Tomorrow is a special day in Korea, 추석 Chuseok, the Harvest Festival, the Korean Thanksgiving. It's a three-day holiday, but this year it falls on Saturday, which means the only extra day off I get is Friday, today. Koreans, though, do get their Saturday half-workday off and the kids get to skip this biweekly-Saturday-schoolday.

From my arrival at the bus terminal, I had to get a ride to my hotel near the city hall. The bus didn't pass directly by the city hall and I got off late. So I had to drag my suitcase down the empty streets to my hotel. A police car came to ask where I was going and the two officers then gave me a ride to my hotel.

After checking in to the hotel my director had reserved for me, I went to the desk to ask what city bus could get me to the ferry terminal, for tomorrow. The receptionist misunderstood what I was asking for and actually called my director to ask why I was leaving Gunsan when I had just arrived...

I took a taxi to 미� �� �수지 Mije Jeosuji (Resevoir), a man-made lake that proved to be a poplar attraction to the locals.

The lake has a walking trail around along the coast and this wood bridge across the center. Why they added these platforms, I'm not sure.

Looking to a burial ground on the north shore of the lake.

Looking south to the bridge across the lake and the apartments beyond.

The Koreans put a fountain in the lake. A little unnecessary, but nice.

A little marsh on the lake.

Traditional Korean burial mounds.

An urban garden amongst the apartment buildings.

Wanting to enjoy a little 추석 Chuseok dinner for myself, I stop by this restaurant and order dinner. Here you can see the various side dishes waiting for the main dish, duck.

When I was England, I picked up the habit of saying "thank you" to basically everything. So, in Korea, I have continued this by saying "감사합니다" (Gamsamnida) when I am given a menu, shown my table, given my food, and so on. But in Korea, the Korean waitresses have to have a laugh together when I say it. I'm just thinking wtf? I'm being polite by saying 'thank you' in your language and you're going to be rude by laughing at me?