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OK, here’s the update I promised. There really hasn’t been a lot of progress in exterior construction, except for a few notable exceptions, because much of it has been finished or nearly so. I think most of the work is taking place inside the buildings, and a lot of landscaping is being done. The most striking new progress, however, is that the Big O, the centerpiece of the Expo, has finally gone up. In the photo below, you can see the framework is mostly completed, so installation of the outside paneling should be starting soon.
 The Big O, Jan 28th, 2012 Elsewhere, down by the Sky Tower and next to the railway station, new construction has begun on the Corporate Pavilion and Energy Park.
 Corporate Pavilion and Energy Park Construction, Yeosu 2012 Expo, Jan 28, 2012 The Sky Tower itself has had some new additions, seen in this view from near what will be the main entrance.
 New Sky Tower additions So, what is that reddish-orange contraption on the right hand side of the structure? From a brochure I have, here’s a description of the Sky Tower.
The Sky Tower is a monumental piece of art, recycled and redesigned from a pair of abandoned 55-meter cement silos on the Expo site. The harp-shaped exterior is an embodiment of the giant waves of the coastal waters of Yeosu. Moreover, the tower is a fully-functional pipe organ that will play the tunes related to the sea for the enjoyment of visitors.
If it works as intended, it should be pretty impressive. Next, a shot of the Expo City apartments, which are quite colorful.
 2012 Expo Apartments The hotel hasn’t shown much change, but the land around it is being landscaped and smoothed over to make way for walking and (perhaps) parking areas.
 Expo 2012 Landscaping Here’s an enlarged shot of the construction taking place around the Big O. (As usual, click on the image for larger versions.)
 Closeup of Big O Area Construction Here’s what the brochure says about the Big O.
The Expo is jam-packed with cultural programs, with 40 performances and events taking place every day for the entire period of 93 days; that is, 3,700 in total! It features large-scale events, such as the state-of-the-art Night Multi-media Show taking place at the Big-O, world-class performances, and concerts of popular singers from Korea and around the world.
The brochure goes on to mention The Fountain Show (“. . . on a stage constructed on the sea. It will be shown through the world’s first Living Screen at night, creating an awe-inspiring, dreamlike atmosphere.”), The Big Ocean Show (“. . . a performance utilizing the seas, the beach and ships . . . staged on a weekly basis”) and The World Ocean Performance (“featuring performances of artists from Korea and beyond, will take place on the floating stage and utilize the sea as a platform for cultural activities.”), all of which take place on or near the Big O.
Here are a couple of overview shots taken from different vantage points.
 Overview of Expo 2012  Expo Jan2012 Overview from Jasan Park Also in preparation for the Expo, Yeosu has been installing quite a few bicycle stations, from where you can rent one of these “hot” blue bikes to get around. I’m not sure if they’re coin-operated or bank/credit card. Probably both.
 Bicycle Station Finally, not more than 10 seconds after I pulled my camera from my bag, one of the guys working on the Expo came over and pointed to himself and said “Picture, me.” I was only too happy to oblige.
 Expo Worker So, that’s about it for the Expo photos for now. I’ll probably get back down there in March or perhaps late this month to shoot some more. Stay tuned.
I’ll get the Wat Traimit photos up soon and I’ll also post some new photos of the Yeosu Expo 2012 site, since I took a walk down in that area yesterday. As usual, I hiked up to Jasan Park to get some shots and then walked down the other side of the hill to catch a bus back to my apartment. In Jasan, there’s a small kids’ playground area that is very colorful. I took a photo of it and played around a bit in Photoshop. Here’s the result.
 Jasan Park playground in Yeosu This took me quite a while to do in Photoshop. I added a new background layer and converted it to black and white. Then, with a layer mask, I brought out the colors in the underlying original photo using my mouse. Whew! It took quite a while to do (using a mouse) and it made me realize that if I want to do more of these types of “enhancements”, I’ll have to invest in a Wacom pen tablet, which makes things a bit easier and faster and which I think I can buy here in Yeosu.
So, be on the lookout for more of these types of shots. Next, though, I’ll get the Wat Traimit photos posted and then some updates on the Expo, followed by other shots of my recent trip to Thailand and Laos. (Maybe not necessarily in that order.)
