We left on a Friday night as there were no train or bus tickets for Saturday, so popular is this event. Our train dropped us right in the middle of the Expo. We took a taxi to a hotel and had fun trying to find one to stay at.
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| Welcome to Expo! |
All of the hotels were booked (which we knew before going down there) but we also knew that if we spoke Korean we would get results.
Ah-ha!! Luck prevailed and we got a room about an hour after arriving for the grand total cost of 160,000W for 2 nights (granted it should have been about 60,000W for 2 nights but whatever). It was the cheapest we could find. Price gouging is popular depending on how popular events are here. Also, if you are a foreigner, expect to pay foreigner prices unless you speak the language. Especially if the event is very popular or attracts world wide attention.
Yes, it's legal.
Anyway, we took shower and found some food at a GS (think 7-Eleven) and went to bed. Woke up about 9am and headed to the free shuttle bus to take us to the Expo.
The Expo was great! It was what we expected (think Epcot but bigger and more countries) but very crowded. In speaking with several employees the best day to go is on Wednesday.
It was Florida hot down there and we felt every ray of sunshine. We wandered and looked at all of the countries for hours and were able to experience many countries we would not have been able to experience for awhile or at all.
For anyone going you require a "fast pass" of sorts to visit the popular countries such as Japan and China.
Go there when you first arrive to get your pass or you will not be seeing those exhibits.
The theme of this Expo was helping preserve the ocean environments. Each country was required to present how they fit into the world scene of this theme. It was interesting to note that some countries basically used this even to advertise their country and have a 20 minute video about their country with some ocan themed pictures thrown in for good measure (Mexico). Some countries really had a great exhibit: a presentation with full graphics and a manatee telling us what our oceans should look like, what they do look like, what they will look like if we don't prevent more damage and then telling us how their country is helping to fix these concerns.
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| View of the Big O and bay area of the Expo |
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| The Big-O is the large circle in the picture above. The Korean translates directly to "Big O." |
It is worth a visit. Just go on a weekday.
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| Lithuania's contribution to the Expo: Lithuania Amber. Looking into each tube you see a magnified example of amber |
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| An example of what you see when looking into a tube. Some had ants, mosquitoes or other animals embedded in the amber |
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| Due to this being a world wide event security was a big deal for Korea. These are military men. |
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| A French comedy group from Lyon, France http://homocatodicus.free.fr |
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| This is a water tour, observation tower and an organ all in one. It was amazing to hear it play then see it light up as well. |
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| The Olympics. It's interesting to see this being televised at this event. A lot of people were actually stopping to watch. The moon is in the top half of the picture. |
On Sunday we went to the only black sand beach in South Korea:
This tunnel was very interesting and fun. The traffic stops on either side to let the other side through at different points through the tunnel. We thought it was neat but some people may not like it.
This appears to be the only way to reach Manseongri Beach. The food is very expensive at the beach but we did manage to score some raw octopus bibimbap. Delicious. Kate took a video and some pictures of us eating it. Kate declined. Respectfully. :-)
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| Eating lunch overlooking the beach. We parked ourselves to the right of that small pier |
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| Strong, handsome husband |
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| Typical beach behavior for South Korean's |
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| Pine trees leading to the beach |
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| Black sand beach |
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| What fun! |
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| Cheers! |
Click here to learn more about the city of Yeosu, South Korea and here for more information on the World Fair. At the top right is a tab for English.
If you know what it is before you go, you will have a grand time.
such fun! glad you sent us this interesting blog.
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mom
such fun! I had fun with you guys. It was definitely awesome to be living in the country hosting the world fair while it was going on, and even more awesome to be able to check it out. Good pictures, too! I think Belgium and Lithuania were my favorites because of the exhibits on diamonds and amber. I'll get you that video, too. :) Love you!
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