Trip to Korea and Japan: Day 3 - Relations, Robots and Rock petroglyphs

(Click here for the first day, yesterday or other trips)
Had recieved my luggage last evening, and seeing coming days having clouds and rain in the weather forecasts, this was the day I felt I had to do my measurements which I came for. As said in the outlines of my trip, for data I photograph rocks and rock art in different settings with my IR (infrared) camera. For the Ulsan sites, I wanted as much sunlight as possible, ergo this day was promising. Now to get there. The sites are up in the wilderness towards the mountains, roughly 2 hours from the city. By, car probably not more than 1h10 min - 1h30min, but I will be going on the budget alternative, ie buses. Now, I will actually go into more detail than necessary in regards to bus travel...
On Saturday, I entered a bus two times and both times saw only a kind of thing for travel cards you put your card against, so I showed the driver a 10000 Won bill both times (which should cover it) but both times I was waved away, so I ended up going for free.
This day I was going with two buses one way, in total four rides, so I couldn't keep on doing that regardless if my concience had allowed it, so I went for a walk to the railway station in the early morning. There I waited for the tourist information to open at 9, and got it all explained:
There is actually a kind of transparent plastic box in the front, much like the one you use for charity purposes, where you put the money...so obvious when you know what to look for. There are just two price categories: 1150 Won (8 SEK/ 1,2 USD) for buses with 3 number in them, and 1700 Won (11 SEK/2 USD) for the ones with four numbers. So, I went to look for the first bus, 1703, but didnt find it.
Being my second time in Korea, I must confess I hadnt really met any Korean that I had actually gotten a real lasting positive conenction with. Not that I had ever had any negative, either, but I had simply not gotten beyond hello, thanks and goodbye.
So, at the busstop, having shown a handwritten note from the helpful person at the information desk, and gotten nothing understandable from the drivers, an old man intervened and took me under his wings. He showed me the bus (which he was also going with), chekced that I had the right amount of money, and told me where to get of (NOT the place I would have left the bus on). Small things means so much, and it set the tone for the day.
Even though my Google Maps wasn't on the spot in regards to the spot for bus change, I actually saw the next bus from afar when stepping of, but it was already leaving. Checking my map, I saw I shortcut and sprinted for it...and got on the bus. They actually go rather seldom at this spot (Eonyang), so that was lucky. My eyes checking my photos of the bus route on my phone, I soon was distracted when the bus went in the wrong direction, but it actually was just an extra loop not on the internet. What instead happened was that somehow the scale on my maps, going into the countryside, was not what I thought so I had passed my bus stop when I realised this. So there I stood, with a sign showing that the place I wanted to was 4.5 km away. At least it was something, even though I would be soaked through by then.
Then it happened again - the same bus as I went with, now going in the other direction, stopped and the bus driver leaned out and asked "Bangudae?" ie the place I was heading for! He gave me a ride back (for free) to the right place and pointed the road out to be sure. There is something about nature and hospitality, right? ;-)
To sum the route up. First take the 1703 to Eonyang (first stop aftyer it gets of the big motorway as I remember it). Then catch the 308 and travel to the spot marked below as "B". It is easy to miss so store up on lots of map screenshots on your phone...if you got of at the right spot, there is a bridge just close by over the motorway and then its just straight ahead.

Soon it was even more obvious on the winding, forest fringed road, that I was on the right track, as the surroundings was obviously prepared for toursim with special toilets and parking places, decorations and special walkways. Reaching the Bangudae Petroglyph Museum, to tell it shortly, the Bangudae site consists of mostly animal etchings, most importanly of the whales and whaling culture that existed here long ago. The Cheonjeonri site instead has more of geometric patterns. The later one was the one I chose for my measurements, being easier to access. It was also interesting as it wasn't made on a face facing away from the sun midday (as most of the ones I have seen do), instead it faced almost directly east. Ah, I will stop there. Suffice to say, it is a soaking to stand completely still for even five minutes doing photgraps every 5 second in this humid 35 degree heat.

Shell mask. A bit funny.

This is a replica from the museum of the exact spot I later used for IR photographs.

The nature was quite pleasing and the museum a modern, fresh (airconditioned!) type that does its best to make history alive. As Korea are trying to make these sites a World Heritage, I do understand why they have gone into so much effort.

Wrapping up, I began to leave from the Cheonjeonri side, when reaching the small exit post where two elder ladies (ajummas [swedish:tanter] in the words positive sense) manned the post. I stopped just to ask for where to buy water and ended up getting water (and coffee if I'd wanted), peaches a elder man brought, and simplistic but warm conversation). Third time is the charm as they say, and this was the day I warmed up to Korean people beyond the fantasy world of korean pop and drama.

 Korean countryside is quite lovely.

Can you spot the petroglyphs? Noone could from this spot, the normal allowed distance. And usually the dam covers them up at this time of year but it have been a dry season.

