I'm off... base that is

So I finally got the chance to take my first outing off base. Today I travelled up to Seoul to go to the LDS Temple there, as shown in the picture above.

It was quite the exciting adventure for me since I was going up there on the subway and this was my first time using it by myself. I had been on the subway here during my previous tour, but never alone. So, armed with my newly acquired T-Card (a Seoul public transportation discout card) I headed out. Luckily for me the subway system here is really good. I rode Line 1 from Songtan station (about a 20 minute walk from the base) to Sindorim station. After getting off the train there I followed the signs down the stairs to transfer to Line 2 and rode that all the way to my final destination at Shinchon station in Seoul. This was where my big concern came into play... where did I go out to walk the last little bit to the temple? Thankfully there was a big map of the area with a "You are Here" spot, so I easily found the exit I needed. The whole subway process was dummy proof (thank goodness!) which makes me excited to use the system again.

Anyway, I followed the directions I had gotten from the Church temple website and my memories from travelling there during my last tour. 10 minutes later I was at the temple having met with no complications. It was also quite a nice way to spend my first time off base this time. It was peaceful and relaxing as always in the temple.

Once I was done at the temple I headed back out for the return trip to Songtan. That's when I saw this:















Now, I can understand those little motorized scooters and the food carts that Koreans ride up and down the sidewalks... but a bus? Why in the world would anyone in their right mind park a bus on the sidewalk? Yet there it was. I couldn't pass up a picture like that.

So all in all my first expedition off base was a huge success. I am looking forward to my planned weekly trips up to Seoul as well as many more outings.