Sunday

Looking out the window...

This is sort of a park/exercise center that we overlook.

We decided to give ourselves a little tour of the neighborhood. There are some pretty awesome buildings.

If you're thinking that Stephen is about to climb the 6 foot wall of rocks...

Then you are correct.

There's something we probably haven't really explained about New Songdo City...It really is a new city, as in like, the land has recently been brought into existence. Back when times were economically good, a bunch of investors poured billions and billions of dollars into basically dirt, to bring the city up from the ocean, or to "reclaim" it. (I think it's weird that they use the word "reclaim," as if it once existed, was lost, and now they're getting it back. No. This is fabricated land, the very beginning of its existence.) Billions of more dollars were put into building that amazing bridge we told you about, and more and more money has been put into making this an international business hub. So, as I write, I guess I'm probably sitting on about a couple hundred thousand dollars or something. Even though we're in a recession, I don't think the city is being put on hold. Thank goodness--what a let down that would be. It looks like they're still building, still growing (it's supposed to be finished in 2015). But it seems like it's still mostly a place where people work, rather than live. I guess everyone lives in every other part of Incheon. (It's kind of confusing that it's called New Songdo City, because it's really a district that is part of the entire city of Incheon.) It's cool for us to be here, because we get to live right in this huge project, and maybe over the course of a year we'll be able to log some kind of progress. Still, it's a little weird living in a kind of ghost town. I mean, on a Sunday afternoon, there is noooo one around. Check out the subway station:

We're in one of the largest cities in the world, and when we get on the train, we have it all to ourselves.

Okay, but a few stops later it started filling up, and once we got into Seoul we were shoulder to shoulder with folks.

Korean barbeque. Fantastic.

No big deal. Just a giant bank ad that takes up the entire facade of a city skyscraper...and features a seriously vicious looking kitty. Welcome to Asia!

We probably spent four hours total on the subway yesterday, and didn't really do much else. Wandered around Seoul, ate dinner, bought a pack of cigarettes.

Almost back to ghost land...All tuckered out.