Mokpo

I stayed with samchun and sukmo for a night before they took me to Mokpo. Sukmo showed me a bunch of picture albums of where she and samchun had traveled. They are both well traveled. There were pictures of them all over Korea, China, Europe, and Australia. I noticed in all the pictures that they look very much in love.
It seems that my mother, her sister, and five brothers are all very in love and loyal to their spouses. I notice my mom's brothers cleaning their house, serving their wives, and caring for their children. I've heard so many stereotypes about Korean women being submissive and subserviant to their husbands. I'm proud to say that my family is not this way and I hope that there are many Korean families like mine.

The drive to Mokpo was about an hour. I suppose it should have been 2 hours but speed limits here are just a precaution. It seems that driving slow is not safe due to the standard flow of traffic. The drive was ugly and beautiful at the same time. Korea is a beautiful country but it has been overrun by roads and cities. The landscape has been torn into by highways and tunnels dug through the mountains. Nature can't protect itself from man's desire for industrial growth and transportation. It's sad.
Mokpo is smaller than Gwangju but the city looks exactly the same. My mom's sister (Imo) lives in "The New Mokpo". This side of town is cleaner and less congested. (It's just another plot of land that is soon to become another Korean city. City growth here is much like a virus and the "New Mokpo" will soon be infected.) Mokpo has lights everywhere. I call them "Mokpo's signature lights". They are lights placed all over bridges, streets, and scattered over the tops of the mountains that change colors in sequence. They go from blue, to green, to orange, red, pink, and rainbow colors.







Mokpo is a port city, so there are lots of boats and fish markets. There are old fishing boats scattered all over the harbor. Some are beached and shipwrecked and there are all different kinds of boats all around the harbors and docks. The streets here smell like fish and there are giant fish tanks on display with the days catch swimming around waiting to be eaten.
There are also many mountains in Mokpo. We drove up, around, and down a few mountains to see the different views of the city. There are many historical sites in the mountains, none of which are left alone. Every "historical site" is flooded with Mokpo's colorful signature lights.
After touring the city, we ate at a local hof. For a small price, the hof serves tons of food, snacks, and a large pitcher of mekju. My uncles drank together, my aunts chattered away, and my little cousin Hyun Jun fell asleep in my lap.

My imo (aunt) and imobu (her husband) had set up a room for me to stay the next couple of weeks. Everyone in my family has done everything they can to make me as comfortable as possible. I wish I could convey how appreciative I am. I'll do as much as I can to clean, play with the kids, help with their homework, and learn as much Korean as possible... but even that doesn't express how greatful I am.