South Korea feels pretty good!

 As a matter of fact, this Korean grass provides a better scratching when rolled in.

 Lots of new sounds and sights when you live on the main drag of the neighborhood!

 Pancho would like for everyone to know that the grass in South Korea HURTS chihuahua feet!  Seriously, I have to throw him onto the grass, he potties, then he finds the deck or one of the wooden steps to stand on and will NOT walk on the grass.  He will leap over it to get to where he wants to go.  I have to take some video of it.  He is hilarious.

 Pepsi pretty much agrees with Marie.

 Her buzzard baiting posture doesn't really work here since I have yet to see a buzzard.  I've seen LOTS of magpies, doves and pigeons, but no buzzards.

 I had to ask Tweek to sit to get a picture of her head off the ground.  Yes, the martingale collar she is wearing is too big.  I bought her another and lost it, so I will try again this weekend.

 Sniff, sniff, so much to sniff...you should see her on our walks.

 Dollar takes it as it comes.  The sun and grass aren't so attractive to him, but the nice dog beds indoors are.

I am happy that the dogs are adjusting so well.  The cats seem to be doing pretty well, too, although Bert did the yowling pacing thing almost every day since he has been here.  It is Thursday morning here and he has yet to do that, and he has been downstairs to get petting, so I think he may be getting the hang of things finally.  I forget we have only been here a week.  Have a great day!!

Shopping in Seoul

The day before my niece, Alyse, and I were to fly back to the states, we took a bus on post to Yongsan, about 90 minutes from Humphreys.  This base is in Seoul and has very good shopping just outside the gates.  Because Alyse does not have a military ID, we had a little trouble on post, and we would not be allowed back on base to take that bus back.  Luckily for us, a young man standing behind us at the gate told us how to take the train back to Pyeongtaek where we could catch the bus to get back to Humphreys. 

The shops in this area had their own outdoor tables with EZ Up like coverings.  It reminded me a little of Naples, Italy, where the items outside got you to stop and then the proprietor would come out and ask you to come into the store to see more.  Alyse and I both have a shoe fetish, and purses, can't forget purses.  The shoes in Korea are not only inexpensive, they are also well made and cute!  In Anjeong-ri and Pyeongtaek, there are NO shoes in my size.  I have large feet for an American woman, so Korean women would call my feet skis.  One shop owner was looking for a pair of shoes on a lower shelf and happened to look at my feet and just said, "Big feet, no shoes".  I am size 10-11 and sometimes need a wide size depending on the style of shoe.  In Seoul, one shop had a large foot size shelf where I was able to purchase a very nice pair of flats.  Unfortunately the shop owner charges about $7 MORE for those of us with large feet.  I suppose it does take more material...

These are traditional Korean outfits.  This type of dress is called hanbok, and the woman's consists of a blouse or short jacket worn over a full wrap around skirt.  To me it looks like an empire waist type of dress.  It is colorful with clean lines and no pockets.

I don't know why these pictures won't transfer rotated, but they won't.

Shoppers listening to a live band outside a shopping mall.

For lunch, we came across a Chinese restaurant above the shops.  It was small, mostly Korean businessman, but we decided to give it a try.  Bill had sweet and sour chicken which was pretty good.  Alyse had a fried noodle dish which wasn't very good.  The noodles were like those dry crunchy ones you get with chow mein.  I got a soft noodle with a chicken and bean sauce.  I liked it, even though it was black in color.  Alyse did not like it at all.  Using chopsticks with those noodles was not easy, but I did it.  

Alyse found a purse and some souvenirs to buy.  I found those big shoes:)  We were ready to get home, so we headed to the train station.  It took a little help from an information booth, but we got our train tickets purchased.  Seats were assigned, and we were not sitting together.  One seat was in a completely different car!  A young Korean student sat next to me.  He asked where I was from.  He apologized for his English skills, but he did pretty well.  He is a philosophy student at a university in Seoul.  He wants to travel one day and hopes to get to the US to visit.  He did tell me that, although they realize the USA helped South Korea in many ways, most of his friends resented the fact that the United States had such a large presence in South Korea.  Most want reunification with North Korea, and that would take a war that the US will not allow.  He said, "I do not like US being here, but I like US."  I told him I wouldn't like a foreign country having military bases in the US either.  He was very polite and kind and pleasant to talk with.

