Travelling? Or living somewhere for a while? It's kind of confusing.

At some point, that new town where you couldn't find your way to the laundromat despite excellent directions becomes a town where you're staying for a while. You've pushed against the edges of the town: north, south, east, west.

You freaked them out a little bit in the villages and fields. That's okay. They must learn just like those farmers in the Pyeongtaek rice fields back in the day. The old bald foreigner? Pay him no mind. He means no harm. He just walks around--slowly, with his damaged foot--examining damn near anything and everything. 

Don't ask him where he's going. He doesn't know. He just keeps taking small roads through the forest until he gets lost enough. Then he finally gives up and heads in the direction of town.

20220829

"Low-budget traveller" is just other words for "cheap bastard"

A lifetime of medical research has revealed that I should not eat fried chicken, but eat it I did on the night of 20220826--and the morning of the 27th and the night of the 27th. Yes, of course I should have thrown it away after the first night. But I'm on the road, and I accidentally bought too much, and it was food substance, so I kept going back to it. Each time I was richly rewarded with massive gastrointestinal effects.

Not only me. All the people in this nice town who happened to be in my vicinity were also affected. At the tourist attraction, on the street, and in the supermarket, air quality havoc was wreaked upon the unsuspecting. All I can say is, "I am sorry. I am truly sorry."

So put it in the books. A couple days of gastrointestinal distress-pretty much self-inflicted--while on the road. If you choose to be a cheap bastard traveller, this too can be your fate. For me, today is a brand new day.

20220826

It's the strangest thing. How could I have missed it?

You may recall a previous post about finding a laundromat. In that post, I wrote the following: They gave me great directions: "Just walk straight up there and turn right at the convenience store." I walked straight up there and straight up there some more, and there was never a convenience store.

Yesterday, having moved back to a different motel in the same area downtown, I noticed a convenience store remarkably close to the location that the students had referred to. I thought that was kind of odd, but interesting, so I turned right and walked a couple of blocks. Nothing.

Today, eager to avoid another walk across town to do laundry, I went to the nice ladies at the train station's tourist information desk. After some discussion, they produced for me an excellent map that only local people could have prepared. They even added a nice touch about a supermarket on the corner before the laundromat.

So I followed their map, which took me right to the supermarket, and just past the supermarket was the laundromat. The signage was a bit more subdued than what I consider normal, but the laundromat was there nevertheless. It was just where the motel owner told me to go. It was just where the student girls said to go. Following the principle of Occam's razor, I have no doubt that I walked right past that convenience store when I was following the students' directions on the evening of 20220820. 

And that, my friends, for better or for worse, is how I map a new town.

20220825

Chin-ups at Hwabusan: I'm good for two. Thinking about the possibility of three.

I passed through Hwabusan on my way to the art gallery on 20220821. With nobody around, it was safe to approach the chin-up bar once again. The first one went okay, I didn't think about going back up immediately for a second attempt. Rather, I had a brainstorm: "Take a little break and then try it."

So that's what I did. I took a little break. Caught my breath. Took a hit of coffee. I went back over to the chin-up bar and nailed Chin-up #2. At this point, I'm pretty sure I'm going to make it to three, but there will be breaks in between each one. That's fine. They still count according to my record book.

What's surprising is how pregnant I still am after one week of serious walking/hiking. Not actually pregnant, mind you, but looking surprisingly so when I view my gut in the bathroom mirror. A photo of that sorry sight we shall not be seeing today.

20220821

I have divorced Google Maps; I intend to marry Google Earth.

I have divorced Google Maps due to irreconcilable differences. I do not hide the fact that I have been seeing Google Earth, who I intend to marry. How could I not love an app that delivers me to my destination when I'm walking about, wherever I am in the world.

A recent example: Once again, I found myself in need of a laundromat. Google Earth didn't take me to just any run of the mill laundromat on some busy street. Oh, no. She did much better than that. She took me to an excellent laundromat in perhaps the most beautiful setting in the world for a laundromat. "Photos or it didn't happen," you say. 

20220822

P.S. My thanks to the kind laundromat owner and the kind fellow customer, both of whom helped me out. I sure am running into a lot of kindness here.

When you have only a fruit knife, it is a multi-tool.

When you've only got a fruit knife, it necessarily becomes a multi-tool. On this trip, I used my made-in-Japan, stainless steel fruit knife for the following.

• cutting fruit
  
  
• coffee stirrer
  
  
• scissors

20220823

Please don't get me started on the reason why I don't have my trusty Gerber Dime mini multi-tool with me. It's because the Americans are afraid of their own shadow. In fear, and for the sake of pretend security, they won't let me take it on a plane. The knife blade is less than four centimeters!!! Let it be known throughout the world that this decision by U.S. authorities is bureaucratic dumbassery at its worst.

Punky Hillbilly walks through the forest to the art gallery.

It's probably hard to believe, but Punky Hillbilly likes to look at art. I'm not sure when it started. Maybe when I finally stopped caring about what other guys thought about me, or about being manly--whatever that is. Regardless, to the Gangneung Art Museum I did go, via the beautiful Hwabusan. I was rewarded with some great paintings, my favorites of which are included below.

Note: Please forgive the crappy photos. That seems to be my style, tiresome though it may be, even to my own self.

Looked at this one for a long time, multiple times, and then went back and looked at it some more. Well-done, my artist friend. Very well-done indeed.

20220821

Thank you, Gangneung Art Museum artists, sponsors, and staff. Excellent!!!

Perfect 빈대떡 / bindae-tteok for lunch: Paid for with cold, hard cash.

After a busy morning, this old boy was hungry. Through pure dumb luck, I happened upon just my kind of old school restaurant, with an open front and little plastic chairs to sit on. The two nice ladies there served me up the perfect 빈대떡 / bindae-tteok. Let's call it mung bean pancake.  The dipping sauce was good. The onions in the dipping sauce were great. It's been too long since I chowed down on some nice, fresh, bold onions.

20220821

In addition to the nice ladies who worked there, another great thing was the old school payment system: Cash Only. Allow me to provide a translation for the sign below:

"We don't give a shit about your Cashbee card or your Tmoney card or your Visa or MasterCard. We just don't give a shit. It's cash, and cash only, just like it's always been. If you don't like it, go somewhere else. We don't need your high technology ass around here."

Disclaimer: I sort of embellished the translation. The original text is much kinder, and without profanity.

5000 Korean won / USD 3.75 for an excellent lunch.

20220821    

Age 64: I can do 1 chin-up.

Two days in a row, I have successfully executed a chin-up on the chin-up bar on Hwabusan. I'm talking about a proper chin-up, pulling my body up with the strength of my arms so that the bottom of my chin rests on the bar. The first day, I thought: "Okay. Let's do one, and see if I rip or tear anything." But I was still okay when I woke up this morning. 

Today was the second day. Before getting on the chin-up bar, I had the thought of maybe trying for two. That was not to be--at least not today. After the first one, I went straight back down without even attempting a second. 

I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it back to Hwabusan as I'm changing lodging tomorrow. That's probably for the best. When OCD Jerry gets going, he doesn't stop until he injures himself. Given more time, I'm pretty sure I could do two or three chin-ups. Or, maybe not. Maybe the next stop is zero chin-ups, and I should be grateful that I can still do one. 

20220821

Flag pole supports in Daechang-ri, Gangneung City

I'm walking back to my motel this afternoon after a full morning, when I spy a vacant lot. Vacant lots are rare in town due to how expensive/valuable land is. I checked it out, and what do you know. It was a pretty cool piece of history. The people who take care of this town sure do a good job of it. I find it quite admirable that they keep this history intact.

20220821