Korea #2

I land in the Incheon International Airport in Seoul Korea. I head down to the baggage claim area and await the one bag that didnt get lost. (Im glad this bag wasnt lost since it contained my PS2 and all my CDs, DVDs, and PS2 games) As I am waiting for my bag to circle around, a little old man came over and asked if I was coming in for the Army (the shaved head and confused look must have given me away). I told him yes, and he said to head over to the counter on the far wall to find him once I am ready.

Before I go and find the little old man, I first want to check the status on my duffle bag. When in LA, the airline said that they would send it to Korea for me and make sure it got to the Baggage Office there in Seoul. Once I got through the line (it seems that Koreans dont belive in lines, you just cut in when you see a chance) I found out that the people at the airport didnt have a clue about my bag, or anything regarding my bag. I filled out some paper work stating that I had lost some luggage and they said they would keep their eye out for it. So I left once again not knowing if I would ever get that military duffle bag again.

The little old man who told me to find him, was no where to be found. I wandered out of the gate and found the main part of the terminal. I saw some other military guys (can see the big green duffle bag and shaved head a mile away) and followed them out to the bus.

The lady at the bus asked me if I had signed in yet at the USO. I didnt, so she took me in to sign in. As I was signing the sheet, the bus driver came in and said that he had to leave so we better hurry. Once again I am almost late/ barely getting to where I need to be on this Korean adventure. I load my bags and get on the bus. The bus ride lasts about an hour and we see some of the South Korean landscape. Lush hills, little huts, muddy rivers, little trucks mostly all made by Kia, some Kia SUVs, and some little moped bikes.

The bus pulls into the Hamilton Hotel downtown Seoul. We exit the bus, get a free room (with a room mate) and are left on our own. No warnings about the night life, or the water, or even how to use the phones. A few guys and I head down to Pizza Hut (wow, pizza is my 1st meal in a foreign country, can you believe it?) and get dinner. No one there really spoke english, but they had a half english menu. The pizzas there are about the same price as they would be in the states. They also taste the exact same. I paid the bill in US dollars, and got change in Korean Won. One dollar equals about 1220 Won.

The television had WWF wrestling overdubbed in Korean. ha. I went to sleep after spending about 30 minutes trying to get a phone card, and then getting the phone to work. Sleeping.

I got up early, showered and met everyone downstairs to head to Camp Mobile to start inprocessing into our units (and to figure out where exactly in South Korea we all were going). The inprocessing started, and I found out that I was heading to Camp Garry Owen. The closest deployed camp to the DMZ (North and South Korea border). Still no word on my luggage.

We spend the next 2 days doing inprocessing stuff such as, getting more issued gear, getting new ID cards, and other random in-efficient paperwork. Finally on Wed. Aug 6th, my luggage shows up at Camp Mobile (where I am doing my inprocessing). Nice.

The next day, on Thursday August 7th, I am picked up and taken to Camp Garry Owen. It is a bumpy 1.5 hour drive in the back of a HMWWV sitting on little wooden slats. The Army isnt about personal comfort. hehe. Some of the Korean country side smells like a very dirty river, almost like a water sewage treatment plant. I think it is because they fertilize their crops with human and animal waste. yummy.

I arrive at Camp Garry Owen, furthest deployed unit other than the guys over in the Middle East doing actual fighting.

More to come in Korea #3.

(Overheard at a local primary school)

I was walking the dog and passed along one of the perimeter fences of the school. A man was there waterproofing some sheds for the next term. A woman came towards him and from some distance asked what the code for the back door was beacause she had forgotten it. At a distance of 10 yards from her and only 20 yards from me he called the number out loud. I heard it and now I have access to the local primary school via the back entrance. Will come in handy if I run out of crayons… or paper…or computer equipment…

�osie

Korea #1

I left for Korea on Aug 2nd from Chicago. I was late(sorta) to the airport. I was ontime, but since I had to check 2 large bags, and get them through security, the lady at the counter said I was late. Since the lady behind the counter said I was late, she said that I would have to hope to get on the plane on the next flight via stand-by. She also told me that she didnt think I would get on that plane since it was a sold out flight. Even after talking to a manager and telling him that if I do not get to Los Angelos for my flight, that I could be arrested by the military for being Absent Without Leave (AWOL), they still could not gaurantee a flight for me.

So I got through security, and headed for my stand-by flight gate. All of a sudden, I heard my name on the intercom… I was being paged to a gate just a few gates down the hall from where I was from. I headed over there immediatly and they rushed me onto the flight I originally was supposed to be on! How lucky is that?

I get to Los Angelos and wait about an hour and a half for my luggage to come around on the baggage claim belt… nothing. I file my claim and tell them that I am leaving the next morning at 9:30 AM for Korea and that I need my military duffle bag for my job. What do they care?… not much.

I come back to the airport almost 4 hours earlier than my flight, and deal with the baggage people. They have one of my bags, but not my duffle bag containing all the clothes I need for the military. Several hours later, I am almost late getting on the flight headed for San Fransisco then onto Korea, and I still do not have my duffle bag. I’m off.

I land in San Fran, and head down the hall to a doorway for flights to Asia. We get on a little bus, and head to the International terminal. I have about 10 minutes of spare time and buy some double A batteries for my cd player. They cost me $7.00. Then i board the Boeing 777 bound for Korea.

I slept on and off, watched the movie Basic with John Travolta, listened to some CDs, and then watched a little bit of Fear and Loathing on my portable DVD player. Twelve hours later, we land in Incheon International Airport in Seoul Korea….

more to come later in Korea #2

Well, to tell the truth… I didnt answer one question because I didnt want the evidence on a strange database somewhere and another I answered maybe when the answer was yes.. um err. But the rest were true; as virginal as Britney Spears before she became a stereo-typical Sexually Aggressive Female. I like to be forgiven (a lot) and thats why I stick close to God…. :/

Rosie

Ahhhhh, I know you fibbed on that Dodgy test Rosie. No? Oh comeon…..6 months in prison only? You mean to tell me that you wouldnt shoot burglars? Anyhooo…..just goes to show you cant trust a copper :-)

Korea. Well Mob, have a good time on your first detachment. I havent a clue how long you are gonna be there for. Its not a place us Brit types are frequenting…yet !!! I have been either too lazy or busy as yet to develop all my photos from my travels this year, but to give you an idea:

The green part - Kuantan, Malaysia

Kuantan - The lesser green part - Malaysia

The best Gulf country Ive been too yet…Abu Dhabi in U.A.E

What a hole this place is….Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Orkney Tourist stuff. The Orkneys are a group of Islands off the North of Scotland. One of the most spectacular places I have ever visited.

I couldnt find any Cyprus ones for some reason. Other links:

Scary, but good TBH!

Public service information.

Years in prison 0.5 fine �5000….
Rosie