Changwon Nights and Olympic Distances

This past weekend I gave up an opportunity, but took advantage as one as well.

Last Thursday, Fleet Activities Chinhae settled in for a four day weekend. To me, that means one of two things: (1) Take the bullet train to Seoul and meet one of my good friends, Brian, a fellow Chief  for a weekend trip; or (2) work a couple half days and travel to Changwon, ROK to train for my triathlon. Although I would have really enjoyed my time in Seoul, as I haven’t been there in years, I opted to continue my triathlon training and opted for Changwon.

My trip started Friday afternoon after working a half day “at the office.” I took a taxi from Chinhae for the 15 minute ride to Changwon. It was a nice car… one of the more expensive cars in South Korea, a Hyundai Equus. I see a medallion on my driver’s dashboard from the ROK Marine Corps. He saw me looking at it and mentioned that he was a Marine, I was Navy, and we are brothers. After that, he then went into a tour guide mode showing off his country on our brief drive. Things quickly changed when a Toyota Camry passed us up on the main road towards my destination.

“Japan NO GOOD!”

“Kim Jong Il NO Good!”

“You, I, take care.”

I could only recognize him for what he said and remain calm; although, I have to admit I was shocked (but not totally surprised) at the absolute distain after all these years.

I arrived at my destination, the Pullman Hotel at The City 7 in Changwon, ROK without starting WWIII with my Korean driver. The Pullman was referred to me for its fitness center and indoor lap pool. When I contacted them and spoke to their fitness coordinator, she was more than happy to accommodate me and assist my in any way possible. Friday was the first time that I had been to Changwon, a major metropolitan city in Southeast ROK; however, it didn’t start out that way. Just a couple years ago, Changwon was like many other smaller cities through southern Korea, until people saw its potential for tax revenue. It was then, Changwon, Masan City, and Chinhae merged into a large metropolitan with three “districts.” The Changwon District is known for mixing traditional and modern, as well as education, and industry. The Masan District is known for its industry. The Chinhae District is known for fishing and its military presence. Merge all the resources together and you have a thriving metropolis.

My first night in Changwon I set out to explore The City 7 Center. The Center contains a mall, residential high rises, and a conference center. The mall itself was very modern in comparison to its sister district, Chinhae. The mall is divided into three sections, or elements – sky, water, and earth. This design is a reflection of the Koreans’ appreciation for the elements, which are also reflected on the national flag. Each element of the mall is made of materials that depict the specific element and contain a mixture of clothing stores, entertainment outlets, and restaurants. I was pleased to find a KFC (I didn’t eat there), a Dunkin Donuts (I didn’t eat or drink there), a high end wine bar (passed), and a Starbucks (visited often). After a brief exploration and a pasta dinner, I went back to the hotel for the night to rest for Saturday and an Olympic distance triathlon.

Saturday morning came quickly and I met the manager of the Pullman Fitness Club. There is only two ways into the Fitness Club… as a hotel guest or a very expensive membership. I first received a tour of the facility, which includes an indoor/outdoor golf range, separate male and female saunas and Korean baths, three pools (two lap pools), weight room, cardio room, and a barbershop in the men’s locker room and beauty parlor in the women’s. Since it is the winter season, two of the pools (both outdoor) were closed, leaving me to an indoor lap pool. Even though the hotel was kind enough to separate a stationary bike (couldn’t bring my own) and a treadmill (due to the pollution index), they weren’t able to segregate the 4 foot deep, 1.5 lane, 25m pool.

After my tour and well wishes, I commenced my second Olympic triathlon on the Korean peninsula. While swimming, I was lucky enough to have to share the pool with only two others. Although we didn’t speak the same language, we quickly set into a “round robin.” After a not so graceful 30 laps, I headed into the locker room for a quick change. I found that the locker

room attendant was watching me and placed a bath mat in front of my locker. After a quick change I headed into the cardio room where I found my bike, treadmill, and a small table with Gatorade, Pocari Sweat, water, and bananas. This was a lesson learned as I did not bring my own nutrition with me as I thought I could find some in the Base Exchange… not; Thus, I was limited to whatever I could find locally. I was happy to be on “ground” again and programmed the bike for a hills course. After my 24.8 miles and approximately 75 minutes later, I headed for the treadmill and a 6.1 mile “run.” After another 75 minutes, I completed my run and my second triathlon on the peninsula. Finally, I could head for the locker for a shower and recovery which equated to a cold water soaking tub and an automatic massage table.

