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By Marty, June 15, 2011 9:17 pm

That’s what I get these days driving around town. And that’s good that I get such good mileage, because gas ain’t cheap here. I’m paying 1850won/liter, which works out to about $6.38 per gallon.  I’ve only got a 3-liter tank, so I have to fill up about every 100km (60miles) or so, and that costs me another 6 bucks, give or take. Of course, all that’s on my scooter, which means I have to deal with weather and crazy drivers. But that’s not so bad considering I’m paying very close to $1 per every 10 miles or 10mpd.

Just thought I’d do that math.

Have you figured what your MPD is? With gas prices in the US having risen dramatically this year I’m curious how much each mile is costing the average driver.

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By Marty, June 12, 2011 10:51 am

By bicycle.

Too hot for climbing and too nice to stay indoors, I decided to make a long ride on the bike out to the beach.

But first, I have to cross those bad boys in the distance

That’s Muryongsan in the distance with the radio tower on top. That’s a 400m (~1200ft) mountain – that doesn’t make it very big, but for a bike that’s no mole hill.

Up close, it doesn’t look so daunting, but then I’ve gained some altitude getting to this fork in the road. Cars and trucks go right, while bikes or sightseers go left. The old road is twisty and curvy and a relatively easy grade, although it goes higher than the road through the tunnel.

For most of the way up, I saw no other riders going my way, but many coming back down. At nearly the halfway point, I spotted a ride approaching from the rear and my competitive instincts kicked in. I had been riding rather leisurely and I stepped it up and left him in the dust. I saw him in my rearview mirror attached to my helmet trying to keep up. This old man was too fast for him.

Half way up there is a small spring where a guy can refill his water bottle.

And near the top of the pass is a stairway to Nowhere

The new road, goes through the tunnel which is on the far right of this picture. Although that road is not as high in altitude the grade is much steeper. There are remnants from the construction days still on the far left. Two sets of overgrown stairs go to what looks like nowhere.  Click on the picture for a full view of these Stairways to Nowhere, now covered in ghostly brush.

And just past this is the view to the far side of the tunnel and the mountains beyond.

At the top the altimeter on my smartphone says I was at 225m or about 700ft.

A swift ride down the east side of this ridge and I’m approaching the sea.

newly planted rice paddies fill the flat lands approaching the sea in the distance

The village at the edge of the sea

I made it!

On the east side of the mountain I was going too fast too look at much of the scenery. But on the way back up I was going much slower and had time to look around. This boat was perched on the side of the mountain on a set of logs.

Fish out of water

It advertises a bean curd restaurant just down the hill on a side path. There’s something about Koreans that have a propensity to place boats – even ships – on dry land.  This boat was half way up the east side of the mountain, at least 6km from any water. But if it were the only boat out of water it would simply be an oddity. Instead, it’s another of a virtual flotilla of boats in various places – except water – here in Ulsan. I did a pictorial for Ulsanonline last year on these fish out of water.

Overall, I rode close to 50km. Certainly no record or even personal best, but an interesting way to spend a Saturday afternoon. And it helps keep the fat off. All the pants I bought in America this spring are baggy on me now.

I run an application called “endomondo” on my phone. It tracks my path, times, speed, altitude, calories, blah, blah.  And then after I’m finished I get a nice chart of my ride including a graph of speeds and altitudes.

endomondo output

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By Marty, June 8, 2011 7:44 pm

Yes, I went literally over the cliff.

Monday, June 6th was Memorial Day here in Korea. So I and a few friends went on a rock-scissors-paper motorcycle tour. Every so often, we would stop at an intersection and play rock-scissors-paper and the winning hand took the direction. It was a great way to see the countryside and we did indeed see some beautiful sights.

a badly stiched panorama of far northern Ulsan, Korea

We took turn after turn, sometimes ending up in small communities, sometimes farm roads and at least once, a gravel road up the side of a mountain. We emerged onto the mountain top overlooking a valley in far northern Ulsan. But before getting there, we hit that gravel road.

And that’s where I went over the cliff

I was going slow, but I hit a soft patch of gravel and my scooter spun to the right. The road was only a single lane and I still had too much momentum to stop before it went right off the edge of the road and down the mountain.

me, down the mountain about 5 meters, with my scooter

Luckily, the scooter caught on a stump or might have tumbled a long way down into the trees. Had that happened, I likely would have simply left the bike there to rot. But instead, the five of us scrambled down the very loose gravel and hefted the bike back on the road. Lots of sweat, dirt, gasoline and oil stains later and we’re back on the road where 100 meters later we found the panoramic view.  Should anyone be worried for my health, I was fine. Only a couple of minor scratches. Same for the bike.

From there, we continued down the road to a historical marker of a long dead Korean hero. Been there, done that. But just up the road from that was a temple run by a German national. Most temples are all the same. But this one was so unique, and the monk and his wife so inviting we stayed and chatted for a long while. If you’re interested, I wrote a longish piece about the temple on my other site, Ulsanonline.com.

