kampo from spunknit by gordon foster

according to lonely planet
there was no sleeping on the beach
so i bought a hammock

i had a week off in july
i wanted to spend it by the sea
so i took a morning bus to kyongju

i walked from the bus station by the river
to a small restaurant near a tomb
it was sweltering in the city
so i got on the next bus to kampo



climbing up past the reservoir
kyongjuworld and the bicycles built for two
the bus took a winding mountain road
then coasted down past rice fields to the sea

i got off at a small village station
walked through the market to the pier
saw a headland with some likely-looking pines
and strolled up there with my hammock for the night

the wind off the water was chilling
quite a shock after the heat of the day
i rolled up my hammock and went looking
for a warmer, more comfortable place to stay



walking back through kampo to where the bus turned
i found a campground on the shore side of the road
and bought a silver groundsheet at the super
to roll up in for a bit of warmth between two trees

the next morning i walked out to the water
past all the tents right out there on the sand
took my first dip in the salty sea of japan
and started my stroll towards the south

whole families were waking up to cook breakfast
instant noodles on small propane cylinder stoves
blue, red and yellow balloons flew high above us
the sand was beginning to warm beneath my feet



i spent afternoons floating out in the water
chatting with middle-aged men and kids
had to take to the highway around the reactor
and found sixty thousand won lying on the road

i treated myself to maeuntang my last morning
got tired of pulling the bones from the chunks of fish
glanced at my watercolour sketches
and hopped on a bus to head home

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