Bike trip to Namhae - the week that turned into a day

'Town of Health and Welfare'

Old school GPS

Namhae

German Village - truckloads of half-dead tourists

The hills are alive with the sound of kimchi

A book.  Got 100 pages read on the beach waiting for the sun to rise

Hotel owner spraying DDT on everything

Ow, fucking ow.

A sticky tree frog I played with

Meat

The sun's merciful rise

Our beach - my tent is the little yellow sweltering one in the background

A new classic?

This is what getting lost looks like

  So Amadeus had an epic bike trip planned for the summer break, which was to see a bunch of us spending a week driving out to Namhae, Yeosu, and Boseong.  Plans to leave on Saturday were delayed, and I ended up heading out on Monday.  Wisely, I departed on a 2.5 hour drive in 35 degree heat when the sun was at its most brutal, and I payed the price.  My mercilessly burned-up arms and legs look like they were tacked on.  It's silly-looking, I tell you.
  Namhae was pretty cool I guess, but the vaunted 'German Village' there was pretty lame.  The backstory is that Korean women working in Germany in the 60's-80's came back to Korea with their German Herrs, and Korea was kind enough to build them a tacky German-style town so that they'd feel at home, as clots of tourists take pictures of their front doors all day.  Weak!
  Anyhow, we set up at a beach and cooked meat.  Then I climbed into my sweltering tent, meekly cowered from determined mosquitoes, shifted uncomfortably every three seconds because my immolated limbs were itchy from third-degree burn, and proceeded to count down the five hours until dawn, so I could get the fuck out of there.  Don't get me wrong, I used to like camping, but all burned limbs and no sleep make me a cranky boy.  I'm sure Amadeus will lament that 'Pat Moll is lame, he got a sunburn and fucked off home', and maybe he's right.  But the allure of sweet sweet aloe gel, aircon, sleep, and a shower was pretty hard to refuse.  In my defence, my legs are so burned up that I can barely stand, and the need to wear a long-sleeve shirt and pants in 35 degree weather meant I was useless.   Useless I say.
  On the subject of useless, these days I really can't seem to do anything right.  I usually try to keep my head down and sneak under life's radar, but for the last month or so almost everything I touch turns to shit.  Cosmic retribution for the misdeeds of a past life, no doubt.  Time to look into becoming a monk, I suppose.
  The three hour drive back (got lost more than usual) was interesting, as I had to keep biting my lip to avoid from zoning out from lack of sleep.  I love my motorcycle.  She's so good to me.
  Ah, I heard a Scops Owl and a Jungle Nightjar calling all night, but was unable to spot them.  I did get good pics of a Eurasian Jay feeding its young.  Birds!  I'm trying to get excited about them again.