Let me tell you about an evening ashore together with the captain, chief officer and apprentice. As in most ports usual, we had to order a boat to bring us from our quay to the port authority building.
After passing the border we changed money and ordered a taxi. Most Koreans don’t speak English too well but we managed to get to a large shopping mall in the city centre. Usually I try to see and experience as much as possible from the foreign culture but with so little time we decided to keep to things known to us. So we started with a good cup of coffee in Starbucks, had dinner in an Italian restaurant and finished our evening in an English pub. What we did may sound boring, but Ulsan is a modern city with so many billboards, shops, traffic and people it is quite a challenge to find your way and just walking through the city is an experience apart.It was impressive to see the shops, so colorful with neon lights and commercials everywhere. And to sell fresh smelling fish just next to a jewelry shop and a clothing boutique is relay no problem… In the end we really enjoyed to have a beer in the relaxed atmosphere of the pub and the Korean owner gave us some addresses where to go if we visit the city again. There are a few foreigner clubs, pubs and restaurant for all the English speaking people in the city and I will go ashore again next time to see if they are any good.
Time passed quickly and we had to catch a cab in order to be back on the ship in time. Luckily I hade made a picture of the port authority building name in Korean so I could show the taxi driver. Apparently he knew where to go and he brought us back safely.
The last few weeks with the weather improving, I had the opportunity to take some pictures again. As usual they show scenery, you may see them in the designated album. Enjoy!
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