4th Weekend - Grocery Store and Park Exploration

Days 23-25.  The weekend before last was uneventful, with trips to E-Mart, which is somewhat like a Wal-Mart in that it sells everything from clothes to food (but better quality, with a real grocery store), and the Sunrise park the highlights of the weekend.

The first thing that interested me was the carts, as we walked into the store.  Each cart is linked together with chains, and the chains are released with the insertion of a 100-won coin, or about 10 cents.  Fun enough, you get the coin back when you put the chain back into the front of the cart.

A great, simple way to prevent cart theft.

I was surprised by the amount of make-up and skin care products, next to the health booth.  It blends neatly into the supply of organic flours and sugars, right by the refrigerated sauces and other ingredients, which leads into the produce, meat and fish area.  The staff offers samples from small tables, perpetually talking about their products.  It makes for a constant stream of Korean from all angles, which most of the shoppers quietly ignore unless they're interested in the sample.

Skinfood is a very popular skincare chain in Korea.

 One fascinating thing I found, though, was the snack aisle.  A good chunk was taken up by various brands of what is sold in the U.S. as Choco-Pies, or Moon Pies, 2 slightly dry cakes sandwiching a marshmallow fluff filling, dipped in a chocolate coating.  I really didn't know they were so popular here...

There are more on the other side of the aisle!

Unfortunately, I was somewhat low on money that weekend, and didn't purchase much besides cereal.  We went back next weekend, though, to get more groceries and simply explore :)  This day, though, we walked around outside, and noticed the base of the highway running overhead.  One of my favorite things about Songdo, and Incheon in general, is how thoughtfully the city was built.  Small touches like this one amuse and pause me for a second, to notice the aesthetics worked into every aspect.

Painted bamboo on the column, and is that real bamboo around it?

A day or two later, I walked to Sunrise Park, snapping photos along the way.  On the sides of the road between the bike paths and the sidewalks grow these rose hip-like fruits.

They remind me a little of tomatoes.

I passed a building that reminded me that no matter how hard it seems...

Most of the time, anyway (reference: 2012 Olympic gymnastics).

When I reached the park entrance, I was greeted by these adorable critters.

Friendly land-whales.

And I felt a little sad that I wasn't a kid anymore.

If the family wasn't there, I so would have played on this structure...

But then I looked up, and admired the reminder that the park was a green oasis in the midst of the modern and developed Songdo.

This path wraps around the park, and marks the meters  you've gone!

And stopped to peer at the occasional flowers, on bright display against the green backdrop of cattails.

Light pink and green is actually one of my favorite color combinations.

I appreciated the unobtrusive wooden steps as opposed to the typical harsh staircases and concrete walkways.

I wonder how long it took to set down the paths for the whole park...

Cattails lined the small lake in the center of the park.

Maybe there are fish in the pond?  Certainly plenty of insect life!

On the way back, I observed the signs leading me back to our dorm.  I've always liked taking photos of road signs to prove that we were there and to show the weather.  Usually, there's a lot of bouncing and some timing involved, since I'll be in a car, but this was a rare treat to see this sign with the luxury of stopping to set up my shot.  However, it's not all that well-placed since I was hungry and simply impatient to get back.

Home sweet home on the right, at least for another 3 weeks!

Eight flights of stairs later (don't judge; it's my workout!), I sat down to enjoy a pastry that my roommate had kindly brought back for me.  The crust was a cross between a moist cookie and a very dry cake, filled with sweet red bean paste, one of my favorite flavors.  The top was decorated with some sweet chestnut pieces.

Glasslock is my friend.

And that was it for a calm and quiet weekend :)