Petrified dinosaur footsteps

Cheonjeon-ri rock petroglyphs. Look carefully and you may see them

I got home safely and was planning to call it a day at 15.00 already but somehow couldnt stop myself when out getting a burger menu at the local Lotteria (local McDonalds equivalent), and went and checked out the movies at Lotte Cinema.
There was this Pacific Rim...well, I thought, I know it is some kind of giant robot movie, cant be to bad even if its dubbed. And it wasnt dubbed. And it was damn good enteratinment too!
It is quite fitting, I felt, to watch a movie in East Asia where giant robots controlled by humans (ie Mechas) fight it out with Aliens attacking Pacific coastal cities.

The movie was like a new Independce Day, which means lots of big action and fighting, some humor and romance, but above all is the action and effects. And some proud speeches (really only one). But, shit, if the fights werent satisfying. The movie is really all about them and the rest just has to do its part as fillers, not that those parts are anything bad, they do their work quite nicely. If you would love a movie about Steel Giants, Guiellermo del Toro - style - monsters, and a fair Rinko Kikuchi as the heroine, look no further. ^_^

Korean lesson number 2:
Movie title:
파시픽림
Divided into individual letters:
ㅍ  ㅏ   ㅅ   ㅣ   ㅍ  ㅣ  ㄱ  ㄹ  ㅣ  ㅁ
Which in latin letters become:
p  a   s   i   f (p/f is the same letter) i  k  r  i  m
Which then is read like:
Pasifik Rim = Pasific Rim
That wasn't too hard, eh?

(Click here for the next day)

Trip to Korea and Japan: Day 2 - A whole lot of Lotte

(This trip from the start, yesterday or all trips)
As I hadn't gotten my luggage yet, this day's main target was fixing that. To my surprise I actually managed to sleep almost 7 hours to 06:00, even though there is a seven hour time zone difference from Sweden, but then I had been preparing by rising earlier for a week (at 4:00 in the end) so it may have helped then.
I went to the airport and ate breakfast/early lunch at 7:45. I had prepared for bus travel, and new the bus stop, route, and where to get of. What didnt work was paying, when entering the bus and showing my money, the chaffeur just waved me on. I saw people using some kind of prepaid cards or such, but I ended up going for free. On the way back the same thing happened again, and even though I hade asked at the information desk that you could use cash (which they said). It wasnt much money really, something like (9 SEK/1,5 USD), but still strange. The food was very nice, for the price of 9500 WON (65 SEK/11 USD) you got this excellent pork cutlet with soup, kimchi, and some more stuff:

They said they would call me in the morning (well not really, probably wishful thinking) but at 9.30 i got tired of waiting and went to help desk and they checked upp on thing and promised to send the luggage to my apartment when it arrived,w hich would be late this evening or more probably next day. WIth that I returned to the apartment for som mid day rest.

What to do while waiting for the camera parts, considering that the only clothes I had were much to warm for moist 30 degree sunny weather? Well, I knew the hotel was relatively central and I had spotted a Lotte department store on the map. They are one of the Harrods equivalents (Swedes: think NK) that I have encountered in Seoul, and they are actually a bit to upscale for the tourist on a tight budget. Still, there are a lot of fun stuff to look at, and Korea having aquired the same taste for fashion and modern stuff while stile having quite a different outlook than in Sweden, it is quite fun to see all the fresh stuff you have never seen or at least not in this form. I loved the book/childrens store at the bottom floor, where there was also lots of food stuff (like in Harrods), both eateries, groceries and presents to give away.

Le Creuset I only knew for pots and such, but there were lots of other kitchenware here.

I must buy one of these. Oxford is a quite nice LEGO copy from Korea that makes those war models LEGO haven't got the guts to do ;-)

Micro blocks is another LEGO alternative with building blocks, yes, extra small.

An open competition where people tried to get a ball to the top with a water hose.

Funny bench in front of the Lotte store

Lotte usually has a accompaning cinema, and that was the case here too. If you have been following my blog, you can see that from my visits to Tokyo, Seoul and Budapest, its a rather discouraging experience in many countries to, like in Sweden, find movies that isn't dubbed. But when I went and asked, they told me a movie called Red 2: The Legend was OK, so I had a go. And, damn was it nice. Pure fun and action, with a whole bunch of experienced actors. Evidently, Red and Red 2 are alla bout having lots of elder (ie 40+ i guess...) actors in the movie use their charms to lift the movie, but this one actually has the settings, effects and pace, and acting ofc, to make it something more than a parade of salt-and-pepper household names. I can't recommend it enough for those who likes uncomplicated but well done action without dumb violence but lots of intelligent fighting and ironic dialogue between cars exploding and the heroes doing their job with flair. Here is my ticket and some promotional leaflet:

For fun, lets have a look at how easy Korean letters are. The white text is :
례디, 더래전드 .
So, each sign consist of a number of letters, broken down in individual ones we get:
ㄹ ㅐ ㄷ ㅣ ㄷ ㅓ ㄹ ㅐ ㅈ ㅓ ㄴ ㄷ ㅣ
which translated to its latin counterparts is:
r  ae d  <filler>  d  eo l  ae j eo n d <filler>
ie - red the legend
Simple as that! ^_^

And to end it all in an even more positiv tone, my lost luggage was waiting in my room when I returned home for the evening, hurray!
(For the next day, go here)