Adventure to the Other Side

Okpo:

Let me begin by telling you that this picture DOES NOT do the hike up this hill justice!

I would say, it was a one mile hike up this STEEP road to get to the

Okpo Nuri Garden (which was made to welcome all foreigners)....

Except we didn't know that at the time, Scott just wanted to 

climb up there because it looked cool. 

And he was right...... It was cool. 

Here's me, a little weathered but excited to have made it up there without dying of an asthma attack....

it came close. 

View from the look out before getting to the park. 

These pictures are kind of lame, but Scott and I met in Biogeography 

and it reminded me of niche and all that boring stuff. 

Another gorgeous view.... No, subliminal message intended here.

  

(Above) Outside of the Okpo Look Out Tower 

(Below) Interior pictures of the tower

The windows looking out to the 360 degrees were all framed like this.
 It almost looks as if I framed the picture. 

 The ceiling of the tower, I love the colors!

Looking out toward the ship yards in the Okpo Harbor.

Finally we made our way down to the Okpo Nuri Garden. There were a bunch of people just hanging out up at the park. Kids were playing all over the exercise equipment, parents were running after them telling them not to. But everyone was enjoying the park, which is much different than in the US. 

Right here and right now, I am proclaiming that when I get back to the States I am going to enjoy more of the parks that I take so much for granted.

 They are just as beautiful as Nuri Garden, it just took me traveling across the globe to realize that. 

Plaque at the Okpo Nuri Garden:

"This place was selected as a good village (a model village) to live in by the Ministry of Construction and Transportation on March 26th in 2007. The decision was made under the theme of "Making a Village of Foreigners." As a result, a grant was given, and a garden was created on one side of Okpo Central Park, named "Okpo Nuri Garden." The construction was begun on January 2nd in 2008 and ended on January 30th. 

In "Okpo Nuri Garden" we can find the national flag and anthem of foreigners living in Okpo. The anthem has been written in the offical language of the country it is from. Additionally, "Okpo Nuri Garden" was created to encourage foreigners to feel united, as part of this community and as our friendly neighbours. 

2008, 1, 31.

The Okpo 2 dong resident autonomy committe

All the many different flags and anthems.

Just a downward picture looking at Okpo, very dense city.

 

Scott got to eat at an authentic Korean restaurant while we were in Okpo, he ate mussel soup... Too fishy for my taste

 (If you remember, it's the "Model City" for foreign living)

So I found something sweeter (and more foreign)! 

This weekend (September 7th-9th) we are heading up to Seoul /Yongin to meet with my friend Jamie. On Saturday, we are going on the Adventure Korea tour of the DMZ (Korean Demilitarized Zone) it is the buffer area between North and South Korea. In the tour we are able to go as far North as we can, we are able to tour the first tunnel North Korea built to infiltrate South Korea, access to the Dora observatory so we can see into North Korea and then tour the two villages within the DMZ. 

I am really looking forward to the weekend and also to be able to see a friendly face from back home! 

GO HAWKEYES!!!!!! BEAT STATE!!! I will be cheering for my Hawks from the DMZ..... well at that time, the bars of Seoul!

Wishing everyone a happy, fun and safe weekend. Love you all and miss you very much. 

-C

September 1st, 2012