Saturday was a relatively warm day here – highs in the 50’s – so Dulce and I took advantage of the warm weather and went on a little adventure. When Johnnie and I took the subway to Seoul to pick up my bike, we passed by a lake with lots of people walking and biking around it. On Saturday, Dulce and I folded up the bike, put it in the back of the car along with some water and Korean Gatorade and headed out to find this lake. We drove through two cities to get to the lake. Seeing other cities always makes me very aware of just how small our city is. Funny how I felt the exact same way when we were living in Georgia.
Our GPS is not loaded with Korean maps but luckily I have a map app on my iPhone that guided us directly to the lake. The lake is approximately 1.25 miles in circumference with a nice path around it that was mostly paved. Despite how empty some of my pictures look, there were a lot of people there enjoying the warmer weather. Dulce and I biked around the lake 5 times and then ran around it 3 times. I have a basket on the front of my bike that Dulce loves to ride in – needless to say, we got a lot of stares, smiles, and some pictures taken of us.
Hi Lcollich, welcome to South Korea! This place has it's ups and downs but for the most part, I actually love living here. You are correct, we are stationed at Osan AB for a one-year assignment that will be complete in March-ish. We live in an apartment complex that is just over 2 miles from the base. The town by Osan AB is referred to as Songtan but the actual name of the the town is technically Pyeongtaek. Our town and the town by Humphreys (the original Pyeongtaek) together make up a "super city" called Pyeongtaek Super. Since both cities are growing quickly, it's assumed that they will eventually merge together completely.
If you didn't get a Korean cell phone ("hand phone") yet, I highly recommend the iPhone. The iPhone and the unlimited data plan is a LOT cheaper here than in the States. Besides having great camera apps, there are also many great translator apps and a Google Maps app that are amazingly helpful. I use the Google Map app when I drive somewhere. It shows me a map of the area and a little moving blue dot that shows me where I am. If you're going to be here for a couple years, a Korean GPS might be a worthy purchase. Some of my friends have one and it's great for trips. Although, I've had other friends that got by using only paper maps and they went all over the country!
Make sure you experience E-Mart, Home Plus, Korean grocery stores, street markets, shopping in Seoul, the cherry blossom festival (April), Buddha's birthday festival (April), Korean hiking especially in the fall, travel to nearby countries, etc, etc… There is so much to do here and time will fly by faster than you know!
Hi, I am also stationed here with my husband. We just got here this July and I have loved reading your posts and you have inspired new entries on our "must-do" list.
From several entries I gather that you guys are as Osan afb, but did I read that you lives near Pyeongtaek? When you mention in your entries that a place is "near our home" what city are you referring to? We are stationed at Humphreys.
I am curious about the great map app that you have had luck with. I am still at a loss when it comes to driving places. I am only brave enough to stick to what I know, the subway, without some reliable gps or map. What do you recommend for navigating by car?
Thanks for sharing all your interesting adventures and capturing them so beautifully in all your photos!!
Cool! I look forward to that post.
Driving in Korea is much like driving in the States as far as driving-side and signs. It's different however in the sense that traffic lights are taken as more of a "suggestion" and it's an every-man-for-himself mentality. The advice I've heard for driving here is 1) your horn is there to use 2) don't use your brakes, just go for it. Driving in Korea really has to be a post of its own someday!
I love how happy everything is in Korea. Do they drive on the left? If so, what's that like?
~RJ