Getting there was an issue. Before lunch I got the bus routes I needed, but it was going to take almost two hours.
Doesn't that look rly far?
Justin gets on his lunch break and we ride his scooter for the first time to Sushida in Ilsan. Scooters are HELLA silly in South Korea. They go on sidewalks, run red lights in the crosswalks, and the most people I've seen on one is four. I think he paid something like $50 for it but the thing is a hog.
The safety machine.
Justin and I talk about how I'm going to get to the caves waiting for his homie Josh. We eat a dynamite roll and a dragon roll. Not really keen on eel.
"Kamsamnida" is thank you in Korean and everyone is in a contest to say it faster.
Josh shows up and I think I say something half joking about just taking the scooter. He says that's fine. We agree to trade phones for the day so I can use his GPS. Sounds like a plan right? Sure.After we eat, we go to Home Plus which is like Target on crack. Josh says before he got here someone jumped off the top floor.
"Because on the top floor, you can do that" Josh said.
Tried on some hats. The shoes were all really colorful and I was kind of jealous. Seriously, like solid neon shoes here.
Justin being a G.
Alcohol is stupid expensive for Jose Cuervo or Smirnoff. Think like the price of a handle for a fifth. I do see boxes of beer with a free package of ramen. Those look like a good deal.
Drinking 48 beers on an empty stomach can't be healthy. The ramen fixes that.
No refried beans for sale or salsa (I brought Justin four cans of refried beans in my luggage as per request). Such a shame. You can find cheese but Koreans normally have the nacho cheese dip and it's terrible.
Crunch mates 4 lyfe.
On the way out I try Kokopam. A drink with coconut cubes in it. A+ beverage. Would drink again.
Closest thing to a digital beverage thus far.
Josh leaves and Justin and I go back to his work. We trade phones and I set off.
I went around the block once to feel more comfortable with it. I didn't. Just had to do it. I'm really scared of motorcycles because they kill a lot of people and that's how my dad broke his back. Had to try it though. Very stressful.
I stopped to look at the GPS a few times but for the most part I just made sure to follow the river. Big intersections were really scary. I thought more people would've honked at me. That was saved for later. Highways looked really scary too. I tried to avoid them as long as I could because the scooter tops out at the speed limit, 80km/h (got it to 93km/h on a downhill stretch on the way back).
Eventually I did have to take a highway. Luckily there was a big rusty truck driving as slow as me that I could hide behind. 10km later he gets off. I get off to head south and stop for gas.
I show the gas attendants a picture of a toilet on Justin's phone because all the words for bathroom in English don't mean anything to them.
The first time I almost crash is in a small intersection with heavy foot traffic. I can't see if cars are coming so I decide to gun it. I lose my balance turning and almost hit the curb and some trash. I wiggle the left just enough to miss it and ride away.
I get lost in the mountains around Eonyang but don't really care because I keep telling myself I made it. So nice to just ride around without bullshit taxis and buses. I see mostly farms and old buildings. Randomly there are huge apartment buildings and "romance hotels." Don't really understand this.
Realize I'm not very far using the GPS and make my way up the mountain I'm looking for. There are a ton of go-kart tracks that are empty. I'm tempted to take the scooter on one.
I really wish I had more pictures but they're stuck on Justin's phone. I'll do my best to describe it and I found some other blogger that took decent pictures when the place was bumping (It was practically deserted when I was there).
So the Amethyst cave is like 1% of what is on this mountain. It's essentially an amusement park. There was a zoo, house of insects, chicken of the world exhibit, rides, tons of different food, you name it. And a Buddhist temple in part of the cave. Thanks to "Annie Around the World" for being on the Internet like I am. I'll post my film ones once I get them developed.
What is this doing here?
As promised.
A whole building filled with birds like this freaking out.
Tomorrow I'm visiting the smallest Buddhist temple but this is definately the weirdest.
The sun starts to set and the only thing scarier than what I'm doing, is doing that in the dark. I peace out and almost crash a second time because I'm gassing it when I mean to brake and barely missing some hefty rocks in the parking lot.
I take a different way back but it's all good. Plenty of signs say Ulsan in English and it's in the right direction. I first start to worry when the speed limit signs start to say "100km/h" because not only can I not go that fast, but the cars/buses/trucks around me are going even faster.
There are speed cameras everywhere to prevent speeding in South Korea. Pretty much every car has a GPS that shows where these cameras are and people just speed up and slow down respectively.
Anyways, I'm terrified. I'm not supposed to be here and I can't exit. I just keep my eyes on the prize.
Finally I see a toll gate. Turns out I was on Ulsan Expressway. The clerk at the booth tells me "Scooter very dangerous." I agree with him. He asks where I'm headed and I show him the map on the phone. He shakes his head, "Very far." We say our goodbyes and I don't pay a toll or fine or something stupid. I get off at the first exit.
It seems a lot more crowded than it was earlier because people are getting off work. I get lost trying to avoid all the traffic but find the alleys more dangerous because of the intersections like the one in Eonyang.
I'm waiting to turn left and someone honks at me. A cop drives by and yells something. I freak and gun it again and bump a guy with one of the mirrors. Totally know how illegal aliens back home must feel when they get in accidents and have no license or insurance. I get back to Justin's right before his last class. He asks how it went. I tell him about it. He says he'ss gone on the Expressway with a passenger and we laugh about it.
For dinner we go to Tang Tang Chicken. Koreans again with the sauce. Love it. Have some sweeter stuff and spicy. The spicy destroys us and we head to his British friend's bar to meet more friends.
You'll see guys holding hands a lot and leaning on each other but it just means they are really drunk.
We play pool and darts and shoot the shit. Pretty fun. The place even closes but they keep it open for us.
Shaun is retarded good at pool/darts.
Other new friend named Nancy (Micat). Used to try and kill people with darts but she seemed to do okay this time.
After we head across the street for some legit Korean BBQ.
Justin's friends convince him to stay out longer and we go to a karaoke room (called noraaebang here).
During Waterfalls?
You have to order food and it's kind of gross (the nacho cheese) but dgaf because I just had two dinners. We drink a ton and have the most insane playlist.
Catch a cab back to St. Andrew's (where Justin works/lives) and PTFO.
No comments:
Post a Comment