Global-Mariner

2021-11-20:   Page updated with photo numbers - - -

I have had the good fortune to be diving at many exotic places,-including Australia and Africa-, where everybody go,- but for various unfortunate reasons I have not had my underwater camera available at those truly great opportunities.

However,- in the case of Korea, - where NOT so many go diving -, I have had several dives, where my camera was ready - - -

Please enjoy the result on this page - - - -

How did I end up there????

Well, - Koreas is - together with Taiwan - some of my absolute favorite countries, - and one day during a vacation in Korea, I ran ito Mr. Han Sanchul ,who happened to be a diver, - just like myself - and not only that:  Sanchul was running a dive shop in Seoul - -

Great!  I went to see, and by coincidense his dive shop was very near the smal "jogwan" where I stayed at that time.

Interesting, - but most interesting was, that Sanchul also was willing to arrange a diving trip for me, next time I came back to Korea - -

So, - next time I explored Korea, I also brought my wet suit and my underwater camera - - -

Then one fine day, Mr. Han and Mrs. Han as well as myself entered Sanchuls 4-wheel drive car and drove across the beautiful mountains of Korea to the opposit coast - the east coast - and ended up in a new dive center belonging to Mr. Yo - - -

And this is the result!

And down and down and down it goes - - -

Into an under water canyon, that the local divers refer as "Grand Canyon" - and indeed: It really is spectacular, but my underwater camera cannot catch the dimentions of it, but only take close-ups of what is near me - - -

But in the ghost like visibility you can follow the outline of the  underwater cliffs, caves, shelves and the dim shape of the scenery around - - - -

There are no colours - like on my photos taken in artificial light - because the rays of the Sun do not penetrate to this depth - - - 

Yes indeed, - Korea is just as scenic below the water as it is obove - and that means VERY beautiful - - -

Take note of the black sea urchin you see on the rock below the white plant - - -

We had 2 dives just for exploring the scenery and then one more dive in order to catch our dinner - - -

This would of course be mainly fish, but also other animals that can be eaten - like sea urchins - came on the menu for the evenings dinner - - -

Quite an overwhelming dinner, with lots of things to eat - all fresh  from the ocean - just outside the coast where we sit - and of course lots of Korean beer - - - -

And you are VERY hungry - and VERY tired after 3 dives - so this must be very close to Paradise?

How did I - a Danish gentlema of viking heritage -from the other side of the World end up there - and being perfectly happy??????

Kipling once wrote: East is East and West is West and NEVER the twain shall meet!

This quote - in various variations - has since been the most misunderstood and also directly wrong quote, because it is taken out from it's original context without explaining what Kipling is really saying and trying to tell you - - -

But if you take the time to read the WHOLE poem by Kipling, then you understand how wrong it is to take this quote out of its context, - and think that this is the correct understanding - - -

Because Kipling says that if two equal men stand face to face, - both intelligent, talented, brave, adventurous, free and compassionate - then there is -quote: -"neither East nor West, - border nor breed, - nor birth" - - -

So, - East and West certainly CAN meet, - and that is important to understand - and in this case it was a meeting between a bunch of happy Koreans - some of the most intelligent people on the planet - and a European desendant from the vikings - - - 

But it could just as well have happened with Japanese or Chinese, - and other people - because just as Kipling knew what it was about, - so do I  - because I lived and stayed in Hong Kong in my younger days, - and there I learned a lot - and travelled a lot and explored all over the Far East - - - -

Taiwan and Korea became my favorite countries, - and today I am married to a Chinese woman, which most likely is the best thing I have ever done in my fantastic life - - - -

So get it:   EAST AND WEST CAN MEET - - -