I suppose there hasn't been a year when I've not spent my fourth in one of probably three or four ways - w/family or friends on or near some body of water, Okoboji, Clear Lake, the family pond, the Gulf of Mexico, Apple River, etc; working at a bar, or drinking at said bar b/c it wasn't busy enough to work; as a youngster running rampant in either Sheldahl or Slater, Iowa, depending which town was hosting the festivities that year. Although two of my most memorable holiday's included snow skiing, which is obviously a rarity north of the equator this time of the year save for a few remote locales.Needless to say, in anticipation of what I was quite certain to long for this year, I was torn b/w two possibilities. The first was bungee jumping & white water rafting in a fairly remote area in the north central part of the coutnry near the DMZ, northeast of Seoul. The other was a quick trip to Pohang, a port city of about half a million people on the Eastern coast. I didn't have a whole lot of info on the place aside from knowing it had been significantly important during Korean war and that it is home to the world's largest steel factory (POSCO) & I'd heard they have some fantastic beaches....I'm always down for a good beach scene!
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| POSCO Steel Factory |
Keeping an eye on the remnants of the previous weeks tropical storm, weather wasn't going to be spectacular for either endeavor. Factor in time constraints, bungee/rafting meant meeting a group in Seoul at 7 A.M....given train schedules, I'd have to leave Fri night, post up at the rendezvous & catch a few winks in the subway terminal. The Pohang option allowed more flexibility as I was on my own schedule. So....we have a winner - Pohang it is!
I overslept a bit & missed the train by two minutes. This waiting around for about an hour but I figured I would still have plenty of time to get where I needed to go & enjoy the better of the two days, weather-wise. Three train transfers, nearly four hours of wait time sitting on the platforms of the always marvelous Dongdaegu & Gyeongju stations led to valuable daylight burning away. All told, a couple minutes (missing the first train) cost me an afternoon exploring & splashing in the surf. Instead I was traversing the Eastern Korean countryside by rail & playing the waiting game as the sun faded away behind me to the west. I still really am fond of the rail system over here, it wasn't KORAIL's fault I never set an alarm.
By the time I reached Pohang, it was nearly 8 o'clock at night. Not a chance for sun & fun by the water but I was hopeful the rain predicted for Sunday would hold off - yeah, that didn't happen. As has become pretty customary, I slung my pack over my shoulders, oriented myself w/the layout of the city as best I could from the map on the wall at the station, got my bearings & started hoofing it for the waterfront. Making my way through the commercial/shopping district and venturing out of the way a bit, so I could walk through the famous Jukdo market, eventually I found myself following the Hyeongsan River, which funneled me towards Bukbu beach. Bukbu is an area that's really been transformed into a great waterfront destination over the past decade w/shops, restaurants, hotels, street vendors, bands, etc - all the creature comforts any good money toting consumer could ask for.
Being relegated to the nightlife as my first experience in Pohang isn't such a bad situation to find yourself in. The weather was perfect, the nauseating 'fishy' smell had been replaced by cool breezes off the East Sea (commonly referred to as the Sea of Japan but that's a debate for another day) & to my delight, people were shooting off fireworks up & down the beach. I later found out Pohang is well known for their Bukbu beach-side fireworks every summer....looks like I picked the right location for my 4th of July revelry. This was turning into a pretty good decision. People were everywhere, young & old, just foot loose & fancy free. Having a good time, drinking whatever alcoholic beverage fit the mood & enjoying life for what it was meant for - living!
Credit for these two video's can't be claimed by me. They were on YouTube but they give you an idea of what I was hoping to experience. The first is a quick jaunt through Pohang (turn the volume down a bit as it's set to music). The second is of the Jukdo Market & it has some commentary from whoever the cameraman was. Regardless, they both do a good job capturing Pohang & to some extent, much of Korea in the way people live, work & play here. It really is an amazing place.
I kept strolling along the beach, taking in the sights & sounds. A rather eclectic group of dancers were doing their best impressions of Elaine from Seinfeld w/herky jerky moves, dancing to an equally peculiar band onstage.A complete contentedness w/simply being themselves & having a good time is a characteristic I've come to appreciate about Koreans. It's genuine & sincere, no matter the circumstances - a seemingly very happy tribe!
It became apparent rather quickly, though, this was either a town w/very few English teachers or they all hang out someplace else. I counted a group of four strolling on the beach & a couple military guys acting like complete jackasses at a bar.
