Friday, July 02, 2010

Korean Island Beach trip

Friday evening
8:00 pm- We are packing anxiously for our beach get-a-way this weekend. I am pumped. Ecstatic. Deliriously jumping for the stars. Sometimes I feel like this place is tearing into me, shredding my sanity slowly like fajita shredded chicken. I am afraid one day Kyle will wake up one day next to I a crazed monkey and wont understand what happened to his wife. This weekend is a much needed escape. Only one more hour till we leave.

9:00 We are waiting on the doorsteps of our co-worker/friend's steps waiting for her to arrive back home so we can VAMANOS already. Is that her footsteps I hear? No, it is the children playing around the corner. Wait, wait, I hear heels. Pack is on, I am ready!

9:45 Amy has packed, we took our taxi to the station, and we are on this train. I am so sleepy. I'm worried we aren't going to make it to our destination before the subways stop running. Kyle's lap is as inviting as a down feather pillow. Gravity is pulling me down, I can't resist the urge to sleep any longer.

11:29 -Well, my fears have come true. We missed our connecting subway by a skimpy 15 minutes. WHY!!! Why do the subways stop running SO EARLY!!

12:00 am Without too much of a hitch we luckily find a jimjilbang to sleep at, Dragon Hill jimjilbang.
Saturday
5:00 am- I have looked at my phone about a 20 times by now from paranoia that we will sleep past the alarm. Amy got up at 4:20am complaining that the woman next to her was speaking Korean in her sleep. This pillow is about as comfortable as a boulder. We need to be on the subway by 5:48, should I get up? I am lying in a pool of my own sweat, but I am not one for rising before an alarm.

5:50 am We are on the subway, thank God. I wish I drank coffee right about now.

7:30 am McDonalds breakfast makes it all worth it.


8:30 We are on the ferry. We had a little problem finding the group, but we have settled down now. This ferry might be identical to a Western ferry except for the small fact there are zero chairs. Asians sit on the floor. Inside the Koreans have taken off their shoes and have either settled down for a nap, are having a picnic breakfast of kimchi and seaweed soup or have already drunk enough soju to kill a horse and are currently playing a Korean gambling game. After some seagull picture taking and minimal socializing, I have settled down for my nap.



Fun Fact: The longest bridge in Korea, Incheon Bridge, is a cable-stayed bridge structure with 800m main span length. This main span length means the distance between two pylons, and it is the 5th longest in the World.
10:30ish Time is sprouting wings. Soon, we will go our separate ways, and wont find each other again until the finale of the weekend. We get off our ferry onto a small speed boat with holes on the sides allowing frigid ocean water to lick our feet with it's icy tongue. For some reason, we all receive adjuma (old lady) hats. They are called this because there is a VERY particular way the adjumas in Korea dress and act. The hats are extremely long and they often wear them completely covering their face when they go on walks or hikes. Don't get in their way either, they will shove you. They own this country. I feel like I should go weld some metal wearing this clown hat.

11:30 ish- we arrive on our deserted island beach. What feels like miles to my sleep deprived body is about a fifteen minute walk to our camping ground. The sand is deep and loose. My feet sink deep into the sand like quicksand. Despite the unexpected workout, the sand between my toes enlivens me. This is why I came this weekend. This is why I woke up before the sun, to feel the grains of the earth tickle my toes.

Time has flown off with the seagulls. It is beach time now..
Stay tuned for part 2!







3 comments:

Peter said...

By all means, wear those hats! They're good sun protection! I wish that style of hat were acceptable here. Not having sun damage is enjoying and exciting!

Beth said...

Love your blog ... its always so interesting! What a cool fun fact about the longest bridge!

Vanessa Rogers said...

Kyle says you're a nerd Leslie! That's why we love you though!