Day 0, Leg 0

I've arrived in Daejeon and am in some northern part of downtown, which feels old but busy. First time back in this city since the 90s. Saw a few scattered furriners both at the train station in Suseo (Seoul) and at Daejeon Station. The train ride down involved standing for about an hour (the train ran a little late), then once I arrived, I grabbed a cab driven by a half-deaf old man (average cabbie age in Seoul is 60; this guy was in his 70s); we bantered as well as we could while we drove north to Shintanjin Station. He said he had a relative in the States whom he hadn't heard from in years despite many attempts to contact her. 

We arrived at Shintanjin Station faster than I'd thought we would, and I found a motel right away. No one was in the motel office; there was the usual sign saying "out," with a cell number listed below. I called and got a loud ajumma who said she'd call her husband and get him to help me with my room. The guy shuffled out of some back room soon after but was friendly enough. W30,000 for a traditional Korean-style room (i.e., no bed, just thick blankets and ondol, or floor heating, which is fine with me). I sleep in rooms like this during all my long walks, so I'm used to such conditions.

The room itself is modest and comfortable—not dirty, but there's a lingering smell of cigarette smoke. There's also a WiFi router; it was initially unplugged, so I plugged it in and looked under the router for the proper designation and amho, or pass code. I've got a 5G connection now, so that's nice. 

Below is the short "photo essay" for today. After I get this post done, I need to go through my stuff and figure out what's going in the backpack and what's going on my person (vest, windbreaker, water bottles). Then I'll hit the hay early and be up by 4 a.m. Out the door by 4:30 to do the first and worst leg of this trip: a 40K stretch to the next stop. I'll be sure to take it slow and stop frequently. I suspect that ibuprofen is going to be my close friend again, as it has been in the past. 

Oh, yeah: I need to tape up my feet tonight as well. And I need to reserve my pension for Wednesday. The place doesn't have a cell number, so I'll (grumble, grumble) have to speak with someone. Introvert annoyances.

Right: photo essay. Enjoy. 

my train

I did give my beard a trim.

The door that I and others waited on... it eventually opened.

where this SRT goes

stairs to nowhere

train painting

a train toilet, right where I stood for an hour

The printed sign says "out of order," but the handwritten note says the door can be opened by hand.

Daejeon Station, main entrance

another angle on Daejeon Station, with a subway exit visible

subway-station exit, taxi stand

It would have been cheaper to take the subway, but I couldn't be bothered. 

utility three-wheeler of some sort

Shintanjin Station/신탄진역 in the background

What's a seedy motel without a statue of a naked woman?

This is the Haengbokjang Motel, back from the main street a bit. Tomorrow morning, I'll go out to the main street and haul a cab for the short drive to the start of the Geumgang route.

The clock's a bit behind. It was a bit after 5. 

I guess this is a "scholar's rock," like in Parasite.

Probably another gift to commemorate the opening of the motel and bring good luck.

my "bed"

The use of yo/요 (thick, heavy blankets used as mattresses) is getting rare these days, probably because they're difficult to clean, being so large and heavy. These days, you get lots of lighter blankets.

wide shot of the main room

okay bathroom, slight leak next to the toilet

I hope tomorrow doesn't ruin my feet.