Time for Giving Thanks

Bob arranged a visit to the company's plant which is located on the southern coast of Korea in Yeosu.  This strategically timed visit allowed us to drive to nearby Geoge and spend Thanksgiving with Stephanie, Ben and Emma.  While Bob was in meetings at the plant, I went exploring and found a historical area from the 1500's.  It was a military post used to repair boats during a war with Japan.  The coastline is stunning and a welcome contrast to the concrete jungle of Seoul.

We purposely chose to drive the length of the country to see the land and to get an idea how long it would take us to drive down to visit our children.  The drive through the mountainous terrain was pleasant with tunnels cutting through mountainsides all along the way.  The challenge was getting into and out of Seoul, which took us about 2 hours each way.  The five hour drive took us seven.  We'll have to time traffic better next time!


Celebrating Thanksgiving in a foreign country is a bit of a challenge.  If you can find a turkey, it's likely to cost the equivalent of $80-100.  And then it won't fit in your oven.  Koreans don't bake, so if you have an oven, the inside is probably no bigger than 17" wide, 15" deep, and 12" high.  Thankfully, Ben's work planned an American Thanksgiving at restaurant under construction and provided cooked turkeys.  Those attending brought all the side dishes and desserts.  It certainly wasn't as cozy as being home, but we did enjoy all the traditional foods!  Emma outfitted us with headgear and we had a fun celebration!

We took advantage of the amazing fall weather and took a hike to a waterfall not far from home.  Visiting the Korean War Memorial provided a wonderful history lesson for all of us.  The Korean prison camp was located on Geoge Island just 60 years ago, and it still brings back haunting memories for many of the older generation.

Koreans are still very grateful for American aid given by our servicemen and women and have great respect for our nation and it's people.