I think I’ve basically decided not to do a post on Japan. There’s just…not much to write about. I went and came back. I might do small posts on the more interesting parts of it later.
Well. Ciao.
Archive for August, 2011
Storm Drain
Calling it “the rainy season” here in Korea is a bit like calling a summer in Phoenix, Arizona “the warm season.” Even the northeast US’s storms have got nothing on what it was like some days here. That said, my (Korean) friends have insisted that this really isn’t normal, and sure enough, the news seems to agree with it. I was actually intending to meet a friend on the day of that article, but I showed up at Sadang Station (사당역) to find the place fortified with sandbags* with emergency workers milling about or directing traffic…and as the picture in that article shows, well, the red bus I was intending to board never came. Probably for the better, really.
Sadang Station
*The station entrances are already elevated off the surrounding sidewalk; the sandbags are in addition to that.
The first time I noticed something might be amiss was all the special announcements coming over the subway station’s intercom as I entered the first station. However, the audio was so badly distorted I doubt I could have understood it even if it was in English. My friend hadn’t checked the news either, so we didn’t realize the extent of the flooding until my being stuck at the station prompted him to investigate.
Under an Arch (Suwon Fortress)
Unfortunately I didn’t get a shot of it, but while taking the subway the day before I passed over the Han river (runs through the middle of Seoul, for any unfamiliar with the city). Running along the river is a park, but if you want to actually get to the edge of the water, you have to descend a fair bit. That’s where I originally took the cloud picture, incidentally. But when I passed by on the subway, the bridge of which is (fortunately) very far above the water… the only sign of the park was the tips of tree branches visible.
Moreover, running parallel to the subway lines on the bridge are the express ways (highways). I’ve mentioned this before, but space in Korea is tight; the on/off ramps extended over the edge of the river. Normally they, too, are pretty high up… That day, however, the river had very nearly risen to its level. Later the roads there were closed, but at the time traffic was backed up…probably from earlier closures and flooding. I would hate to be stuck there.
To anyone thinking about visiting Korea, I’d really recommend coming during springtime, say late April or early May. Otherwise, you might get pretty much shut down by weeks of rain at a time. Or, if you are willing to brave the rain, South Korea’s authorities seem to do a wonderful job of keeping the infrastructure, public transit, et al.
I still need to do a post on my short little trip to Japan…Which was well over a month ago now? Yeah, I’m pretty far behind on things…
Han River Cloudscape at 24mm