We ended up doing quite a bit of traveling this week so we took some pictures to share. This is pretty typical of a Korean market street. The things you miss with these pictures are the smells. There is always a very strong smell of garlic and frying oil. Old women sit on the streets and peel garlic that is sold in the shops. You also miss the sounds. The markets employ sales people who try to invite buyers by calling out loudly. The produce beside me is garlic as they pull it from the ground.
This market at Uijeonbu was the first we have encountered. Our area is too small for a street market. We only have one small grocery store. The price of a watermelon in our store is $24. The same one you pay five or six dollars for in Costco. We could have purchased a watermelon in the market for $9 but we had a very long bus ride and no way to carry it so we settled for some nectarines, small, yellow melons that taste a little like honey dew, and two very large apples the sales person promised were VERY sweet.
After our zone conference a local mission leader arrived as the meeting ended with three Korean pizzas and three liters of lemon-lime soda. Wayne had a piece of each of the pizzas. One pizza looked like cheese, another, had yellow squash, and the other had something that looked pepperoni. I did see corn on them. Wayne said they tasted like potato and squash. The cheese wasn’t really cheese and there was no hint of tomato sauce. They were not spicy and were a cultural experience that I missed because the gentleman knew they had wheat in the crust.
On Friday we had lots of adventures. Much of the day felt like we were in a mystery book looking for clues to find secreted treasures. I held the map; Wayne the GPS; and we did our best to ask for clues from passing Koreans. We were able to ride the shuttle from Camp Casey to Yongson AFB. Our route took us along a river that was very beautiful with the tall egrets and herons fishing its banks and ducks and cormorants as well. There were parks along both shores as well as a lovely bicycle and walking pathway. The seats were very comfortable and the bus air conditioned. We even managed to do a bit of practice with vocabulary using my new flash cards.
This is one of the bridges across the Hun River. Pvt. Eggers told us his commander said these bridges are expected to be the first targets North Korea will hit if the cease-fire fails and he is to be on the other side of the river before they blow. Lots of seasonal saber rattling goes on here and life goes on. It is a pattern and has been this way for decades. “…if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.” (D&C 38:29) It still keeps many of our soldiers on 10-minute battle alert and unable to attend sacrament meeting. While our sacrament meeting attendance has been very low the past two weeks, we have been able to visit with many members as they wander through the food court during our fellowshipping activity on Thursdays. The Lord knows what is happening in Area 1 in South Korea and He is in charge. We just do our small part each day and know that “…by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.” (1 Nep 37:4).
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