On the Road

So I've spent an incredible amount of time on the road lately, between picking up ammo, transporting it to training sites, making runs to drop off equipment, etc.  So I'm pretty familiar with the roadways now, my routes, and what to expect.

I wish the interstate system in the U.S. was like Korea's system.  No cops.  Only traffic cams. Everyone drives fast until they know a speed camera is ahead, and then they put on the binders.  Updating your GPS is apparently a big must around here, as it also updates the speed camera locations.  Fortunately, the app Waze does the same. And it's a blessing to have when finding new routes.

No major accidents to report, though a few of my soldiers have several years of bad luck ahead. Mirrors seem to be a common casualty with our trucks.  I'll take a lost mirror over an injured soldier any day.  So far the count is at 3 tactical convoys, 2 as the convoy commander, and the other as the assistant convoy commander.

That's enough words. Let's get to the pictures.

A quick stop at McDonald's on a late night journey.

BEST. APP. EVER.

Upon exiting the highway closest to base, you're greeted with this!

Hard in an armored vehicle, but a picture of the rest of the convoy.

Looks just like the states right?  And of course, obligatory road trip food (as learned from JP!)

No.

I'm writing this to tell you that I don't want to write a blog today.  I have stuff to write. But I don't feel like writing a blog.  Yet I don't want to go too long without writing one so you lose interest.

I swear I'll post more soon.

Probably.

P.S. I'm doing better than JP, so nobody can judge me.

Seoul Racecourse Park

Took a trip up to Seoul this weekend to get away from the base and find out what it has to offer. I went with a buddy from the squadron (who was in Korea less than 10 months ago) and he got me familiar with some of the little things I didn't know yet (i.e. the express train system, lodging, etc). We went our separate ways on Saturday and I made my way down to Seoul Racecourse Park.

Hopped on the the subway around 11:00 and 40 minutes and one transfer later, I emerged from underground to this:

Happyville is on the right and Luckyville is the building jutting out in the distance.

At the end of this long tunnel, you finally get to the gate.  Using my T-money card (the card used for traveling the rails), I paid my 2000 won admission and wondered if it was actually a horse track. There are two connected grand stands: Luckyville and Happyville.

Right in front of the grandstands, just inside of the gate is the paddock.  It's down in a bowl, with stadium seating.



I made my way over to the Luckyville grandstand to find the foreign visitor desk. After a brief lesson on how to bet and an english copy of the race program, I was on my way.

To the right are a (losing) betting ticket, the card for placing bets on the bottom, and the special pen you need to use in order for the marks to register in the machines.

Betting amounts are fixed on the card 1,2,3,5 hundered won. 1,2,3,4,5 thousand won, and 1,2,3,5,10 ten thousand won. Unlike in the states, Korea doesn't have a Show bet, they have a Win and Place.  Unlike our Place, their's covers 1st thru 3rd.

This is the length of the front stretch, with both grandstands covering the length of it. Not many people around outside, but it was only about 35* out, so most stayed inside until they were actually running.  There are fake turf patches in the distance for seating and picnics.  The infield is also built up with places for families and activities for kids.  I'd imagine in spring and summer that this is a pretty happening place!

Panoramic from the 4th level of the Grandstand

All in all it was a fun day.  A bit on the cold side, and I did lose my money, but it was a great experience and I'm sure I'll head back when the weather gets nicer!

Not-So-Funday Sunday

Today involved a bit of searching, plenty of driving, and a reality check.

The squadron is currently in the field up north (I'm back as I just finished up a class), and apparently it's cold up there.  And their heaters were on the fritz. So take a guess who got to bring them more.

Yup. Me.

So it started with myself and a soldier searching about 15 containers to find 2 heaters.  That took a handful of keys and two broken locks.  We found them though.

Then after waiting for an hour to find out if we were going to deliver them, or someone else was, we left for the training site.  A 2 hour drive on Korean highways. Nothing spectacular, though I actually prefer how they drive in comparison to Americans, with the exception of some questionable behavior at stoplights...

Along the way, I noticed a bunch of concertina wire on top of a fence following the roadway that was parallel to the river.  Intermittent shacks along the fence. When I got to my destination, I checked Maps on my phone.  Guess whats on the other side of that fence? Particularly, on the other side of that river. North Korea.  What a reality check to realize you are that close to the other half of the country you are still technically at war with.

Other things to note:

- Koreans only slow to the speed limit for speed cameras (you won't see a cop on these roadways)

- Waze sucks the battery life out of a phone

- Korean signage needs some work for the highways

On the plus side, I did get to talk to my grandparents, sister, brother-in-law, and two nephews on Skype today. It was a good way to start the day that ended up being longer than it should have.

Hope everyone else has a great weekend!

.....

Really don't have much to blog about, so some quick updates...

I'm feeling much better after a week. Finally back to (mostly) normal.  Also, set up an appointment with Orthopedics to get my shoulder checked out. Looking forward to what they have to say.

My weekend is mostly shot after being on 24 hr duty Friday night and Saturday morning. Though it was a long day, I did manage to get a great picture inside the hangar. A look at some of the last OH-58D Kiowa Warriors the Army still has.

A Quick Update

So I should be really excited to tell you about gunnery, share some pictures and videos, but I'm not. Because I didn't take any.  Because I fell ill the first full day we were there.

I'm keeping this simple with the facts:
- I have a sinus infection
- I've been miserable since 30 October
- Finally have prescriptions. And they seem to be helping...
- But the extra strength Sudafed keeps me awake
- I slept 2-3 consecutive hours last night.  The rest came in 10-15 spurts, with LOTS of time in between
- At one point I was worried I was going to drown in my own mucus.
- There will be no fun until this infection is gone.

