Misadventures in Surfing (or To Surf or Not to Surf)

 So Saturday was an eventful 12 hours away from my apt.  The good news is, the guy I was with, H, is not a serial killer.  If he is, he's the worst one ever.  He came to pick me up at my apt at 10 am.  I knew he was outside because I heard other cars honking at him.  LOL.  We headed out and he told me it would be about a 3 hour trip - 250 km to the beach (that's 155 miles for those of us who don't use the metric system).  I said that's fine and away we went.  The weather was cloudy, but we were hoping it would clear up a bit.  About 20 miles from the beach (when we stopped for food) it got really foggy, then when we got to the beach it was overcast.  So our plan B became to get coffee and see what we could do.  We decided to walk down beach #1.  Sand was ok, but coarse.

Lunch for me was kimchi udon - so good!

The fog at lunch - it was at a Korean roadside stop.  They have a lot of these and usually have restrooms, restaurants, souvenirs, etc.

So H imports and sells pots from Italy - he got really excited to see these pots, which were actually some of his!  It was fun watching him get so excited.

             

 My vanilla latte looked so good!  The oreo cream cake was also good, but it was tough eating the oreos!

We walked along the beach a bit.

Beach in the time of Corona.

Feet in the sand!

Even with the overcast, it was a pretty day.  The water was pretty warm, but there was no surfing here so we decided to try for elsewhere.  Also, everyone who was actually in the water had life jackets on, which seemed silly to me, but I figure there were probably warnings about the waves and/or currents that I just couldn't read.

You can tell the water is beautiful and clear.

I love the sound of waves crashing.

So that was beach #1 - Gangmun.  H then suggested that we drive up the coast for a bit to see Jukdo beach, which is billed as a great beach to learn how to surf.  Generally the waves in Korea don't get big enough for surfing, so we were intrigued as to what it would be like.  While we were driving, it started raining a bit.

When we got to the beach, this is what we found.  Lots and lots of people, some running into each other, as they rode baby waves in to the beach.

We decided it was a bit too crowded for us, and while it was warm enough to get into the water, I was embarrassed that I had forgotten to bring a towel.  I remembered a shirt to wear over my suit (I only have bottoms now, no top, so I've been using a bralett), clothes to change into after, and sunscreen, but no towel.  Towelie would be ashamed.

I think we both wanted to try surfing another day, just not with so many other people around.

So after that H decided he was hungry and wanted a burger.  So we drove to Jumunjin beach.  It was there that we learned how rebellious we had been at the first beach - we were supposed to get our temps checked and get wrist bands saying we were 'ok.'  Oops.  H is a bit of a rebel, always breaking rules.  LOL.  I liked this beach best, not only cuz it was pretty, but the sand was more fine than at previous beaches and... there was no one there.

So here's where we went for burgers.

And our burgers themselves.  They had the typical beef patty, lettuce, and tomato... then they got interesting with egg, sweet chili sauce, and a pineapple slice.  Knife and fork were needed to eat these, and the fries were awesome. H had mentioned getting another burger, and I told him he could but I was stuffed.  And yes, I ate 2x that day, and no, I don't think it's gonna mess up my fasting.  I did tell him about it, but sometimes it takes people a while to wrap their heads around the idea, much less get comfy eating in front of someone who is just drinking water.

The emptiness of the beach.

The sand was so nice, and the waves were beautiful.

We thought this beach would be much better for surfing.

Funny enough, we also learned that we wear the same shoe size.  LOL.

So after this, we headed home and ended up in one of the biggest, most amazing rain storms I've ever driven thru.  H is a very safe driver, so I was never really afraid.  However, his phone died and he lost his navigation.  Apparently in Korea it's not common to keep a map in the car in case the navigation craps out (WHAT?!  Never leave home without Rand McNally), so we started guessing and ended up on the wrong highway.  We took some twists and turns before the phone came back on, and then we got back on the right route.  The phone died again later but by that point we were back on highway 1 and could find our way.  He seemed surprised that I knew how to get home... silly people not realizing that Mandi usually keeps her eyes open and can direct you.  Now I know that the main road is highway 1, (so I'm going to be unstoppable!), funny enough we did not want highway 35 (it followed me from TX), and I was amazed that he didn't know his way around without navigation.  I feel justified in my mistrust of navigation and my love of physical maps.

Convo with H was fun and varied.  Apparently cruise control is not a thing in Korea, so I had to explain to him that you set the cruise to maintain speed but it doesn't keep you on the road.  He has decided that I'm 72% Catholic (whatever that means).  I told him that I am not a rabid Catholic, I'm a compassionate Catholic, which is really what we are called to be anyway.  He maintains I'm 72%.  He thought my idea for "Olympian Vs Average Joe" was crazy, but he seemed amused.  He even played me some metal-type music from a Korean artist that was really good.  I'd describe it as a fusion between Rage Against the Machine and Blink-182.  He asked if I was good at decorating my apt, and I told him yes cuz I like it.  He asked how I'd describe it and I said "Halloween all year round" so he suggested I buy a haunted house.  When the phone died we discussed why I don't have a data plan or navigation (cuz I don't need it), then we talked about how I was never scared during the trip back thru the rain.  I told him I'm not sure if it's because I'm just too trusting or I just don't know when to be scared.  I have a pretty good creep-o-meter and he never set it off.  When talking about actors we found attractive I told him Jason Momoa and he responded "yeah, he fits you."  We talked about stereotypes, what Westerners find annoying about dating Koreans, his coffee shop in Busan, cars, trips, where we could be from if we could be born in another country, etc.  We shall see if we end up hanging out again (we've had coffee 2x and then this trip, first coffee date was in Sept or Oct last year, 2nd coffee date was in June, then this in Aug).  He warned me that he's spontaneous and random, and he's proven both!  For those who are wondering, I forsee a friendship, not anything romantical.  Still, it was a good way to spend 12 hours of my Saturday.

So now it's Sunday and the sun that was so elusive yesterday is shining it's heart out.  LOL.  I am thinking today will require coffee, finishing my laundry, having food (I really should cook but I don't wanna), and maybe spending some time outside in a tank top trying to get the sun that I didn't get yesterday.  I have another book I want to finish before I leave (Under the Same Sky by a guy who escaped N Korea and ended up in the US), so I can start that one.  We will be teaching online next week, especially since Covid is rearing it's ugly head.  

I hope this post finds you all doing well and I'm sending all my love and hugs from Korea to you.