The long week in

Finished up the first week in Pyeongtaek.  Let’s got to the photos for the story.

A view from my office. Yongsan was more of an admin base, hosting the HQ’s of USFK and Eighth Army. Humphreys is a base devoted to war fighters.
That runway is home to all kinds of helicopters and some fixed wing aircraft, and they are always in motion it seems. A whole different tempo here..

Another view. That building is the future home to USFK. Being in the ADVON is a bit of a pain in the ass. They are still working out the kinks in our HQ building. Also, no refrigerators or microwaves. Really cramping my bring lunch from home lifestyle. Not to mention making it hard to enjoy cold diet Cokes throughout the day. I’m not one to complain, but…

As busy and noisy as the Army base is, Anjeong-ri is quiet and docile compared to the Itaewon scene. Still have not nailed down my “home” bar, but after a week I’m greeted by name in 3 bars I visit and in two others that know what I’m drinking (light beer). I’ve actually gotten to where I prefer gin and soda but surprisingly none of the bars I’ve found have club soda in stock. It’s freaking bizarre.

The Drunk Bus is not a bar I expect to frequent regularly, but it did remind me of the dive bar atmosphere I enjoyed at the Grand ole Opry back in the ‘twon.

I paid my rent. $37,068 for one year. I don’t expect to be here a year, so by terms of the lease, the remainder will be reimbursed to Uncle Sam.

Some of my Yongsan staff came down to look for housing (most will be moving here at the end of next month). I treated them to some Korean BBQ for lunchee.

I upgraded my phone to the Galaxy S-7 Edge. Not cheap, but half the price of the new Galaxy S-8.

Katchi Kapshida only goes so far I guess….  Doesn’t bother me, I’ll always be the bigger man.  Ahem.’

Up early Saturday morning for a hike. Wound up here ten minutes from the house.

History in stone.

Very pretty area though.

Old and new living in relative harmony.

Once I was out of “town” I was walking on some old time country roads…

Your guess is as good as mine.

Saturday afternoon found me at the Osan Air Force base. I took advantage of the Arby’s there.

It’s been awhile and it was good.

I was in the area for a Saturday night dart tourney at Xenis Bar in Songtan…

My old friend Vox is the proprietor. He was getting some hair love. I of course was not.  Not that I need it…

Here in Anjeong-ri it is the Spring Festival weekend…

Which means music has been blasting from that stage and into my living room all weekend…

These guys did a decent enough cover of “born to be wild” that I ventured out to get a closer look.

The main street in town was closed to vehicles for the vent…

And as you can see I was having a grand old time…

I did enjoy a nice long walk along a new river today..

Lots of exploring to do yet.

It is certainly no Han.

The bridge what brought me there…

A few folks on bicycles and only one other hiker. Made for a lonely walk…

but there is always time to stop and smell the flowers…

This area is old school farm country…

That bridge is a train trestle. Couldn’t find any other place to cross and given that I was two hours into my hike, I turned around a walked back…

That’s Camp Humphreys on the other side of the river…

It was hot today. I only carried one bottle of water with me, needed two. Or maybe this. Also sunburned my neck. It’s true, I’m definitely a redneck now.

And that’s all I’ve got.  Feeling isolated and lonely, but that’s a big improvement over sad and miserable.  Progress!

 

 

4 thoughts on “The long week in

  1. Wide-open spaces, it seems: room to breathe, room to think. I bet the air is somewhat cleaner, too. Enjoy it all while you can, I suppose… in just a few months, you’ll be off to your new existence in the PI.

  2. not the place i remember. the only thing recognizable is the runway. i’ll bet short- times are more than $10 too. peace out!

  3. Haha!

    Yes, it can be a little boring, especially before the bars open at 6:00 p.m.

    The base is booming and I’m sure the ville will grow along with it. Haven’t found any short time on offer at any price. Not that I’m looking.

    Surprisingly, the air quality here has not been so great. Very disappointing.

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