We ended up travelling on for another 150km (110miles) into the mountains, coastline, valleys and then back into the city to meet another friend who was buying his first motorcycle. We finally had lunch/dinner around 5pm on the coast followed by coffee on the beach.

Overall, the ride was totally pointless and without aim. But damn, it was fun.  Even the part about going over the cliff.

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By Marty, June 6, 2011 10:44 am

This weekend was both a holiday weekend and birthday weekend. Two friends, Andy and Ryan had birthdays on Saturday so a large group of us decided to take a short trip to GyeongJu and play in the go-karts.

GyeongJu is only about 40km north of here, but not everyone has personal transportation. We decided to take the train, which was outrageously cheap at only $2.50 per person. And being on the southern coast, when it’s time to go back home the roads are always clogged with traffic doing the same. The train was a nice change of pace.

Once in GyeongJu we started walking from the train station to the go-kart track. Bad advice, as it was several kilometers away. We walked maybe a mile or so without seeing any taxis or buses that could take us. Luckily two friends who decided to ride their motorcycles to GyeongJu met us along the way and ferried us, two-by-two, to the track.

Once at the track, I had to put the hard sell on MyeongHee to actually ride the karts. She was receptive when we talked at home, but at the track she wanted to just watch. No problem – I sold her on the idea and she rode.

As you’re reading you may be thinking that go-karts are fun, but come on – how passe’. How old fashioned. Even the times we’d gone to Malibu Grand Prix in Dallas to play they are fun, but pretty tame. I assure you, however, that this was not the case in Korea. These things were fast. Moreover, the track employees, used to dealing with the timid Koreans, were not sure how to handle us foreigners. That whole notion of not wanting someone to “lose face” played right into our hands, er steering wheels. Koreans don’t like to fuss at someone unless it’s a personal affront, so merely breaking rules it is a rarity to  have them call someone out and publicly embarrass them for blatant rule breaking. It was the Wild West, baby. Bumping, slamming, pushing were all, if not legal, tolerated. We had a blast!

I took several pictures of our friends – there were 15 of us total – but quite a few of my honey.  You can see the whole lot of them on my facebook photo album. My good friend Fin Madden took several more and are on his album. His photos show several mash-ups and crashes into the tire walls that MyeongHee didn’t capture.  Just a few of the shots are below. Click the pic for a closeup.

Facebook scrunches pictures down too much and this one is a classic mashup. Click the pic for detailed view. I passed Dee Madden on a tight turn and she could not negotiate the turn in the space I left her. She slammed into the tire wall on the far left. I am on the far right speeding away and laughing

After we came back to Ulsan, we had dinner at a restaurant with a large open-air patio. The weather was perfect: warm but on the shady east side of the building with a slight breeze.  Sometimes I’m still amazed at how cheap things can be here: a full meal of grilled pork, soup, rice, numerous side dishes and several bottles of beer cost only about $11 per person. The equivalent meal in Dallas would be 3-4x that amount.

Sometimes frustrating, sometimes exciting, sometimes I’m homesick and sometimes I’m surrounded by good friends. But Korea is rarely dull.

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By Marty, May 31, 2011 2:05 pm

It’s 2pm May 31 and its barely 50F degrees outside. Normally (at least what has been normal for the five+ summers I’ve witnessed) it’s been warm this time of year.  We had a wickedly cold winter and spring has just not sprung so far. The weather boys here are claiming this summer will be extremely hot and humid. Although this year they have rarely been on the mark, a little heat (ok, even a lot) would be welcome.

Having said that, however, I suppose I should be careful what I wish for. 31 years of Texas style summers had worn me out and I got to the point of dreading each summer and the accompanying sweat and air conditioning bills.

It isn’t all bad here, though. Some days it gets up to the 70s and is pleasant if brief.

MyeongHee and I took a walk in the park on Sunday. We passed through a tunnel of roses that was pretty and then stopped at a small waterfall.

Missing everyone back home.
-Martin

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By Marty, May 29, 2011 2:28 pm

One of the most interesting – and least like home – places around Korea is the local market. Immediately adjacent to our apartment complex is the Suam Market. The market near our former home on the west end of town was a temporary, every five days affair, with vendors beinging their own awnings and tents as their shops. The Suam Market, however, is every day and is a permanent fixture. Every day, vendors set up their goods for sale along a crossroads of narrow streets. Some of the vendors actually have brick-and-mortar stores and supplement their display areas by putting goods out on the street. Other vendors are simply squatters and lay their items on the street in buckets and boxes.

This is the traditional market for Korea. Although supermarkets are plentiful (in fact there is a very large retail department store one block away from us very much like a super Walmart of Target) the traditional markets don’t seem to lack for customers.

I have become a big fan of the market for several reasons. It’s very close – I can walk to the market and get just about any fresh fruit or vegetable without having to drive or – the worst part of driving – park.  I don’t feel the need to stock up on everything – just the things I need for the meal we’ll prepare – so our food is always fresh.  It’s mostly covered, so inclement weather is not problem. And as far as entertainment value, the people watching is always a pleasure.

