couldn't sleep, so...

I couldn't sleep after a six-hot-dog weekend and a hot/humid Monday (during which I ate the rest of my chili and made tomato soup with the rest of my passata and some heavy cream—all more or less keto), so I waited until 2:30 a.m. and took a walk out to the Han River. There were, of course, walkers and runners and bikers out, not to mention old people who couldn't sleep because that is the lot of old people. The chili made this into a farty walk, and I worried about sharts to the point where, when I was about to pass by a restroom, I decided to stop and offload some of my troubles. The result was a few measly crumbs of solid matter and a lot of intestinal gas, coming out with the blatting noise of a deflating, sausage-shaped balloon. Aside from those technical troubles, I rested five minutes at the outset to stave off some tightness around the chest; after that, I was good to go for the rest of the walk.

By starting the walk so early (pulling a Jeff Hodges, he of the 2:30 a.m. reveille), I enjoyed an awesome 10 kilometers accompanied by a decent breeze much of the time and an ambient temperature of about 23ºC (73.4ºF). The sun's rays never touched me. Although people were out at that time of day, it was an hour earlier, so there were fewer early birds. Always good for us introverts. However, when I was almost back at my place and muttering aloud to myself, as I often do, I got greeted by a friendly, grandmotherly old woman who smiled as I passed. She'd probably heard me muttering; maybe she thought I was a kindred spirit, a fellow self-talker. I greeted her back and felt unwontedly good about the exchange. In the US and Switzerland, walkers/hikers tend to greet each other on the path; in Korea, people often mind their own business, but it's a bit different out in the boonies. Out in the far distance between cities, Koreans that you encounter tend to be more open and friendly, and when you approach any big city, the walkers and cyclists tend to become more closed and reserved again. That's just one of the costs of being on the trail. In the States, walkers and bikers tend to greet you as a fellow traveler, part of the same club. In Switzerland, people often hail you with a hearty Grüezi or a Grüß Gott—one of the many things I miss about Switzerland. So yes, the Korean grandma's greeting to me as I was muttering to myself was unusual since we were inside the city, but it was still a welcome thing despite my introversion.

4:40 a.m., following the Tan-cheon and approaching the Yangjae-cheon, Lotte World Tower in the distance as the sky brightens. We're apparently now past the summer solstice (this past June 21), so the days ought to start shortening again, but true summer heat and humidity haven't even begun yet. And we've got the monsoon season to look forward to as well. And creek floods. Joy.