Parking in Korea can be a real challenge, even when there is designated parking. I thought I would introduce you to our parking garage. It is under the building. From our apartment the entrance looks sort of like a large green caterpillar. The caterpillar covers a steep spiral ramp.
Along with the car that will inevitably be parked in the slot directly opposite the ramp is this sign.
We think "Front Parking" means that you should back in to your space. Most people do. And, most people in Korea have cars that are silver, black, or white. More festive colors rarely appear on personal automobiles.
Backing in can be quite a trick - as you can see there is not a lot of space in each slot. The cars fit ok, but there isn't much room to open the doors.
This winter, we watched with fascination as a leaky pipe created a mini ice cave. Stalactites on the pipe, stalagmites on the floor, and the sound of the water dripping that echoed through the garage.
Here is a closeup of the "flowstone." It really was cave formations in hyper speed. It took about a week for this to grow.
A significant oversight - the elevator does not go all the way to the parking level. Once we park, we have to haul whatever we need from the car inside. In the summer this is not usually a problem - we park in the little lot outside the front door, where there is a ramp and it is easy to get to the elevator. But in the winter we park below, and we climb. Still, I am grateful for a place to park, even if it is tricky and inconvenient at times. Not everyone in Korea is so lucky.