Suam Market. A traditional Korean market for fruits, vegetables, meat and fish

Vendors line the streets with homegrown veggies and wholesale.
On the left are grains and various legumes that have been milled

A butcher carves pork from the carcass outside his shop.
No refrigeration. This is not your local Albertsons.

But then Albertsons or Kroger won't give your doggies snacks, either

Meat hangs outside another butcher shop, waiting for customers

Not only raw meats, but cooked foods are available. This woman is selling steamed pork knuckles

Another shop sells ready-to-eat foods. A man in a business suit and slippers enjoys a meal

Rice is a staple but can be prepared in many ways. This vendor sells puffed rice in various forms. These are usually consumed as snacks to be served while drinking beer or soju, the national rice wine drink. Most bags sell for about 1000 won, or 1 US dollar.

Many vendors are the old folks who supplement their meager incomes with whatever they have grown in their gardens. This woman is selling sangchu, or lettuce which will be used as wraps for bits of grilled meat common in Korean BBQ

The market rambles around many alley ways and streets and requires some exploring to see it all. This young boy was enchanted by my dogs

Another alley full of shops but devoid of people

Fish, whether it is fresh, still swimming, frozen or dried can be found at Suam Market

Even whale meat can be had, although fresh does not seem to be on the menu.. This shop will serve you a meal or sell you a chunk to take home

SSo far from home, both in location and style, the traditional Korean market provides lots of fresh foods but fun as well.

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By Marty, May 12, 2011 11:58 am

After almost a month of working there I finally got my employee badge.

It’s a nice change of pace to be teaching primarily adults. And Hyundai Motors seems like a good place to work for the regular employees, too, for everyone I teach a) is a lifer and b) says they really like it there.

In fact, last week I tried to enter the enormous plant only to be blocked by a protest demonstration. No, they didn’t want more pay, better hours or any such thing. They wanted to work there. Permanently. They were all contractors wanting to be regular employees.

They are intensely proud of their company as well. When I tell them my father drives a Hyundai Azure and likes it they seem to fairly burst with pride. Fun times.

Today, Thursday, is my slow day. Only one class today from 6-7:30pm. Lots of time to read, write, exercise or just plain goof off. Now I’m off to ride the bike and work off some of those American hamburgers I still have draped around my waist.

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By Marty, May 9, 2011 9:55 am

It’s Miyuk season in Korea. And Seafood to Koreans means more than just fish or shellfish. Anything that comes out of the ocean is seafood including Miyuk, a large aquatic plant.

On May 7th/8th we went to MyeongHee’s mother’s house for “Parent’s Day.” Usually, we just hang around the house, but since it was harvest time for miyuk, mother-in-law was busy for a good portion of the weekend.

Miyuk is a seaweed that figures very prominently in a typical Korean diets. Sometimes, it is merely a side dish that can be prepared in many ways with garlic, red pepper and fish sauce. The most famous, however, is Miyuk Guk – Seaweed Soup. This is a traditional dish for birthdays. Sure, everyone gets a cake on their birthday – but that’s a western tradition that was imported. Koreans also have seaweed soup for breakfast on their birthday. Post-partum women will also eat large quantities of the soup in the first few weeks after giving birth. In fact, after our dog SaTang had her pups she was given several helpings of MiyukGuk and rice to help her recover her strength. I’ve even become a fan of MiyukGuk.

Loaded with vitamins and minerals, seaweeds like Miyuk are very healhful. For those who don’t have relatives on the shore, it can be bought in most stores. About a half-pound will cost about $2.

These pictures below are at the fishing village where MyeongHee’s mom lives. Click on a picture for a larger view

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By Marty, May 8, 2011 11:28 am

At the mother-in-law’s house the Brothers Kludge were at it again. A pinhole sized leak on the fresh water supply to her front courtyard required attention. So the brothers dug down to the leak to the source of the problem. Having done numerous PVC repair jobs of my own I knew it was a small matter to cut the pipe slip on a collar and glue it all back together.

Not these two. Why do all that work when a toothpick wrapped in teflon stuffed into the pinhole will do the trick…for now.

Afterward they both congratulated themselves on their engineering genius.

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By Marty, May 1, 2011 2:55 pm

We went to the playground behind our apartment building to walk the dogs.l Little did I know MyeongHee had an ulterior motive for insisting she come with me.

While I let the dogs run and chase a ball, I found her with a bag and a small knife picking little plants

Mugworts. Or, as the Koreans call it, ssuk (쑥.) Lots of them. All over the playground. She was picking out the young shoots as some of the wild plants were nearly a foot tall and are, she tells me, too tough to eat. This batch she plans to give to one of her hairshop friends (one of the ladies that come nearly everyday to chat and only once in a while get their hair done) who will make Guk (국) or as we call it, soup.