Sun Cheon - Eco Geo Garden Expo

Two Saturdays ago my friend Jess and I decided to take an adventure. We went to SunCheon for a project called Eco Geo that I had seen on a water bottle. It was a garden expo and we really didn't know much about it except that we wanted to try it out and that it would have flowers.

I met her over by GNU and we took a cab to the train station nearby because we didn't know exactly where it was. She told the cab driver the name of the station then went "chuga chuga" like the American sound for a train. The cab driver laughed and pantomimed that that is the sound for brushing your teeth. The sound for a train is "chick chick bok" or something like that. When we got to the station, the ticket guy was really nice and told us to have fun and exactly where to go in the station. The train was fun because we usually travel by bus here. The AC on the train was nice and we chatted for the hour and a half ride. When we got off the train they had a trick art display at the bottom of the escalator. A man was there and we asked him to take a picture of us. Then Jess asked if he wanted her to take a picture of him. He then pulled me over into the picture with him. It was very strange.

Riding the train! The one there was pretty empty but the one home was filled with middle school boys who must have been on some sort of field trip.

Jess catching a fake train in India?

Us and Marilyn.

After the pictures, we found an information desk and the woman there was also really helpful and nice. She told us where to go to get the bus to the expo. We found the bus and asked the driver who was really funny and then when we was explaining things in Korean, he said there were foreigners on the bus and asked someone to explain things to us. A nice lady across the aisle told us which stop to get off on and where to buy tickets. So far our day was awesome!

It was sort of hard to miss this bus.

When we got there, the tickets were a bit higher than we had expected and both of us said we were glad that other friends didn't come with us. It was also really really hot. We started off in a garden area that was in a huge greenhouse type thing. They had like backyard gardens from different countries set up. It was cool except they all had these little paths and benches, but you couldn't walk in or sit on any of them, so it was weird.

In front of the gate

Flowers have feelings and feel pain you know.

Me and a waterfall

The most sexual coconut (according to the sign). The nuts look like ladies' butts and the stems look like male parts.

Hawaiian garden? I like the chandelier made from wine bottles.

After that we walked toward the water and got sprayed with a mister fan. We also got some waters and carried those around with us because we had both already started sweating. We sat down and made a plan to go to a hedge maze, walk around the different country gardens and go to the wetlands area. I wanted to see the wetlands because I had seen a picture online and they looked really pretty. We started up to the maze and on the way stopped off to take a picture with our heads in police officer bodies. The man who took our picture tried to be all professional about it and we were just like - click it! Then he caught up to us again and asked if we were German. We said no, but then decided that if anyone asked again that we'd be German for the day. No one else asked.

I am a Korean police man

Hills with twisty walking paths and the central pond

We found a rose garden and the maze was next to it. The maze was slightly disappointing in that we made it to the center and out again in less than 10 minutes. It wasn't that complicated.

Giant wire cats in the rose garden because why not?

This is what the maze looked like

This rabbit was in the center of the maze. He wanted to hold hands, so I obliged.

After the maze we decided to cross the bridge over the center pond instead of going around. We also took jumping pictures (a typical Korean pose) while on the bridge. Jess loves to take jumpers, but says her face always looks crazy.

My ups aren't so good - this is about as high off the ground as I go.

Jess got some more air

We were both super sweaty at that point and stopped to get some more waters and Jess got a slushie. We sat under an umbrella for maybe 10 minutes then continued to the Dutch garden - complete with windmill and fake wooden shoes!

Wooden shoes! I was so distracted by these that I didn't even think to take a picture where it looks like I am turning the windmill.

After that, we walked through some tree lined path that had lots of photo spots. While we were on the path, a lady stopped us and told us to fill out postcards and that they'd be mailed anywhere. So we each wrote one to our parents. Who knows if they will get there, but mom, I did send one!

I am an angel :)

Sending my post card with the lady who helped us

Heart within a heart

Sideways heart - Jess kept yelling change and then would take another picture. Some were cute. Others...not so much.

Blowing on some pinwheels made from grass.

Walking on train tracks. When I passed the bar, the guy in the hut yelled at me. It scared me because I didn't see the guy in the hut!

 After the posing, we found what was marked on the map as the wetlands. It was not what I was expecting. It was basically a marsh. We did see some cool rock speakers though. Then we walked back and decided we were about ready to go. We started walking to the opposite exit when I saw some really cute swings. Anyone who knows me, knows I love a swing. Plus these were shaded and in a little secluded area, so we decided to sit down and swing for a bit. This was fun and breezy, but when I stood up, my butt was covered in sweat. I told Jess that it probably looked like I had wet myself. She said, 'It can't be that bad" then I turned around and she went "oh...well maybe people will think that's just what your shorts look like." I appreciated her attempt to make it better. They dried fairly quickly though.

This makes me look like I have a tiny head. Perspective is dumb.

Then we crossed what was called the "Bridge of Dreams". It had all these tiles that kids had drawn. I think they were supposed to draw what their dream job was, because there were lots of teachers and doctors. But then other kids just drew random stuff like animals and Harry Potter. They also had TV stationed at random areas that showed you and then someone at other TV location.  It was kind of neat because we kept getting to the TVs at the same time as another group of people so we kept seeing each other.

There were 2 sides to the bridge and each had 2 walls like this. So there were thousands of these tiles.

Jess and I are in the left TV. Our TV stalkers are in the other one. We never actually saw them, but we looked!

When we decided it was time to go get food and rest because we were both exhausted from the heat, I finally saw the wetlands I saw in the picture - it was the Korean experience and was on the opposite side of where we came in. I was too tired and hot to go over there, but it was pretty from where we were.

We then hopped in a cab, thanked him for the AC, and went back to the bus terminal. We looked all around for some food, but they didn't have much. We settled for a coffee shop and got a really good sandwich and coffees. Then we caught our bus with a few minutes to spare and looked at our pictures and chatted until we made it home. Both of us were almost punch drunk from being so tired/hot. We said goodbye and I caught another bus home. The rest of the day/weekend is in the previous post.