Korean Job Discussion Forums

[inverse_narcissus]

Hullo!

I'm moving to Korea in two days from Ireland (thanks, in part, to the great contractual advice I received here on the forum) and I'm wondering if anyone can answer a couple of everyday questions for me?

1. Does ANYONE know where I can find info on Masan? This is the town I'm going to be living in for the next year and I can't find much online info on it....
2. Can I drink the water in Korea from the tap? I'm used to doing this at home but don't wanna get a bad case of diorrhea!
3. Are there any dangerous animals/insects I should keep an eye out for in Korea?

Thanks in advance....
S

[Ya-ta Boy]

1. Masan is an old city on the south coast. That means the winters are pretty mild compared to Seoul. A jacket will be sufficient in the winter.

Streets are crooked and it's a little hard to navigate around the city, but not impossible. There are several shopping places, but you will probably want to take the bus over to Changwon for some things. (Masan, Changwon and Jinhae are all one city, with a big mountain smack in the middle.) Total pop is around 1 million.

All in all, not a bad place to be.

2. Yes, you can drink the water, but NO ONE does. Buy a bottle of water for W1,000 at any local 'supermarket' for drinking. People only use water from the faucet for cooking and brushing their teeth.

3. In the rainy season (late June) there are these icky black/reddish brown centipede thingies that are poisonous, but not lethal. Ugly things, 4 or 5 inches long. You won't want to touch them.

Also beware of the giant mosquitoes. They have been known to latch on to skinny foreigners and suck them dry in under 5 minutes. They come out after the rainy season. It wouldn't hurt to bring a gun to deal with those puppies.

Finally, keep an eye out for the Drooling Waygookins. Those are the most life-threatening things on the peninsula.

[kat2]

Masan is alright. You are close to Busan for when you need a comforts-of-home fix. I think it shoudl be only about an hour. ALso, close to the ocean and Geoje Island, which is a nice getaway for a weekend. You'l be able toget most of what you need in the tri-city area the other poster mentioned.

Don't drink the water! It won't kill you immediately, but its full of heavy metals and other build-up-over-time kind of pollutants. I only use it to wash fruit and to brush my teeth(no swallowing). Some people boil and drink, but that doesn't get rid of the heavy metals. You can buy 12 liters (6x2L bottles) for under 4,000. Trust me your health is worth that.

No dangerous animals or bugs to speak of.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[BigBuds]

[just because]

1) masan is a shit-pit. I lived there for a year....it is an old port city and quite dirty but it does have its charms. Welcome to ye old style Korea I must say...shit-pit though.
Population is only 450 000..Ya-ta is a bit out there....
For english information
http://english.masan.go.kr/main/index.jsp

[mehamrick]

Masan isn't too bad. I lived there for a year and a half before moving to Changwon.. which they are pretty much one city anyways.. the foreigners there are pretty tight.. and there are a few good places to hang out and meet some people. The university makes the eye candy nice.. but they can be typical k-girls. mosquitoes yes.. didn't see the centipede things.. and wouldn't drink the water.. there is a sweet Mexican restaurant there though.. Korean guy married a Mexican woman and the food is wonderful for what you can get in Korea.. if you need anything specific look me up send me a pm or something.

[just because]

I have been to that mexico restaurant in changdong the last 2 weekends in a row...

Fan-frigging-tastic is all i can say....

and cheap and good and cheap and tasty and cheap and delicious...

now all they need is a good Thai restaurant and i will be set...

There you go, Masan does have something going for it...

[Ya-ta Boy]

[just because]

[mehamrick]

Yeah Thai is lacking around here somewhere there is supposed to be a new Vietnamese restaurant I have heard its pretty good.. couple new bars Tasteys and long life.. Tasteys has a wonderful micro brew that they do there now.. I digress. you can find some good things just have to look for it.. Changwon is a short bus or taxi ride away if you get too bored.

[dalpengi]

As mentioned by others Masan, Changwon and Jinhae are basically one city although visually Masan (old) and Changwon (new) are very different.

If you add Masan and Changwon together than the population comes to 1,000,000 and there are 150,000 people in Jinhae on top of that.

Masan pop: 450,000
http://wiki.galbijim.com/Masan

Changwon pop: 550,000
http://wiki.galbijim.com/Changwon

Jinhae: 150,000
http://wiki.galbijim.com/Jinhae

You should find most things you need in Masan (or Changwon).

Also, Busan (population around 4 million) is about 60 to 80 minutes away and a good place to escape to once in a while.

Masan has its share of places where you can go for a drink but I am more familiar with Changwon and there are two great bars there where you can meet foreigners:

O�Briens (the owner is Irish)
http://www.obriens-bar.com

International Pub
http://www.ip-bar.com

[mehamrick]

Speaking of Jinhae cherry festival is coming soon.. Sweeeeeeet.... That is always a good time..

[dalpengi]

[mehamrick]

Joyces is a pretty nice place.. Matt is cool as hell.. and the girls working the bar are awesome.. another one is www.masanjazz.com Mr. Lee is a wonderful guy will help you with anything and has an amazing LP collection.. good place to network with most of the foreigners there.