Library Bound

In what turned out to be a feeble attempt to find the local library, we stumbled upon a little treasure not too far from our apartment: Samduk Park. I had been to about three bookstores in the area, desperate to find something to read aside from the two measley books I had packed. Whoever said not to pack books because they were too heavy was clearly not a scholar. Nothing fills a hot day better than a good book. The stores here have a small selection of mainly classics (think: East of Eden and Little Women), but the prices are atrocious (about $20 for a softcover novel). So I Googled like mad, attempting to find a magical place where they allow foreigners to borrow books. Low and behold, I found it. The map seemed quite self-explanatory: start near Anyang Station and go east...you should hit it. By the way, here's Anyang Station, my local and nearest subway station:

It's huge. You may be able to see Krispy Kreme on the right side of the photo: they LOVE doughnuts here. I mean, they take BOXES home with them. I haven't seen a BOX of doughnuts since, like, elementary school. I didn't know people actually ATE that many of them at a time. To get into the trains, you go in the main, lit up area, and up the stairs to the left of the picture. That glassed-in portion is soooo hot, it is a miracle more people don't pass out there. Inside the station, a woman sells bunnies after about 11 pm. I'm not sure why...or for that matter, who would buy a rabbit from a squatting woman in a subway station, but hey, this is Asia...anything is possible. There are men wearing white sashes who speak perfect English and help you with your journey and ticket-buying. My challenge each time is to pick my destination in Korean, instead of resorting back to old English. The trains depart in one of four directions from here, all at the back of the station. It's best to know a bit of the Korean alphabet, I've found, to accurately decipher the signage. I haven't been lost yet, but I do look like quite the tool when I'm staring at my Korean-only subway map (again, I'm being stubborn, but I think I'm forced to learn this way).

So we stumble upon this park and I'm thrilled. It is right on the Anyang River (more of a stream when compared to the Han River in Seoul) and is full of older people and children. There is a water park, artfully arranged pathways winding around manicured lawns, nurtured birch trees, and hundreds of dogwood bushes (I heart dogwood: reminds me of Duke Street). Again, pictures don't really do it justice, but here is one of me (this shirt is getting a lot of play on my blog...note that Leanne was sporting her blue one on a previous entry) in front of a mountain (how majestic) and with the park on my left. The river is below me, and to my right, a collection of homes, restaurants, and bars.

Anyang is the Art City (city of art?), and I've noticed that they tend to decorate outdoor spaces quite nicely. Even sidewalks here are more cobblestone than cement: not entirely practical for the thousands of ladies clad in sky-high heels, but it sure does look nice. Here, in a small pool for children (not full in this pic), some outdoor art for kids to play on and around. Why didn't we think of this?
That little guy is actually DRINKING the pool water. How cute is that? I don't know if they have deer here, but the little nearly goat-looking deer creatures remind me of the Camp.

We never did find the library.