Home Sweet Home !!!!!!

For those who may not have known, I was fortunate to spend 29 days of leave with my magnificent life for just about the whole month of October. It truly was my most memorable and enjoyable vacation I have ever taken. Leslie had off the first week I was home and we were able to go on 3 hikes, have dinner out and catch up on some much needed time together. We hiked up Camelback Mountain , which was very strenuous but rewarding.

We spent some quality time with our neighbors and I was able to catch up on some maintenance around the house. It was quite warm there and now I am back in the 45 to 55 degree range everyday. It is strange not having everything I am used to but the countdown is at 49 days till Leslie comes back for her second trip to Korea for Christmas. It is nice to see the leaves changing for the season and snow should be falling here very soon.

Leslie's South Korea trip-Part 2-The Secret Garden

One of the places Leslie had on her list to see was the Changdeok Palace. The palace itself was constructed in 1405, however would be destroyed by Japanese during the invasion of 1592. It has been rebuilt and the beauty preserved ever since. The main attraction of the palace is not the architecture of the rooms itself, but the Biwon or better known as The Secret Garden. It is a soothing quiet spot with a pond in the middle being occupied by lily's. Because the palace is surrounded on all sides by walls, the garden was the meditating area for those, mostly the emperor and empress, who lived in the palace. The palace was built during the Joseon Dynasty. Its difficult to comprehend sometimes because the history here is long lasting but the American history is very young. As we explored Seoul and it's history, we learned that Korea was a major battleground for the Chinese and Japanese that still effect it today. The Garden is Leslie's favorite memory of the Palace. I thought it was nice, but very bland because we were not able to enter any of the facilities within the palace.

Leslie's Korea Trip -Part 1- The Seoul Tower

I am able to make some time and post a new title. I know it has been some time since I have been on here, but there has not been a lot going on until recently. Leslie arrived at Incheon International on June 15th after a long 14 hour flight. My friend Steve and I took the subway from base to meet her. I mention that because he was the one to point her out at a very busy airport. Leslie didn't really know what to expect upon arrival (only what i told her over the phone)but left on the 13th of July with an impressive view of the country and and strong fondness of the people. It's safe to say the she hit Korea like an earthquake hits California. It didn't take Leslie long to realize what she wanted to see and do. We had a tentative schedule of events planned. We had plenty of time to travel around Seoul and realized how magnificent the city is. We ventured up the Seoul Tower only to see how huge the city. Once we got to the top of the tower, you could see civilization on all areas for 360 degrees. It truly is one of the most memorable views I have ever seen. After we left the tower, we started walking down the trail and I noticed a vendor making some kind of stew in a pot. As I approached I noticed that the stew was actually a pot of boiling caterpillar-like bugs. Yuck!!! The Seoul Tower was just one of adventures during her month stay. I will bring another title in the following days.

Saturday Night in Seoul

On Friday afternoon, a bunch of coworkers and I made a plan to take the bus from Osan to Seoul for unlimited crablegs at the E-Club at Yongsan. The bus ride can vary from 60 minutes to 90 minutes but really is a comfortable ride. Yongsan is the Army garrison located inside of Seoul and is really beautiful. The crab legs were tasty and we all seemed to enjoy the meal. It is real easy to get downtown by just taking a 5 minute cab ride, so that's what we did. Even though we went downtown, the area we went to is called Itaewon. It is really Americanized here with GI's all over the place, but nonetheless were able to find a German pub to enjoy a nice cold beer. Itaewon is alot like Songtan in where it is geared for the night scene and shopping with a bunch of clubs and bars to cater to us. There is even a Hard Rock Cafe right smackdab in the middle of Itaewon. Keep in mind that this is just a small area of Seoul and that an estimated 22-27 million people live in and around the Area. Seoul continues to increase it's economic output as it grows through globalization and with the presence of the US here, in other words, we love to spend our money here. The picture is from the Dragon Hill Lodge located on Yongsan. It really does no justice to the actual view. The mountains are pretty small and green, almost identical to the Appalachian mountains. When you look out, all you really see is the housing areas and brand new high rises. In the first picture I included, you can see the Seoul Tower that watches over all of Seoul. I haven't ventured up the tower yet, but plan on doing that soon. Some of the other places you all would be familiar with is Cold Stone Creamery, Starbucks, The Coffee Bean and hotels like The Hyatt and Hilton, all located in the general radius of where we were at. I don't know about you, but when I'm in Asia, I'm not looking for Mexican food or anything else I can find in the states. Also, it is nice not having to drive anywhere or worry about the price of gas. I have yet to see any of the American made trucks like the F-150 or anything being driven by the natives. It's kind of nice. This is definitely a place you would want to visit. For me, it is just one of many I would like to visit. Some of the others on my list next are Tokyo, Shanghai, Bangkok, Sidney and Beijing...