After a quick lunch and a nap, I set off to explore the Changwon Sport District, meet friends for dinner, and a well deserved sleep.

Chinhae Days

Throughout the past few years, I have embarked on many activities that occupy the majority of my time; however, I have found that I don’t have time to contact everyone to share what I, and my family, have been doing. Although it is a common fact that face-to-face communication is a preferred type of communication, unfortunately, I don’t have that opportunity for this type of communication for everyone, and for that, I apologize. As a result, this is an attempt to share my information with everyone that chooses to follow.

Today I find myself in Chinhae, Republic of Korea (aka ROK; aka South Korea). I’m here on a two week assignment with the U.S. Navy, assigned to Commander, Naval Forces Korea. For those that know me, you’ll know that I have been coming here since 2004. This trip will most likely be my last as I will be deploying later this year with the Joint forces Command and then will be looking for a new Navy Reserve Unit upon my return.

The timing of my visit is advantageous to the creation of The Madsen Chronicles. After arriving on 10 February 2011 and reporting to my command, I worked for one day and then had the weekend off. During the weekend, I toured much of Chinhae, especially my “old haunts.” Chinhae is the “Mayberry” of South Korea. It’s a town that celebrates the ROK Navy (ROKN) and blue collar workers. The way things happen in this town is simple, if you need something, you have to know someone. Once you know someone, you can get practically anything.

When I first started coming to Chinhae, I stayed at a hotel in the “Fisherman’s Wharf” district. This was a great location since it was away from the predominant part of the USN and I could experience the local culture; and then we found another hotel. The Gumgahng Hotel, a local favorite for the Navy, is an oasis in the middle of central Chinhae. It is owned by the Parks, an older couple that took great pride in their hotel and the Navies of the ROK and United States. When we arrived, the Parks would move themselves out of their two story flat and relocate under the stairs of the hotel so we could be comfortable. Imagine that… I was honored to stay in their flat twice during my tours, and everyday Mr. Park would stop by to ensure we were comfortable and had everything we needed. I visited the hotel this morning to find out that Mrs. Park had passed away two years ago, while Mr. Park passed away last year. Their daughter now operates the hotel.

Another local favorite of the USN is Mr. Yi’s Shopping Plaza. I have followed Mr. Yi through three different store fronts throughout the years. I first met Mr. Yi when he was located outside the main gate of Fleet activities Chinhae. It was a match made in heaven since I was so far away from home and he was grilling on his two Weber grills and selling hamburgers for a dollar a piece. I was hooked. Mr. Yi knows everyone and everything in Chinhae. If/when you need something that seems impossible, ask Mr. Yi and it will be found. I met with Mr. Yi this morning. After three different store fronts and a sagging economy, he has decided to pull out of Chinhae, as well as his store in Seoul, in favor to operate a resort he just purchased in the Philippines. Evidently the “sagging economy” was to his advantage in the Philippines. I wish him and his family the best of luck!

The other person to know in Chinhae is Mr. Pak. Mr. Pak owns an alterations store not too far from the base. Mr. Pak is a man who is grateful for the USN as he served alongside them during his military tenure. Mr. Pak readily assists us with alterations, embroidery, and specialty needs. If there is something that Mr. Pak can’t do, he certainly knows who can. Mr. Pak just completed an extremely special project for me that I’ll discuss later. True to his nature, there was one thing he couldn’t, but he sent me to a person that could.

I hope you enjoyed this installation of The Madsen Chronicles. I’ll be here until 25 February 2011, so I’ll continue later.