| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Olivencia
Joined: 08 Mar 2009
|
 Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 4:30 pm Post subject: Korea: Where are all the fresh water lakes to swim? |
 |
|
I don't mean a pansy jumping around and splashing but a good work-out kind of swim.
Let me know. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
|
| Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 4:41 pm Post subject: |
|
|
The one thing I was surprised at was the shortage of lakes in this country. And what they call a "lake" is often no more than a manmade reservoir for drinking water.
That said, Chuncheon "Lake" is worth a visit and the "lake" near Jinju is huge enough for swimming but that activity is banned, though the national rowing team can use it to train.
Korea has some remarkably good coastal and island beaches for swimming and even some decent rivers. But not lakes. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Olivencia
Joined: 08 Mar 2009
|
| Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 4:44 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Can I swim (legally) at the one in Chuncheon? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
redaxe
Joined: 01 Dec 2008
|
| Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 4:52 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Sorry I can't help with your question OP, but I just want to point out how hilarious it is that in such a maritime nation, which has no crossable land borders, and where the citizens eat seafood literally every day, so few people even know how to swim. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
blackjack
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: anyang
|
| Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 5:04 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| redaxe wrote: |
| Sorry I can't help with your question OP, but I just want to point out how hilarious it is that in such a maritime nation, which has no crossable land borders, and where the citizens eat seafood literally every day, so few people even know how to swim. |
I don't know about that, almost all of my students list swimming as a hobby and many if not most go up to the indoor pool up the road after class |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
andrewchon
Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Location: Back in Oz. Living in ISIS Aust.
|
| Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 6:14 pm Post subject: |
|
|
OP: they are called swimming pools.
You don't swim in lakes because you'll scare the fish away and
you'll have angry fisher-folks out to make shashimi out of you.
Koreans do not swim.
They strap on floaty jackets, wear inflatable tubes, swim goggles, ear-plug, hair covers;
all that and then they splash around in knee-deep water.
It's the caste thing; only the lowly fisherman knows how to swim, you see. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Olivencia
Joined: 08 Mar 2009
|
| Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 7:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Swimming pools? But they don't stay in their lanes properly. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
blackjack
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: anyang
|
| Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 7:48 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| andrewchon wrote: |
Koreans do not swim.
They strap on floaty jackets, wear inflatable tubes, swim goggles, ear-plug, hair covers;
all that and then they splash around in knee-deep water.
It's the caste thing; only the lowly fisherman knows how to swim, you see. |
Rubbish
Some koreans don't swim. Some strap on floaty jackets.
Some of my students can swim very well and unless it happens that I have the only koreans that can swim at my school, It follows that many koreans can swim |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
hugekebab
Joined: 05 Jan 2008
|
| Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 8:29 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Olivencia wrote: |
| Can I swim (legally) at the one in Chuncheon? |
There is barely any concept of legality or illegality in this country. If you can go into a lake without an ajossi shouting at you then you can go into that lake. One things for sure, the police won't be there. Just go in the damn lake.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
redaxe
Joined: 01 Dec 2008
|
| Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 8:38 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| hugekebab wrote: |
| Olivencia wrote: |
| Can I swim (legally) at the one in Chuncheon? |
There is barely any concept of legality or illegality in this country. If you can go into a lake without an ajossi shouting at you then you can go into that lake. One things for sure, the police won't be there. Just go in the damn lake. |
Don't swallow the water though, who knows if they are even testing for fecal bacteria levels... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
young_clinton
Joined: 09 Sep 2009
|
| Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 9:29 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Chuncheon !!!!!!!! 
only kidding, stay out of the Chuncheon Lakes. If you ever go to the lakes you will see why. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
|
| Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 11:40 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| I don't mean a pansy jumping around and splashing |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
matthews_world
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 4:25 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Fresh-water swimming in Korea?
You might get some parasitic worm up your you-know-what.
*movie reference*
Seriously though, Andong is great for water sports. There's a quaint river that runs around the folk village. Adjacent to Byungsan Seo-won (병산서원)there is a nice river with rafting nearby.
Water is still cold this time of year however. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
exercise_in_futility
Joined: 11 May 2009
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:07 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Hello, what about the Han River right in front of you.
PROS: it's nearby, easily accessible
CONS: radioactive, you will end up as like the beast in that movie "Gwaemool" or "The Host" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
English Matt
Joined: 12 Oct 2008
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| blackjack wrote: |
| andrewchon wrote: |
Koreans do not swim.
They strap on floaty jackets, wear inflatable tubes, swim goggles, ear-plug, hair covers;
all that and then they splash around in knee-deep water.
It's the caste thing; only the lowly fisherman knows how to swim, you see. |
Rubbish
Some koreans don't swim. Some strap on floaty jackets.
Some of my students can swim very well and unless it happens that I have the only koreans that can swim at my school, It follows that many koreans can swim |
It seems that more younger Koreans know how to swim than do the older generations. I know very few adult Koreans who know how to swim, but plenty of my students, like yours, list it as a hobby. One of the biggest reasons I dislike swimming here is because most of the lanes are given over to swimming lessons, and the few that are not seem to be full of people with little in the way of technique.
I do agree with Redaxe that it is peculiar that so many people in this country can't swim, but I guess it comes down to the fact that land and real estate are expensive in this country; a swimming pool takes up a lot of space and therefore it costs quite a bit to operate. This is why there don't seem to be that many swimming pools around, compared to say the UK, and why the costs of using many (not all I grant you) is so high......which in turn excludes a lot of lower income families from using them to learn to swim in the first place. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
