Downtown Marathon

16th April 2010. Friday Evening. Its been almost a week in Ulsan. Have already explored the nearby locality, the beach, local restaurants, the football court, the neighborhood parish, the supermarket et al. The streets are dotted with Cherry blossom - in hues of pink, rose, violet and white - 'Sakura' as they are called are the delight of the spring season.

Today I thought of visiting the downtown. Need to flex my calf muscles a little bit. A week in office, no football and I am already wearing thin. Why not go for a stroll? Downtown is a dozen kilometers away. Not much for a runner, not much for me. Checked the weather forecast - 7°C, Windy, little chance of showers. So off I went...

The Marathon Route:

Started from the office, slipped into my apartment for a quick change of gear and jogged by the Taehwa river side, wallowed in the breathtaking view of the Ulsan harbor. Sprinted past Hyundai Heavy's Offshore Division, Hyundai Mippo Dockyard and Hyundai Motor Company. Two giant Ro-Ro ocean liners of 'EuKor' & 'China Shipping' were berthed at the quay. Avantes, Grandeurs, Elantras and other cars from the Hyundai stable were lined in thousands to be rolled over the ramps into these behemothic vessels. The export volumes are amazing. With a population and land area that is half that of Uttar Pradesh, South Korea exports a little more than twice of what India exports. But we are catching up! I mused. Maybe not with so many cars right now - but the day is not far when the Nanos are going to win the bottom of the pyramid around the world :)

Chewing on that stat I whisked accross the Taewha river bridge into the labyrinths of the New Downtown. Rush hour time. People out of offices waiting for cabs and buses. I slipped into Lico Bar for some coffee and hotdog. Resumed my  amble - yonder Lotte Hotel, window shopping at the Hyundai Department Store flaunting LV, Versace and all that jazz. Reached just in time at Ulsan Culture & Arts Center. Bought front seat tickets for the Philharmonic Orchestra next Friday. Picked up a City Guide and KTX time tables at the information centre at Ulsan Train station. Wanna go to Seoul on a bullet train sometime over the the next couple of weekends :P

Already dark, it was. Trotted back home - wished to have a fresh pair of legs. Could have taken a ride back. But to run - it was - and so would it be. Chilly breeze. Dazzling lights. Starry Sky. The roro liners were gone - probably in the Pacific already. Reached home by 10. What a marathon it was! Quarter Century Sprint. Totally refreshing.