February 17, 2023
Moving to a new place
It did not take long to physically move to Geoje (거제 in Korean), the second largest island in South Korea, once a moving company was decided. And in less than a couple of weeks, we were able to settle in our new home.
After living in Japan for 18 years and 6 months as a professor of International Christian University (ICU) located in Mitaka-shi, Tokyo, I took early retirement and came back to Korea on April 3, 2022. I felt sad and at the same time excited about my post-retirement life. I will talk about my ICU life and friends later.
As soon as we (my husband and me) arrived in Korea, we decided to move to Geoje island which is known as a beautiful holiday destination in the southern part of Korea.
One moving company was called in on April 4, gave us a quote and agreed to move our stuff to Geoje on April 7. Unbelievably efficient! And it delivered its promise – everything was nicely relocated to our new apartment in Geoje by April 7! While the company was preparing the moving, I ordered a few things such as electronic goods including a refrigerator online and visited a few furniture places. All ordered goods all came in within a few days. I was so amazed with the efficiency of Korea’s online markets (especially Coupang!) and the overall delivery and service systems. Engineers and interior staff who came to assemble their products were so skillful and kind. As a result of all these coordinated efforts, our place was almost set by April 19. In a week or so, more improvements (like lightings, curtains, hanging the paintings, etc.) were made. Photos below show our neatly arranged gallery-café style living room and kitchen areas.
Met good neighbors and visited local restaurants
During these first two weeks, we met a few neighbors. They took us to a few local restaurants. Not so fancy, but they used the best quality ingredients and made delicious dishes. But it would be too early to talk about these local restaurants after visiting a few places. I will come back to restaurants and cafes in Geoje later. For now, just sharing a few photos…
Several delicious sub dishes were served before a main dish, Sashimi at a restaurant, Mido Sushi in Tongyeong (https://www.tongyeong.go.kr/main.web), a beautiful city which is just 20 min. drive from our house. I will write more about Tongyeong later as it is one of my favorite places in Korea.
A hideout restaurant called, Agit in Geoje serves a combo of grilled fish with crabs preserved in soy sauce and spicy marinated crabs, of course, along with a number of side dishes. So yummy! Another local restaurant in Geoje, ‘Our Sashimi’ serves wild (not farmed) flatfish and other kinds of fish. The fish just melted in my mouth.
Began to enjoy best trails for walking and hiking
Our apartment complex is the perfect place for walking and hiking, and outdoor resting. We love to take a long walk-in trails surrounded by trees or alongside the water. Just in front of the complex, there are hiking trails with varying levels of difficulty and length surrounded by cypress trees. Several viewpoints present us both ocean and city views. At the resting areas inside the complex, we can enjoy beautiful scenery and find peace and happiness. Two photos are shared below.