To further solidify my notions, one little kid spotted me, frantically tugged his father's hand, pointed in my direction & joyfully exclaimed "Waegook, Waegook, appa, appa, Waegook." This loosely translates to foreigner, foreigner, daddy, daddy, foreigner. He giggled a bit, waved hysterically as his father politely nodded, said hello with an almost apologetic tone & subtly let his son know he shouldn't always be so obvious with his observations.
Waegook is sometimes thought of as a condescending term but it hasn't been anything I've taken offense to, honestly, I am a foreigner so why get all worked up over it? It has become very apparent Korean children might be, collectively, the cutest kids I've ever seen. Maybe it's cause everything they say is funny to me, since I don't understand most of it but their insatiable excitement on seeing & getting the attention of white folks (teachers) is extremely compelling.
The rest of the night played out as one would expect. I checked into another 'New Love' motel. The half blind, slightly cuckoo, sweaty, stump of a woman running the show shorted me about $5 in change & only had one copy of the key, which meant I borrowed it to lock the room before I left & again to unlock it upon returning. All in all, I'm quite certain I really wowed her w/my charm & quick wit. She seemed pleasant enough & made sure I was happy w/the accommodations...a bed & a shower, fine by me! Although, I can't be certain she didn't rummage through my pack & sniff various items while I was out mingling w/the locals!
After a refreshing shower, I headed back out to see what sort of trouble I could get into. It turns out, not much, which is a good thing. It was getting late, so I hit a couple bars. The first was a place called Miller Time - it wound up being more of a restaurant serving beer, so I quickly turned around & headed toward a small little joint called S Flair. Having wandered by it earlier, I could tell people were having a good time & there were some Westerns inside so it seemed like a good hitching post for a few hours. Turns out the Westerners were the drunken military jackasses. I won't get into details but they complained about everything, ran up a tab of about $300, casually walked through the front door, caught a cab & headed off into the night. The Korean girls who had been w/them were stuck w/the tab, real classy, fellas!
Having plenty of experience behind a bar, it's difficult sitting on the other side & not wanting to smack some sense into people sometimes. The place was pretty cool, although it did reaffirm my theory in 'Flair' bartenders....it's not nearly as hard as it looks, the gimmick is more about showing off your twirling abilities (sometimes while things are on fire) & paying much less attention to actually serving drinks.
I counted, at one time, six people behind the bar, a total of no more than 25 customers in the whole place & it still took them over twenty minutes to refill my Hoegaarden (which it had taken at least 15 to get the initial service & I lost the table I was sitting at when I had to go to the bar to order). I always tip, which is uncommon here & I was surprised when one of the bartenders insisted on buying me a shot of 'whiskey' b/c I'd left her a tip.
I'm not a whiskey drinker, so I told her the only time I drink whiskey is when I'm w/my younger brother or a couple really important friends from college. Little did I know, her reference to 'whiskey' was any liquor as she held up a bottle of Captain Morgan Rum & said what about this 'whiskey.' I finally settled on some Jim Beam & insisted if I was taking one, she needed to take one w/me. She asked if I was buying & I thought, whatever, I know your game, sure, if it means it won't take another twenty minutes for my next beer. Shots were had, the crowd was thinning out & the entertainment kept neglecting their patrons so I figured it was time to hit the sack.
It looked, momentarily, like the clouds might dissipate & the sun would make an appearance but the hope of that happening quickly faded. Loading up my things, giving one last homage to the sea gods & I was on my way. Sure enough, w/in minutes, the rain began falling more steadily & soon the skies had opened up a furious barrage.
If you've ever been driving when it's been really coming down & you see someone get absolutely saturated as they're waiting near a crosswalk for a chance to get across the street....you'd have gotten a good kick out of the drenching I got, totally blindsided by some guy creeping around the corner & soaking me from top to bottom. Needless to say, the couple beside me were sprayed equally, so at least I wasn't alone. Which is really were this whole ramble began....spending the Fourth of July weekend away from friends & family back home but I'd definitely say, regardless of knowing or not knowing people on certain levels, I feel as though I've acclimated quite nicely & discovered a 'home away from home' that should continue to provide enlightening adventures & memorable experiences in the coming months.
Here's hoping everyone had a safe & happy holiday weekend....until next time, be well! Here's another one of the dancers getting down, just because they can:
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