Strike Out

What is that saying about best laid plans??? Nothing went quite like I anticipated today. First, the little map in the guide book indicated a few hiking trails in Yudalsan Park, with the botanical and sculpture gardens marked on the trails. Well, that was totally misleading. As soon as I got into the Park, there were trails everywhere and all the signs were in Korean. I hiked up and down, around in a couple circles and climbed an innumerable amount of stairs. All to no avail. I never found either of the gardens nor did I find a way over the mountain and down to Yudal beach, which was my ultimate destination. To add to the frustration, it was definitely the hottest day of my vacation. In the woods, with no breeze, I was sweating profusely. I see now that we have eyebrows to prevent continual drops of sweat from getting into our eyes. I finally gave up and decided to find my way out to the starting point and just take a bus to Yudal Beach. Strike 1.

By the time I caught the bus, I was damp from head to toe. The air conditioned ride gave me a short reprieve, but at least there was a breeze by the ocean. I learned that all the tours of the islands were in Korean and there were none scheduled at the time I was there anyway. Strike 2.

Ever the optimist, I decided to make the most of it and try the Maritime Museum on the other end of town. The guide book indicated it had nice displays, and there was a good restaurant next door that was English-friendly. I enjoyed the museum, which was filled with the booty from two shipwrecks, as well as displays on fishing and boating. It was about 2pm and I was famished, so I went searching for the restaurant. As my niece would say, "What the …?" There was nothing close to the museum that looked like a restaurant. Strike 3.

I've got to write Lonely Planet and give them a piece of my mind about their coverage of this town. Err.

It was then that I realized that maybe I should just take it easy today and be grateful the museum was interesting. I took the bus back to my neighborhood and stopped into Isaac Toast for lunch. A really long time ago, I was visiting Kristie and Mark Ewig in Germany. I told them I had gone without eating because I couldn’t read the menus. They gave me an invaluable tip, which came in handy today, look for the word toast, or some variation of the word, and it usually means a sandwich. Well, true to their word, Isaac Toast was a sandwich place. Although every single item on the menu was in Korean, they did have pictures. I pointed to what I thought might be a veggie sandwich but that’s not what I got. Instead I got a fried egg, with cabbage, a mayo sauce, sweet pickles, and an unidentifiable fried patty of some type of sea creature. I discretely pulled the fishy patty off for later disposal and finished the rest of the sandwich. Hmm. Out of strikes, so I spent the balance of the day relaxing in my quiet, uneventful, yet predictable hotel room.Read more