 Inside the train...

 Buildings we passed by on the train...

                              

 Bill without a goofy look on his face...amazing!  The train got us home in no time, and we all crashed, especially since we knew we had to fly home the next day!

The final flight

Pepsi, Tweek, Bert and I left Atlanta on September 26th.  Bill's parents, Jack and Betty, were kind enough to follow me to the airport.  While I filled out mounds of paperwork, Betty waited at the rental car so I would not get a ticket.  After the check in, it was time to have the dogs and their crates inspected.  This only takes a few minutes, and after I had signed everything, the porter loaded the crates onto a dolly.  He pulled the dogs away as I walked away, and when I looked back, there was Pepsi with her face in the window watching me.  It was all I could do to keep walking away.

I said goodbye again to Jack and Betty, then Bert and I returned the car, took a train, and eventually got on the plane for Detroit.  I had given a zanex 0.25mg to Bert prior to leaving the grandparents' house, but he was still meowing, more with curiosity than stress to me.  As I was emptying my things into one of the bins at security, I found my blood thinner injection in my purse.  (I have a blood clotting abnormality; I form clots very easily.)  I warned my line of folks that I was about to give myself a shot, lifted my shirt, and injected my blood thinner right then and there.  I tossed the needle in the trash (bad girl) and kept on putting things in bins.  Not one person said a word.  After figuring out my metal hairband was setting off the alarm, we got to our gate, boarded and time, and off we went.  On the plane, I started smelling urine.  Bert's crate had potty pads in it, and I had brought spare pads, plastic bags to tie up the nasty potty pads in, and pet wipes.  We made use of all of the above.  In Detroit, I took Bert to a family restroom like we had done with the dogs.  I set up the small litter box (drawer organizer) and let him walk around.  He ate and drank in that bathroom, but he would not go potty.  We boarded our plane for Korea, and although he made a noise or two, I could not have asked for a better travel partner.  He ate about 4 times during that flight, and I only had to change the potty pad once.  

Bert relaxing in Savannah

Tweek and Pepsi were very happy to see me!  Tweek had the more stressful time, I think.  I had given her 1 mg of zanex prior to getting into the airport.  Tweek's potty pads were shredded, the plastic bowls chewed to bits, towel soaked in urine.  Pepsi saw me, stood up, stretched and laid back down.  She had her librium before the flight.  Both of them had eaten the treats I put in there and had just about emptied their water buckets.

Pepsi and Tweek at home in Savannah

Getting through quarantine was a bit more difficult.  I don't think this group had as much experience as the last group.  The officer did not want me to take the dogs out of the crate, but he kept scanning Pepsi's neck and couldn't find the microchip.  I told him to go further down between her shoulders, but either he didn't understand me or he was ignoring me.  Finally I took her out of the crate and pointed to the spot for him to scan.  He scanned it but wasn't happy with that, so he got another scanner and did it again.  We were finished there, but then the customs fellow seemed to think I was suspicious.  He stamped my customs form, but instead of keeping it, he gave it back to me.  I went through the exit doors and saw Bill almost immediately.  As we were all saying hello, a very harried looking Korean airport employee came bursting through the exit, and asked me for my customs form.  I gave it to him,  and he said something to me that I did not hear or understand and walked away.  I told Bill as far as I was concerned, we could leave, too.  

Bill uses a GPS he borrows from a co-worker to get to and from the airport.  There was some work being done on the roads so the GPS detoured us.  It took an extra half hour to get home, and the stress of being lost just about did me in.  We finally made it home, and you could not have seen a more precious homecoming.  Marie and Pepsi were wagging themselves silly, and Marie gave Pepsi a bath.  Marie was happy to see me, too, as was William.

I hope you all are having pleasant weekends.  Take care!