The temp has warmed up to a balming average of 45 degrees lately! At first this would have frozen me being spoiled in the southern states for the last 5 years; but I have adjusted to the cold and now think this is a heat wave! So Tyler and I decided to bundle up and go for a walk down to the shopping district outside the gate and I thought I would take my camera to give you a walking tour of our neighborhood. (Don't forget to watch/listen to the video at the bottom; we hear this guy everyday announcing something in Korean over loudspeaker from some unknown location...we are not sure what he is saying; but it gets loud enough to wake you out of your sleep!)
Anyway, let's start our tour...
This is the first view right outside of our apartment building
Looking back at our apartment. Our's is on the right.
Walking down the alley to get to the street
Looking back at our apartment. Our's is on the right.
Walking down the alley to get to the street
Coming to the street...this is the view to the right (or to the south if you are one of those north, south, east, west people. I had no choice but to convert when I got married :)
And the view to the left (north) where we will be heading
Passing the market by our place. Andy found the best grape fruit snacks here! He frequents it often :)
The road to the base is pretty hilly and very narrow. I have to close my eyes sometimes when driving because it's a compeition as to who will pull over and let the other pass when coming from opposite directions. There is not enough room for two at the same time. At first I was gracious and pulled over every time and then I noticed that no one was doing this for me...well, that grace ended quickly! I drive down the hill and someone is coming up. I just keep driving; moving over just slightly to see if my opponent will budge. NOPE! He is a taxi driver on a mission and could care less if we hit mirrors. So I continue without giving in and with inches to spare there is no loser! I love driving in Korea!!
A partial view to the east of Songtan city
Getting closer to the shopping area and gate entrance at the bottom of the hill.
This is the "Triangle of Death". It's pretty much a free for all as most driving is here anyway; with no clear right of way and obviously no stoplight. Being such a crowded area there have been many close calls. In fact, I just drove to the base today and the car in front of me slammed on his brakes and skid when a little Kimchi car went blaring around the corner (right where the taxi is). Needless to say we drive slow here.
The start of all the shops. If the base ever closed; most of these shops would collapse. The military drives most of the business here so you are bound to see mostly Americans in the area.
Looking back at the Triangle of Death
The front of the Main gate to Osan Air Base. It's about a 13 minute walk from the apartment to here and roughly a 4 minute drive; depending on how many times you have to pull over for the traffic...in my case not many, haha!
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