The weather here...

is finally getting nice, not that it was all that bad to begin with. Our temperature has been in the 70's for the past week, but it's still cool in the morning and evening. All around the base the cherry blossom trees are blooming and look really nice. There is even a blossom festival down south this weekend by our other base, Kunsan, but I think I'm going to skip it. I am venturing to make it down to Seoul on Saturday to see some new sights. I spent last weekend in bed due to food poisoning. Its ironic though, I got sick from the chicken on base, not off base like you would think. There are a lot of great places to eat off base. I walked through the open market just gazing at all the fish, kim-chee and fruit. I even stopped into a french bakery and picked up a danish, it was fantastic! I walked through the fish market with two buddies, and the one ran through fearing he was going to puke from the funky smell. None the less, it was very interesting to see the variety they have to offer. I guess it's just like shopping for everything else like the suits, dresses, purses, shoes and lingerie(everything is tailored for you personally). I even had a Red Sox robe made just for me by one of the local suit makers. Also, don't be mistaken into thinking that the products here are cheap, they are not. I plan on having a couple suits made for me with a cashmere overcoat before I leave next March, all for a couple hundred dollars. My friend Adam had a pair of boots fitted to his big feet and manufactured in just a week. Its really pathetic if you think deep about it all. Americans do not know how to make these materials by hand( everything is mass produced) but the companies will charge an arm and a leg for it. The same jerseys sold in the stores in America, I can buy here for 30 dollars. Lets go back to the food. the picture on the right is just a tidbit of the kim-chee available of base. Along with that is a dish called Bul-gogi(ba-gogi). It is excellent!!! It reminds me of a stir fry with rice and has tremendous seasoning added in. I have not tried anything from the local market yet, I am still trying to adjust to any bacteria my body is soaking in that I am not used to. So far, so good! Their are some tasty restaurants outside the base(many, many, many to choose from)coupled with the numerous bars. Darts is a very big hobby here and every establishment has a team. Some off my buddies are trying to recruit me, but I am holding out for more money to the highest bidder come mid season. Every bar has several dart boards and seems to be very homely, like "Cheers". My plan is to scope out Seoul for this weekend in order to find a nice restaurant for Leslie and I for when she comes here.
The picture on the right is just an example of a local place where Leslie can have a dress made just to fit her, no returning for it for some fashion failure or so on. I think it would be extraordinary to have something made for us for a nice classy dinner is Southeast Asia. I guess i will just have to see what is on the menu...

This is a ...

very big base. I think I have touched on this before, but i can't say it with any more emphasis than this, this is a very big and modernized base! Below is a picture of the high school football field located right outside my dorm room. The high school team here plays other teams on the peninsula(I would never have thought that there was a team on base here in South Korea)and even the other teams in the region including Okinawa. It is strange. I was told prior to coming here that Osan is located in a war zone(naturally being in South Korea). So, how on earth is there a school here. I mean, who's kids are here? I think it is a reasonable question to ask, after all we are located in a war zone, right? The last time I checked, North Korea and South Korea have never signed a peace treaty since 1953. So why do I see women and children all over this base everyday, all day?
Outside the base is a very busy place. It is very built up and the locals LOVE us. Granted, we do spend a lot of money on their products, but we can get them so much cheaper than the states. It took only two shopping trips for me to realize that somebody is getting ripped off tremendously in the whole scheme of things. I say that because you can buy something here for 25 dollars but pay for the same product in the US for 175-200 dollars. WOW!!!! So, who is at fault here? I tend to believe the businesses in America are at fault. As Americans, we always try to pretend that we are looking out for our own interests, but will take money out of our own pockets quicker than anything. You can have a suit Tailor made for you here at 200-225 that you would pay 600-1000 dollars for in the states. That is ridiculous. I have enjoyed my time here so far and would come back here again if given the choice to bring Leslie(in a second).
There have been rumours here that they may open this up to bring families(for the enlisted, most officers already have their families here). That would be good for all involved. Lets get the facts straight here, South Korea is booming and people are making money and prospering. Meanwhile, people in the North are starving living under a brutal dictatorship. I encourage people to make a vacation to Seoul to see it for themselves(even though I know people won't). If you have been tuned into the media lately, you have noticed that there has been plenty of news going on between the North and the South. I can't go into the issue too deep, but it nearly isn't as bad here as the media reports it. That's the propaganda the news reports.

This place is...

identical to that of Pennsylvania. I say that because it was very warm this past weekend but has dipped to a very cold week. It is good though here, I really like it so far. I just wish Leslie could be here the entire time. With that being said, she will be leaving Phoenix to come visit me soon. I will not say the dates due to security reasons, but it will be a blast when she comes here. I do have a new mode of transportation, my new bike. It's probably maybe a mile where I work, so its a nice ride(just hurts my butt).

I also have some pretty cool pictures of my dorm room. I still haven't got my shipment from the states but have accumulated quite a bit of items. I had to buy a TV, sheets, and a few other items. Other than that, there really hasn't been anything going on. See ya