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.