Scribbled Notes From My Japan Excursion
Ten Entries
1. Got the last ticket on the 259 out of Seoul. The train left on time. I even had time for a blueberry muffin and an iced café mocha.
2. I woke up after Deajeon (?) and the man beside me and his newspaper have become a young woman and a book of Korean poetry.
3. Led to the shuttle bus by a friendly Korean girl.
4. I have not yet been awake for 12 hours and it feels like I’ve lived more than a full day in that time. I feel life coursing through my body in the vibrations of the ship that is carrying me into the night. Surrounded by strangers with no way to share with them me fear and excitement, I can see that they have some idea of my happiness but I wonder what they think of this scruffy foreigner among them. What is the story they create to explain my presence here? I am romanticizing of course. They pay me much less mind than that I’m sure. They probably guess rightly that I am an ESL teacher on a short vacation toward Japan. They probably care nothing about those things or much else in regards to me. I am surprised at the lack of English on the restaurant menu and in other places on board the ship. My experience with the dried fish has made me hesitant to point-to-order but, if it comes to that, I suppose I will have to. I’m sure there must be some one on board who could help me to order something but I’m not so hungry as yet to go searching. Perhaps I will try later on. I’m very glad this is an overnight voyage as I would not relish the thought of spending >12hrs on this boat awake. It has only been 2hrs since the boarding was opened and we’ve been underway for perhaps not more than 45 minutes. The entertainments are all in Korean and translated into Japanese so I am very happy that I thought to bring books and a deck of cards along in my pack. I am tempted to break out some soju in an effort to socialize but at the same time I’m not sure if that would be for the best. My room is quite nice due mainly to the fact that almost deserted. There appears to be accommodation for 12 people but so far it seems that there are only three of us assigned to that room. Simple yos (mats) laid on the floor with a pleather covered block of medium density foam for a pillow. The thin blanket provided will probably not be required (maybe as a pillow?) because the room at last check was heated to somewhere above 25 degrees. It’s interesting to note also that there are no deck chairs or furniture to speak of above deck. Perhaps this is due to the fact that this ship is used primarily for night voyages? It would be nice to sit outside and look at the stars if they make an appearance. I haven’t seen any for a long time.
5. I cannot help but laugh at the chair two tables away with one short leg and a fate that has put it in perpetual motion aboard this sea-going vessel. The potted plant downstairs waved all night, wishing it were aquatic.
Laying on my yo
The Ferry becomes a womb
Safe, I dream of life
1. Got the last ticket on the 259 out of Seoul. The train left on time. I even had time for a blueberry muffin and an iced café mocha.
2. I woke up after Deajeon (?) and the man beside me and his newspaper have become a young woman and a book of Korean poetry.
3. Led to the shuttle bus by a friendly Korean girl.
4. I have not yet been awake for 12 hours and it feels like I’ve lived more than a full day in that time. I feel life coursing through my body in the vibrations of the ship that is carrying me into the night. Surrounded by strangers with no way to share with them me fear and excitement, I can see that they have some idea of my happiness but I wonder what they think of this scruffy foreigner among them. What is the story they create to explain my presence here? I am romanticizing of course. They pay me much less mind than that I’m sure. They probably guess rightly that I am an ESL teacher on a short vacation toward Japan. They probably care nothing about those things or much else in regards to me. I am surprised at the lack of English on the restaurant menu and in other places on board the ship. My experience with the dried fish has made me hesitant to point-to-order but, if it comes to that, I suppose I will have to. I’m sure there must be some one on board who could help me to order something but I’m not so hungry as yet to go searching. Perhaps I will try later on. I’m very glad this is an overnight voyage as I would not relish the thought of spending >12hrs on this boat awake. It has only been 2hrs since the boarding was opened and we’ve been underway for perhaps not more than 45 minutes. The entertainments are all in Korean and translated into Japanese so I am very happy that I thought to bring books and a deck of cards along in my pack. I am tempted to break out some soju in an effort to socialize but at the same time I’m not sure if that would be for the best. My room is quite nice due mainly to the fact that almost deserted. There appears to be accommodation for 12 people but so far it seems that there are only three of us assigned to that room. Simple yos (mats) laid on the floor with a pleather covered block of medium density foam for a pillow. The thin blanket provided will probably not be required (maybe as a pillow?) because the room at last check was heated to somewhere above 25 degrees. It’s interesting to note also that there are no deck chairs or furniture to speak of above deck. Perhaps this is due to the fact that this ship is used primarily for night voyages? It would be nice to sit outside and look at the stars if they make an appearance. I haven’t seen any for a long time.
5. I cannot help but laugh at the chair two tables away with one short leg and a fate that has put it in perpetual motion aboard this sea-going vessel. The potted plant downstairs waved all night, wishing it were aquatic.
Laying on my yo
The Ferry becomes a womb
Safe, I dream of life
posted by C. at 1:34 PM
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