Tongjin - It's...Something
okay, so, where do i even start with Tongjin? it’s… a lot. i just checked and it's...there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. honestly, i’m still processing. i was supposed to be documenting a ‘charming rural escape’ - you know, the kind of thing Instagram wants - but it’s less ‘charming’ and more ‘slightly bewildered.’
I landed at Gimpo, which was surprisingly chaotic. Like, a lot of people, a lot of buses, a lot of shouting. Then it was a bus ride, a slightly terrifying taxi ride (the driver kept yelling at me in Korean - i think i nodded and smiled politely), and suddenly i was here. Masong, they call it. It’s… flat. Really flat. And mostly residential. Lots of little houses, a few shops selling things i couldn’t understand, and a surprisingly large number of expats. I heard that the local Korean restaurants are decent, but honestly, i was too overwhelmed to even look. Someone told me that the Gojeong-ri Dolmen is a must-see, but i just kinda wandered around, trying not to get lost.
I spent a ridiculous amount of time staring at the Tongjin Dure Cultural Center. It’s… a building. A perfectly adequate building. I took a few pictures, mostly because my camera battery was dying. I’m pretty sure it’s where they hold bingo nights or something. It’s not exactly a highlight reel moment, you know?
Seriously, the air quality is a nightmare. I’m talking AQI 287. It’s like breathing through a wet towel. I checked the local weather report - it’s currently 15 degrees and feels like -6.63. Fantastic. I’m pretty sure my lungs are staging a revolt. I found a tiny coffee shop - it was basically a woman’s kitchen with a counter - and got a ridiculously overpriced latte. It was… okay. I’m not going to lie.
I’m trying to wrap my head around the history here. Apparently, it started with the Silla Kingdom, went through a bunch of mergers and name changes, and now it’s this rapidly growing suburb of Seoul. It’s a bit of a chaotic patchwork, really. The population’s exploded in the last few years - 34,955 in 2020, and now over 37,000. A lot of foreigners too, which is… interesting. I heard that the census numbers are a little unreliable, though. They underreport by about 3.5%.
If you get bored, Incheon and Seoul are just a short drive away. I’m also considering a day trip to Suwon - I saw a really cool castle on TripAdvisor. Check out the reviews there, they’re surprisingly helpful.
Honestly, Tongjin isn’t a ‘place.’ It’s more of a feeling. A slightly anxious, slightly overwhelmed feeling. It’s… real. And that’s kind of exhausting. I need a nap. And maybe a hazmat suit.
I’m going to try and find a decent place to stay tonight. I’m hoping for something with air conditioning. I found a listing on Booking.com, but the pictures look… questionable. Let’s hope it’s not as bad as this place.
https://www.booking.com/
https://www.tripadvisor.com/
https://www.gimpo.go.kr/
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