Geez, it seems like I’ve been insanely busy lately, though I know it hasn’t been all that hectic; it just feels like it. Anyway, here are the other shots of the Expo site that I promised in my previous post.
First up is another shot of the International Pavilion area. In the lower right is the beginning construction of the Big O, which will be the centerpiece of the Expo.
Next, the Korea Pavilion from a different viewpoint, just to the right of the previous photo.
There are a lot of things I like about the Expo construction so far, but I think my favorite is this little bit of whimsy on the roof of the Expo Organizing Committee building. The forward looking lady is gazing out to sea with her spyglass. Definitely click on the photo a few times to get the largest view and to get a good look at her face. Love it!
Here, Expo Town is still under construction just behind The Spyglass Lady.
Finally, this was the busiest construction going on at the time, in the area of The Big O and the Thematic Pavilion, if I’m not mistaken.
We’ve had some great weather lately, and today was no exception–clear blue skies and a moderately warm afternoon. So, I took another walk in the Expo area and got some more shots. I’ll get ‘em up quickly, I hope. More later.
Here are a few photos taken in one of Yeosu’s indoor fish markets last April, which just goes to show how timely I am at posting some of my shots.  The fish markets are located in the area of town where there are dozens of folks selling vegetables, fruit, fish and other staples in a hodge-podge of outdoor and indoor markets. Here’s a view of the main street of this area.
Anyway, the outdoor market is still open, but the indoor ones, of which there are a few, are much nicer for winter shopping. Here’s a photo of the outdoor market, which I took way back in October of 2008 (and which I DID put in the main photo gallery, but not on the blog).
Inside the market, folks are busily engaged in buying and selling all sorts of seafood.
Following are several shots of various creatures from the sea; I know about the crabs and fish, but what the others are called, I have no idea. If anyone knows, please leave a comment. Enjoy.
Here are a few more shots of various Yeosu scenes. I suppose this post’s theme could be buildings and construction. There’s quite a lot of construction in the area as Yeosu prepares for the 2012 Expo. Naturally, most of the construction is centered around the Expo site, but there are other areas experiencing hotel and apartment building projects.
One of these is the Ocean Park Resort, out near the Soho Yacht Marina. The hotel being built on the property was originally supposed to be about 660 feet tall, which would have made it the tallest in Yeosu. I think that it’s been downgraded due to construction costs beyond the original estimate. You can see the original design and some early photos of its construction at the Skyscraper City website. Originally schedule to be open this year, it now appears that it won’t be finished until 2014. Here’s the most recent photo I took.
Here’s another shot from the Soho Yacht Marina.
Farther left in the photo above, out of the shot, is the Ocean Park Waterslide area. Unfortunately, it was closed on the day I rode my bicycle there. It’s fairly large and I’m told that it gets a lot of use. Here’s just a small section of it.
Back down the shoreline a bit is another hotel under construction. This one’s kind of isolated with not too much going on around it and it’s more than a few kilometers from the Expo site. Still, if it’s finished in time, it’ll probably get a fair amount of business.
And another view.
This apartment building near Lotte Mart and the Dolsan Bridge has been under construction ever since I arrived in Yeosu three years ago, and very little construction has been done on it. Recently, though, things have been picking up. I think the original outfit that was building it went under and a new owner took over. The original artist’s rendering of the complex has changed, as well as the complex name. Maybe it’ll be finished soon, but who knows?
And, just a few more shots taken on a walking trip. The first one is a view of the harbor where many of the fishing boats are docked.
Finally, there’s no sense wasting roof space above your house. While your laundry is drying, you can also dry a few crops up there, too. More later.
I have a lot of Yeosu photos that I haven’t posted yet, so I’ll start a new theme, so to speak, of Out and About in Yeosu, scenes from around the area, taken in August and September. I’ll try to get a new post up every 3 or 4 days (yeah, right) . . . OK, as often as I can.
First up, I thought I’d do something a little different. Rather than just put up the complete photo, I thought I’d show some close ups, some snippets of larger shots, kind of an abstract thing. First, I’ll show the small shots, followed by the overall scene. Let’s see how this works.
