Earthquake

My time in Daegu is getting closer and closer to the end. I want to follow one advice of my professor back home university and attend a training session in the mountains. It shall be hopefully really fun. I hope I just will be not disappointed and send back home, as it stated to register online or call them up. The website is Korean, so I could not register online and when I had been calling no one has ever pick up the phone.

I check then my favourite website on an easier way to get to Palgongsang Mountain, as I noticed that the red bus No.1 passes by not far from Main Gate, just bottom of the street. I would then do not need to travel to City Centre. I also would recommend you for all your trips to use Naver Maps, its a really amazing website. So I sorted out on which bus to get faster today up the mountain and made myself on the way.

It was a bit chilly in the morning, but its now the 10th December it shall be getting colder soon. I waited for the bus and then just enjoyed the ride up the mountain and memorised my great times when I gone up the first and gone down. Can you also still remember? If not have a read again here in your free time.

When I got out the bus it was freezing. It was more colder then down in town. I made my way fast to the centre for the training. I had been lucky I could sign up for today. First I have been given a RFID reader, which will track my progress through the few hours and an English translation transcript. Which shall explain me on what I will be doing. The training will be provided by current and retired fire fighter. 

The first training had been to deal with fire, how to eliminate fire. Really just the basics which everyone shall know. The second training was to rescue people - the instructor has shown me on how to hold my hands and how strong to press on the breast of the person. I never had done it before, so it was a good exercises to learn. The fourth exercises was to sit in a kitchen and wait for an earthquake, as we did not had much time to wait for 7 point to 8 point of earthquake she brought the kitchen into shake. I could easily perform the task in the simulation switch of the gas, open the door and put a chair in front of it and go under the table. The question is will I able to do it also in a real life situation? At least I will knew on what points shall be done. I had never knew to open the door, but to go under an object was always clear.

We talked then a walk outside where a few house blocks fallen down on us and continue into the mountains area where we climb up the rocks and cross various fields. The lesson here is to show that nature is unpredictable it could be a sunny day but its actually can turn out different. As you read above nice and chilly in the university area but freezing cold here on the top of the mountain. 

We token then a small break by watching the future of fire fighters in a 4D cinema screen room. It was an interesting story line, but really science fiction based so far. 

Now we are going to the room which I really want to practice and learn, and which can occur anywhere in the world. The subway fire - that's why also the centre open. 

In this case it was a crime on what has happen - but it also can happen without being a crime. If anything like this happens again you shall know on how to behave if taken care during this training. I really liked it as on a public train in service you can not play around with the functions otherwise you get a high fine. Here is where you can press all buttons and turn off and on things, especially on how to handle the doors to able to escape and afterwards how to walk and where to walk to escape faster.

This was then the end of the training and a very useful of 2-3 hours time spend. I then headed towards Beommul-dong area to take finally a picture of the World Cup. Later this late afternoon nothing exited happen. Reached back to the dorm and we encounter a black out. Not sure if it was due to the moon eclipse which we shall see or extensive usage of electricity.

Palgongsang Mountain

I am back again to Palgongsang and with water my friend.

I went with my friend in the early morning hours to the mountain to hike up to the peak. As you may remember in my first week it was not my intention to get to the top. Today I will go the full length or as far my friend want to go.

So we started from the bus station as everyone does, but we did not token the official way in the beginning - so it was a bit hard to get up and sometimes we had faced difficult slopes you need to concentrate on every move you take or the way goes downhill.

It was a nice weather with a forecast of rain - but just do not trust the weather report and go out. We manage to arrive at the Palgonsgang cable car station in around one hour hike up. There is where I last time gone down - but today I will go higher. We seen a sign next stop is around 2km away from here. So we decided to go further after we reached we gone higher and higher.

It was a very nice walk after the station as it was not difficult at all to get up. We could enjoy the landscape and the colour full trees around the area. We managed to arrive to the top in less then three hours walk including break times.

In the top we had a great view towards Daegu city but not to the other side, as there was already the cloud waiting for us. We had a cup of wine before we made our way down.

There is also a small joke. Why do you know you are still on a Korean mountain? It has a Wi-Fi Zone. It is incredible that even on the highest spot of Daegu a company will insert a Wi-Fi Zone.

On the way down we had must taken a wrong turn and ended up on the temple which had been recommended to me last time when I been the first time there. It was just to far to walk alone as it is in the top of the mountains.

From the temple we just walked down the road to the base where we taken the local bus service to the university.

My other friends did not join us for the mountain, therefore we decided to meet them up in one hour and experience another part of Korean culture - The sauna. Many stories had been heard, it is probably one of the scary places if it is the first time.

You just need to go with an open mind inside. It is strange that everyone is naked and stands there and watch the latest baseball game or gets a hair cut in the salon (It is gender divided). Where as upstairs people wear prison style clothes which can been on Prison Break. You can go inside the hot saune and relax for a while, watch movie, sing Karaoke, have a meal and sleep in the communal area. If you fancy you can go back downstairs to the men floor (if you are a men) and take a hot tub and some water massage and go into sauna and cold water. I presume in the female complex they have the same attributes.

It is a good experience to enjoy.