Seoul Grand Park

This weekend we made a bit of an 'unauthorized' trip up to Seoul to get out of the area, as well as visit the Zoo at Seoul Grand Park.  Getting to Seoul involves about an hour or so of riding trains, and lots of stops.  For the price, one really can't complain.  I spent about 4000 won in travel costs on bus and trains.  That's less that $4!

The entrance to Seoul Grand Park

The zoo was gigantic, with tons of animals.  Unlike most American zoos, this place had lots of each type.  I counted 10 lions in one section alone! Where do you see that in the U.S.?

This orangutan loved the attention! He was posing on the glass for everyone!

One of the coolest exhibits in the zoo was the lemurs.  They have a walled in section where they can freely explore, while visitors walk through.  There's no separation between you and the animals, and they just play around with each other, while offering up close photo opportunities.  

This is from about 4 feet away!

After a long day of walking, we decided to take the sky tram down to give our feet a rest.  The sun was mostly down, but it gave spectacular views from the air. Even for not liking heights, it was a fun ride, and a well needed break from walking.

Christmas also came early on Friday.  We finally received our containers we shipped from NY with our personal items.  What a relief! Finally have more clothing options, my humidor, and other useful items that I no longer need to buy.

Finally, I had a follow up with the doc about my shoulder.  The X-rays show that I have a bone chip on my femur in the shoulder joint.  But given my past shoulder injuries, neither she, nor the orthopedics in Yongsan, can determine if it's new, or from previous dislocation/injury.  I don't remember any mention of a bone chip before my last surgery (they couldn't even find the tear until they scoped it), but maybe it is old.  I have gunnery coming up this week, so when I return here, I'll be heading to Yongsan to pay the orthopedics a visit.  Oh yeah.  And I'll also get to go back to physical therapy.  Super excited about that :(

Pyeongtaek

Well, the SCO finally lifted restrictions after about 2 weeks of being in Korea and it was time to explore the 'ville' as its referred to, or its actual name Pyeongtaek.  I headed out with a few others in search for a place called The Loft, which was suppose to  have really good gourmet burgers.

We found our destination after about a 5 minute walk and headed up the stairs.  I gave their cheddar, bacon, peanut butter burger a try.  And it sure was good, but EXTREMELY messy to eat! I would have liked the bacon a bit crispier, but it was still a good eat. They also had a craft beer on tap from a Seoul micro brew that was really good.  We all ate our meals and then played a few games of darts and foosball.

He's a couple more shots of the area right outside the base.  Plenty to do, and plenty to see.  I'm sure we'll venture further into the city next weekend.

From the rooftop of The Loft

Main roadway from the gate.

 I also took the time to prep some tasty breakfast burritos today.  Me and JP did it often before I left, and in much larger quantities.  It's nice to have something so good for breakfast each morning!

With all the fixins

Breakfast for the week!

And in other, not so much fun news, I fell hard on my shoulder last week Wednesday.  I had a previous surgery on that shoulder to repair a tear about 5 years ago.  Hopefully it's nothing serious, and its just irritated from the hard landing and will be find in a couple weeks. Fingers crossed!

Things Are Heating Up!

At least they are temperature wise in my room.  Sometime last week, they switched the function of our climate control from A/C to Heat. And it gets toasty at night and while I'm away at work.

Here's the proof...

This definitely isn't the temperature I'm use to living in! For the record, that's with my window left open all day to let the hot air vent out!

My roommate also gifted me a bike, as he found another abandoned one that suited him better.  He doesn't like this one.  It's a Fixie.  The sprocket on the rear hub is fixed, so there is no coast function like would be provided with a free wheel hub.  You either pedal, or your feet keep going with the pedals, as they don't stop! It'll serve its purpose for the next few months though. It's definitely not the mountain bike I'm use to!

Our internet was also installed today.  So now I have internet that is lightning fast in comparison to what I had stateside. Guess that means it'll be easier to maintain this blog.

We'll be off restriction this weekend which means we'll be able to leave the base as well as drink again.  I'm looking forward to both and I'm sure I'll have much to share in my next post.

Korea

So both myself and JP have done a terrible job of updating blogs. But after a long hiatus, I'm finally back.

And now I'm in Korea.

After relocating all the way across the country, I found out my unit would be heading to Korea for a rotation. Lots of preparation, long work days, and 14 hour flight, I'm finally here.  Just about 72 hours has passed since setting foot here, and I'm pretty much settled in.  New SIM in my phone for the Korean network, appointment to set up cable internet, and all my bags unpacked and organized.

We're still in the integration phase, as this country is far different from the US.  That means we're on restriction to the base for a yet unknown period of time, as well as unable to consume alcohol until our SCO decides otherwise (generally a 2 week time frame).

Korea has an amazing infrastructure, and technology seems to dwarf what we get in the US.  I now pay $60 a month for unlimited country wide texting and calls, as well as unlimited data. Cable is at least twice as fast as what we have back home.  And for a bargain of a price.

My room wouldn't be complete without Bucky Badger!

 My room is a good size, with a full bed, a walk in closet, desk, tv stand, etc.  I share a common area with my next door neighbor and coworker.  Everything is pretty bare at the moment as we haven't received some of the things we sent earlier this year (hopefully they come soon!), but I'm working on it!

They even provided me a place to hang my hat!

Lots more to come in the future, especially as I get a chance to visit some sights and head up to the big city of Seoul.

Looking forward to sharing my adventures with everyone!