So here are the details. What are they? Shouldn’t be too hard to guess. Please click on each photo to get a larger view. Here’s Number One.
Number Two
Number Three
Number Four
Number Five
Now, so that you don’t see the main photos right off the bat, a little interlude.
Speaking of right off the bat, the first day of the MLB playoffs weren’t exactly heart-wrenching. The over-achieving Rays slaughtered the Texas Strangers 9-0 and the Tigers-Yanks game was rained out.
Looks like the Yanks game will be resumed tomorrow (Saturday in the ‘States) at the point where it was halted, bottom of the 2nd, tied at 1. Detroit scored with a cheapo home run and the Yanks scored without the benefit of a hit. That’s one thing about the New York Nine this season–they can win with speed and savvy baserunning. They were 3rd in the American League with 147 stolen bases (Tampa was first with 155), their most since 2001. Jeter actually struck out in the bottom of the first, but still scored the Yanks run, hustling to first base on a third strike wild pitch, one of those baseball oddities. He subsequently advanced to second on a walk to Granderson (former Tiger) and went to third on a groundout to second. He then scored on a grounder to third. Hopefully, the game can be completed tomorrow, though Weather Underground is showing a 40% chance of rain in The City tomorrow night.
The two teams will probably play another game on Sunday, which is Monday morning in Korea, but that’s OK with me, since we have Monday off because of a national holiday. It’s Korea Foundation Day, a celebration of the (mythical) founding of the country, both North and South. Check out a description here.
All right, enough of an interlude; back to the photos. Here are the main shots.
Number One. This one is part of the steeple of a church down by the harbor. Here’s the original shot, which I took from the Jongpo Ocean Park Walkway.
Number Two. There were several boats lined up along the dock at the Jongpo harbor near the walkway and this is a close up of one of them. Here’s the complete shot.
Number Three. These orange balloon-like things appear to be buoys that might be put in the water as warning signals. You certainly couldn’t miss their colorful presence atop the murky water.
Number Four. Seriously, I don’t have any idea of the purpose of these things. They were lined up across the harbor from the walkway. Very odd looking, yes? If anyone knows what purpose they serve, let me know in the comments, please.
Number Five. I must admit I cheated a little on this one. I rotated the original photo a bit in order to cut out the bottom part of the building. Anyway, they’re part of a building housing, I think, a maritime organization, like a fisherman’s hall or something along that line. Again, if anyone from Yeosu is looking, let me know what you think.
Number Six. Finally, the front of the building that kind of resembles a face, I think, is actually a school. Cute, if you ask me.
OK, that’s it for now. I’ll try to get some more Out and About shots up in a few days (giggle, snort, guffaw–c’mon, Ron, get serious), so stay tuned for more later.
There hasn’t been a whole lot going on around here lately, but we have had some gorgeous late summer/early fall weather; deep blue skies, plenty of sunshine, moderate temperatures and lower humidity have chased away the mostly oppressive summer days. This time of year and the middle of spring feature the best weather in Yeosu, in my opinion. I’ve been out and about, hiking, bicycling, walking and taking plenty of photos. Rather than making one or two huge posts, I think I’ll dole out a few photos at a time, hoping that y’all will keep coming back for more. (Plus, I get pretty lazy, at times, about processing all my shots.  ) Some of these might be interesting, some not. Enjoy, or not. Let me know what you think.
This is from earlier in the summer when the mist/fog lent an air of mystery to things. The humid conditions didn’t stop the local golfers, however, as the lights were on for the night owls.
On one of my walkabouts, I spotted these bright red flowers in a small garden plot on a small side street next to a small house. I think they’re pretty. Anyone know what kind of flowers they are? (I’m definitely not a flower guy, but I was, and am, a proponent of Flower Power).
Finally, it seems that we just don’t get that many good sunrises and ‘sets in Yeosu, at least from my vantage point, especially compared to those I had the pleasure to see in the Dominican Republic and Morocco. Lately, though, we’ve had a few nice sunsets. Here’s one. (Sorry, there ain’t nuthin’ I can do about the power transmission towers and lines in the photo–it was taken from the balcony outside my dormitory apartment.)
