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.