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Despite predictions to the contrary I managed to get out of any classes on Saturday and headed off to Ulsan.
Unlike my ever-frequent trips to the nation’s capitol where I jump on the train in Nonsan and get off in Seoul, Ulsan requires a bit of planning in order to get there. I was completely unprepared for such preparation after getting in at about midnight to find the Ben Kinsley version of Gandhi on MBC…(compare that to some of his recent films like Suspect Zero where he plays a serial killer)
So at 7am I set off for Daejon by bus, which in days gone by was the best way to travel in Korea, but nowadays with the KTX seems so outmoded, and then from the Daejon East terminal to Dajeon Station by taxi where I got the KTX to Busan followed by another 40 minutes on the subway there to another bus terminal and finally an hour by bus to Ulsan arriving just after 12 - Total travel time: FIVE HOURS!
Here are some pictures taken at an amazing 300KM/h: 
Of course the fiasco didn’t end there - no - not by a long shot! My intention for heading to the south was to partake in a bit of Whale meat - horribly environmentally incorrect I know, but where else outside of Japan and Norway am I going to get the chance? So I jumped in a taxi and asked the driver to take me to the harbour where all the restaurants etc are. Instead he drops me off in the heart of the port!
So I spent the next hour walking through some of Korea’s heaviest of heavy industries. Huge complexes of chemical storage tanks, huge tanker ships being loaded with all sorts, smoke stacks billowing all manner of toxic filth, grime and pollution everywhere. Ever present - a stream that runs through the area the water black with oil (?) and heavily polluted.
So disappointing that I got no whale in me belly, but interesting nevertheless. Being from New Zealand I have never seen heavy industry on such a scale and at least I got a couple of pictures. An hour later I had eventually made my way back to a main road, found a taxi and headed back to the bus station for some lunch (Lotteria), a quick look around the Lotte Department store and it was back on the road. Total time in Ulsan: just over 2 hours! Ulsan is of course famous as the home of Hyundai Heavy Industries (and Hyundai in general). Every car that I saw, with out fail was a Hyundai and the corporate logo (the stylised ‘H’) is everywhere. Another observation, if I can jump on the Korean chauvanist bandwagon, which I find myself ascribing to more and more, the girls in Ulsan are chubby! Must be to do with the fact that there is a Lotteria on just about every corner.
And so I made my way back to Nonsan.
Being a Samsung Family card holder I can indulge in the KTX lounge at most major train stations in the country. It is definately a pleasure to sit in airconditioned comfort with free coffee and internet access watching CNN in plush chairs rather than in the smelly hot train station with the rest of the plebs. Of the three I have experienced so far; Busan, Yongsan and Daejon I would have to say that Daejon, though the smallest, is the nicest. There is something to be said for Korea if this is how they deal with customers - The attendants (pretty girls in matching uniforms) open doors for you, bow deeply, smile and are generally nice on it and don’t expect tips. In sharp contrast to NZ where you are unlikely to to be greeted promptly upon entering, say, a cafe, let alone given a smile. Travelling first class on the KTX is fun as well. Whenever an attendant enters a car they bow deeply and say "Ohsosayoh" ("Welcome") in addition to the free coffee, Newspaper and headphones (which I "accidently" brought home with me.)
Final thoughts:
Korean kids amuse me no end.
Some one agrees with me on trashcans in Korea
I put some pictures in the Photo Front Bum (<——-)
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