I’ll definitely try to get some more photos posted in a more timely manner, probably 3 or 4 shots per post, mostly just random stuff from around Yeosu, so stay tuned for more later.
These photos were taken on August 24th, so they’re only about 3 weeks old. I’m sure of the names of some of the venues, but for others, the names on the map that I refer to don’t match up with the names on the official website, so there’s a bit of confusion. At any rate, things seem to be progressing well, and I haven’t heard any reports that anything was behind schedule.
First is a shot of the Korean Pavilion, which I’m reasonably sure is the correct name for the building.
Next up is the Marine City and Conservation Pavilion (not sure about this one).
Here’s the aquarium, with the hotel under construction in the background. (100% sure)
Here’s the aquarium by itself from a bit closer.
And a closer view of the hotel.
This one could be the Marine Industrial and Technology Pavilion or the Climate and Environment Pavilion or the previously mentioned Marine City and Civilization Pavilion. Which one is it? I guess I’ll have to make a trip to the Expo Visitor Center and look at their 3-D model to find out.
Next, the Expo Town–pretty sure of this one.
The Local Government Pavilion (reasonably sure).
A general view of part of the construction area. The two cylindrical buildings to the right will comprise the sky tower.
Finally, there’s a new addition to the visitor center. I’ve no idea if it has a name other than, perhaps, “Crabby.”
That’s it for now. I’ll keep checking the site every once in a while and post more photos as progress dictates. Hope to see you at the Expo in 2012!
Finally, we’re getting some gorgeous weather. For the last week and a half or so, clear blue skies have banished the overcast conditions that we were experiencing, though it’s still quite humid at times. I got sunburned riding my bicycle last Sunday and while walking around town in the middle of last week. Marvelous!
Before the great weather, I went down to the Expo 2012 site to see how things had progressed since May, the last time I’d been down there. I got a lot of shots of the ongoing construction, but I also took some more photos of the wall murals that I mentioned in a previous post.
Here are a half dozen or so of the paintings. Peruse at your pleasure and, as always, click on ‘em for a larger version.
Sadly, some of the paintings that I photographed in May are no longer there. In this area of town, crews are widening the road in preparation for the Expo. Walking a bit down the hill, I saw that the mural wall came to an abrupt end where it had been demolished by the “improvement.” Here’s what I saw at the end of the wall.
Yikes! Well, I suppose it’ll look better once they finish the construction. This area will lead into the international village where all the foreign workers at their various pavilions will be living while they’re in Yeosu.
Construction is ongoing at the Expo site; here’s a brief preview of the new hotel being put up. I’ll have more Expo photos in a few days.
The rainy, gray days continue, so I still haven’t been out with the camera lately. This seems like the worst summer of the three that I’ve spent here in Yeosu. I think I can count on one hand the number of sunny days in July and August. It was supposed to rain all afternoon today, but checking the weather radar, it appears that no rain is heading our way. (Typical bad forecast by the KMA.) Despite overcast skies, I think I’ll go down to the Expo 2012 site later this afternoon and take a few shots.
In the meantime, here are some more photos from last May. Some of these I’ve played around with in Photoshop, so click for a larger version to see how I’ve enhanced them (or screwed them up).
The western part of the peninsula is quite beautiful, but I don’t get out there that often; I don’t ride my motorbike around in town (too dangerous, I think) and it’s kind of far out for much more than the very occasional bicycle ride. Here are a couple shots of the area.
This one was taken a bit closer to the city, near the Soho Yacht Marina.
The tall ship trainer heads out to sea with a boat load of passengers to take in the yacht regatta that’s occurring farther out. Check out the guy up on the mast. All of the photos in this post were taken with my compact camera, so I didn’t have the Canon DSLR with it’s long telephoto lens. If you look closely, you can barely make out the small boats in the distance.
Here’s a different kind of ship, unladen, perhaps going across the bay to Gwang-yang to pick up a load of steel.
Finally, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom then, so here’s another one that I “photoshopped,” pink cherry blossoms in all their glory. As always, click on any of the photos for a large version. More later.
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