Started off with breakfast at 8 in a little cafe down the street. Had sort of a stirfry over rice with a fried egg on top. Filling but nothing special. Then we walked a few blocks to city hall where we met with the mayor and other local officials. Exchanged pleasantries, had coffee and tea, and exchanged gifts. A highlight for me was, when leaving, seeing in the lobby a very large display of bicycle models of all types. Apparently another exists at the bike museum. We then drove to the Persimmon Festival and walked around there for a bit. Then it was to Hill House, a nice restaurant, for lunch with mayor, et al. A somewhat formal sit-down lunch with the first real napkins and western utensils I've seen here. No chopsticks. We all had steaks cooked to order --out of luck if you were a vegetarian, I guess. Somewhat tradtional western meal. Local mulberry wine --delicious -- was served.
Then we went back to the festival for a bit.Had more time to see it. Lots of agricultural displays, food samples. We walked along the river for a ways, and crossed it twice on large stepping stones.
Then it was off to see 3 industrial centers that were all clustered together: a polysilicon plant that made material for solar panels, the Korean "traffic education center" where professional drivers like bus drivers get safety training (fun!). Finally, a plant that makes ceramic-based air "scrubbers" for industry, ships, etc.
The traffic safety place was cool because we got to ride as passengers in small basic sedans (equipped with roll bars) at moderate speed into a wet pavement area where the driver basically loses all control without proper training (ABS braking system dismantled in these cars), and we did very dramatic spinouts in the water. Then we did the same thing in one of their large busses! Not the same spinning, but still an E-ticket ride. We were also taken on the bus around the high-speed track with highly banked curves. We didn't go all that fast, but it was fun, too.
Then, back to the hotel for about 45 min. before dinner. Walked to dinner at a small restaurant off on a side street. It specialized in vegetable dishes. We were joined by the equivalent of the city manager and other city officials. Must have been about twelve of us in all. Had stingray for the second time in my life (first was the day before!). A very rank smell, too chewy, but the taste wasn't all that bad. However, I'd never order it.
After dinner, which ended about 8 pm, we started our way back to the hotel. Our host, Sung Moon, left to hang out with his countrymen. Us four white guys wandered off on our own, taking a circuitous route back. When Peter Wagner and I got distracted by a long-sought-for bike shop, we lost the other two. The stores seem to stay open until about 10 pm here --all of them. Seemed busy in the area, a very commercial area, for a weekday night. School kids, about jr. high age, seem to be taking classes --probably English --at little academies in the area. You'd see them coming out at 9 pm or so to get on their bikes and ride off. All dressed in school clothes. The bike shop was very small and was almost all just bikes: commuters, mtn. bikes, no road bikes. Peter wanted to get a bell and horn, and we had to ask for them. I got a bell, too. We also saw what we guessed was a "storefront" for a mtn. bike club. Had posters on the wall and one guy in full kit on a nice mtn. bike on rollers getting a workout. Can't imagine what else it might have been.
By the way, everything (almost) is in Korean here. Very few signs or such include English. The TV in this hotel has only Korean channels. Even the computer (keyboard and display) is all Korean and takes a bit of time to figure out.
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