I was asked to fly out during the weekend a couple weeks ago for work in Korea. I regretted my decision to sacrifice my weekend but really had no reason to refuse. As I took on the much dreaded trip (departing Saturday morning, arriving Sunday night, then starting work Monday), I was met with the pleasant surprise that there is going to be a factory-wide shutdown the following week and all other factories in nearby countries are in Golden Week holiday. I've never really had more than one day of weekend when traveling for work, let alone whole 3 days! (Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday)
I wanted to see a little bit more of Korea, but also didn't want to miss the chance to go to Japan. So instead of flying out directly, I took a train to the closest major city, Busan, then rode a ferry from Busan to Fukuoka.
I arrived in Fukuoka around noon the next day. I was worried about the ferry ride because of my pathetic ability against seasickness, but the hydrofoil boat felt more like a bus than a boat when it was at speed. More than anything, I was glad that I could finally order food without guessing! I was never so happy when I saw the Kanji written on buildings as we approached the port.
After dropping of my suitcase and finishing up some shopping, I departed for Mojiko/Shimonoseki, along the strait separating Kyushu and Honshu. There weren't many tourists, even though it is the beginning of Golden Week in Japan, probably because most of them are heading to eastern Kyushu where there are hot springs and resorts. I quickly located my target: Kanmon Bridge, and set out painting this piece with a boat in the foreground.
The tour of ports ended in Hong Kong, where I met up with my parents in the last day of China Golden Week (Tuesday) After they set off to the airport to catch their afternoon flight, I decided to scout out one of the lesser known attractions of Hong Kong, Checkerboard Hill, usually associated with the old Kai Tak Airport. There was no clear signage for the place so I poked around online blogs and google reviews. Unfortunately most of the directions for the vista point were from 3+ years ago, and every single one of them contained explicit instructions to jump over fences and find holes in wires. It took me 3 hikes up the same mountain to find the actual checkerboard! I almost gave up after my 2nd attempt and decided to just look up at the hill from the nearby tennis court. However, right after I refilled my water bottle at the tennis court and was enjoying the gentle breeze, I saw somebody descending down the hill behind me. The hill was so clearly fenced off that I thought there was no way that person could make it...but he just bent slightly and walked through a barely noticeable hole in the fence!! (There was so much vegetation behind the fence that you can't see the hole unless specifically looking for it) I basically stared at him open-mouthed as he headed down to the tennis court. He then noticed me and told me something in Cantonese (I didn't understand him, but I assume it's along the lines of "you can reach the top of the hill from there"). I asked if this is checkerboard hill, but he seemed to not know the name. So I thanked him and walked gingerly up the steep stairway. I admired the spectacular view above the trees and paid my respect to the peeling colors of the original checkerboard pattern. After hearing and seeing it so many times online, I finally was able to see it with my own eyes (albeit not touching it, because I'm slightly afraid of height lol)
I wanted to see a little bit more of Korea, but also didn't want to miss the chance to go to Japan. So instead of flying out directly, I took a train to the closest major city, Busan, then rode a ferry from Busan to Fukuoka.
Since work ended early on Saturday, I had most of the afternoon to walk around Busan and enjoy the beautiful weather. I didn't expect Busan to leave much of an impression on me, since I figured it won't be much different from other Asian port cities I've been to. Boy was I wrong... Busan was surrounded by hills offering stunning backdrop to the busy port and numerous high rises. I tried to find a walkway closer to the waters and somehow ended up on an empty stretch of walkway along the piers. (there was exactly 1 person that went by in the one hour I was standing there) He muttered something in Korea (which I took to be along the lines of "oh what you're drawing here?!") and I returned a polite laughter of approval.
I was under the impression that large ships dock forever, which was wrong, as the giant tanker left just as I was putting finishing touches on the distant hills. Throwing fist and protesting in its direction certainly did not help. Soon I looked like an idiot hallucinating of a large ship, so I quickly packed up and went on my way finding dinner.
After dropping of my suitcase and finishing up some shopping, I departed for Mojiko/Shimonoseki, along the strait separating Kyushu and Honshu. There weren't many tourists, even though it is the beginning of Golden Week in Japan, probably because most of them are heading to eastern Kyushu where there are hot springs and resorts. I quickly located my target: Kanmon Bridge, and set out painting this piece with a boat in the foreground.
The tour of ports ended in Hong Kong, where I met up with my parents in the last day of China Golden Week (Tuesday) After they set off to the airport to catch their afternoon flight, I decided to scout out one of the lesser known attractions of Hong Kong, Checkerboard Hill, usually associated with the old Kai Tak Airport. There was no clear signage for the place so I poked around online blogs and google reviews. Unfortunately most of the directions for the vista point were from 3+ years ago, and every single one of them contained explicit instructions to jump over fences and find holes in wires. It took me 3 hikes up the same mountain to find the actual checkerboard! I almost gave up after my 2nd attempt and decided to just look up at the hill from the nearby tennis court. However, right after I refilled my water bottle at the tennis court and was enjoying the gentle breeze, I saw somebody descending down the hill behind me. The hill was so clearly fenced off that I thought there was no way that person could make it...but he just bent slightly and walked through a barely noticeable hole in the fence!! (There was so much vegetation behind the fence that you can't see the hole unless specifically looking for it) I basically stared at him open-mouthed as he headed down to the tennis court. He then noticed me and told me something in Cantonese (I didn't understand him, but I assume it's along the lines of "you can reach the top of the hill from there"). I asked if this is checkerboard hill, but he seemed to not know the name. So I thanked him and walked gingerly up the steep stairway. I admired the spectacular view above the trees and paid my respect to the peeling colors of the original checkerboard pattern. After hearing and seeing it so many times online, I finally was able to see it with my own eyes (albeit not touching it, because I'm slightly afraid of height lol)
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