Monday, March 29, 2010

Peck Visted!

Hey everyone. As some of you may know, a Duxbury reunion of epic proportions took place on the Korean peninsula a few weeks ago. The illustrious Brian "I hate Japan, but I'm staying there for another year" Peckrill visited me here in Daegu. To chronicle our shared experiences, I proposed we do a joint blog post that will appear both on "Hailing Hakodate" and "SK Here I am." The format will take on something of a dialogue, a team-telling if you will, that may inform you, or it may mislead you. Most likely it will misleadingly inform you. To warn you, it's lengthy, but hopefully worth your attention. Enjoy!


I: The Voyage to Daegu, Bus-Terminal Blunder, Fried-Chicken & Beer, Korean Style

Brian: Since you began looking for positions in Korea, it became inevitable that I would make the trip.

Keith: I would hope so, I mean I threw down to visit you in Copenhagen and you never made it to Sevilla. You're always good for slandering Southern Europe, jerk. But really, thanks for coming.

Brian: Well it really emerged out of coincidence. Having a couple weeks off between school years -- the school year ends in March, rather than June -- and traveling to Korea from Hakodate is basically as cheap and easy as getting to Tokyo, I decided just to do it. With two round-trip flights a week, it was pretty effortless to put this trip together. Similarly, getting to Daegu -- booking a bus at the airport, ect. -- was pretty effortless, as well.

Upon arriving at Dongdaegu station, I said goodbye to an Irish guy whom I befriended and called you. You had just got out of work 10 minutes before and said it would take 30 minutes to get over there. Hang tight. Always a fan of somewhat sketchy environments, I took a seat on the stoop to which I presumed was the bus terminal and looked to relax after a not so strenuous day of travels.

Keith: Woah, woah, woah, I never said 30 minutes. It takes at least 45, you were on the complete opposite side of Daegu. Chalk that one up to traveler's exaggeration/blog suspense... I really got there as quickly as I could. There was some unnecessary zigzagging because there are no fewer than three bus stations around Dongdaegu and I had some bunk directions.

Brian: Yea, yes...so defensive. Back to the story: 30 minutes came, 30 minutes went. No sign of any Americans. 40 Minutes...45 minutes. Deciding it was a good idea to check in, I gave you another call:

Me: 'yo dude, what's up?'

Keith: 'I'm at Dongdaegu station, where are you?'

Me: 'Where the bus dropped me off. You know where that is?'


Keith: 'Not really. I haven't been back there since I got lost my first night. What's around you?'

Me: 'I don't know. It's really dark. Theres some neon lights.'

Keith: 'Way to be descriptive, Peck'

Keith: Seriously. It's like being in Duxbury and offering "oh, well there are some pine trees around" and expecting to be located.

Brian: Well, it worked. After about 15 minutes, I saw a man with long hair and a big head in the distance. This had potential -- I knew that you had both of these features. Yet, as he approached, the legs where way too thin to be of Western decent. Still, he was bouncing right along as Keith is known to do. I threw up my hands just as a test; certainly if it was Keith, he would begin acting all crazy and whatnot. Sure enough, the big-headed man reciprocated the action and the Western men were finally united.

Keith: Fine description sir. I saw your hulking figure with your giant knockoff NorthFace backpack from a mile out. Like a gentleman, you promptly handed me a nicely package bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label from duty free and by golly, I'll love you forever.

Brian: In my defense, that knock-off cost only $17 and looks really authentic (in the defense of a very happy Cambodian, the NorthFace has proven to be worth in the $5 range).

Keith: Defense for all. The best offense.

Brian: You had been working all day, and I had been traveling, so, naturally, we both had built up an appetite for something unhealthy. It had been agreed that Friday night, we were going to get Korean Barbecue -- basically, all Japanese people want to know about Korea is how 'real' Korean barbecue tastes-- so, that Thursday night, we settled for a Fried Chicken joint.

I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed this meal. After a heated discussion, we settled with the Potato medley and a mixed platter of honey and barbecue chicken. Of course, we got a few Hite's to go with it (what's chicken without beer?).

Keith:
I'm not really sure what the deal is, but Koreans haven't heard of chicken that isn't fried. I've learned "chicken" means deep fried in all contexts. Out of this, loads of restaurants known as chicken & hof (beer) joints emerged with a force, carving out their out niche in modern Korean cuisine. They're hip - new and flashy decor with the obligatory electronic dart boards and K-Pop. The young adults of the ROK need all these things.

II: Temple Complex:

Peck: The next morning we woke up at the early hour of 10:30, made some eggs and bacon, and headed up to check-out the largest temple complex in the area,
Donghwasa.

Keith: Unlike your average European city (which are generally not all that average), in Korea, you can't just take a stroll on a major street downtown or explore a square in the heart of the city and expect a grand cultural and historical exhibit. The rapid and recent development of urban areas doesn't lend to that experience. For beauty, history, and culture, you have to trek up the mountain to the local Buddhist temple. So that's where I took you pal.

Brian: To be honest, I haven't a clue at what we were looking at, I'll leave that to Keith to explain.

Keith: I can't profess much expertise in the matter. Donghwasa is the name of the main temple complex, but the larger area its situated in is known as Palgongsan. It includes other structures, statues and extends up the gondola to the summit of Palgong mountain.

Peck's quick notes:

1. Monks like temples in beautiful, well-elevated places:



As you can see, Donghwasa was built into the mountains. While the gondola was not necessary to get to most of the temples, it just involved a significant uphill walk. In fact, between all the hills in Seoul, the 3rd tunnel at the DMZ, and this, I don't think I got such a good leg workout since high school.

The money shot for the parents. What a handsome little boy! (caption by Brian Travers Peckrill)


Brian: Yea, to put it directly, Palgongsan was beautiful. Even ravaged by the winter, the place had spectacular views and was a "spirtual" place, whatever that means. One of Keith's co-workers told him that Palgongsan was not worth our time and I think both of us respectfully disagree, right Keith?

Keith: Respectfully disagreeing sounds good, but I really don't think she knows what she's talking about. I understood it's not the largest in Korea, but hey, it's a day-trip. Relax-ah. Per usual, the mountain landscape views from the top were excellent. Korea's definitely got that going for it.

Because I know Peck's gotta have it, the nitty gritty:

The original temple was constructed by monk named Geuk-Dal in 493AD. The original name of the temple was Yugasa, but it was rebuilt nearly 400 years later by King Heung Deok who named it Donghwasa. The temple as it now stands was last rebuilt in 1732. It's undergone numerous renovations since then.
The temple complex.

A more square picture of the far-right structure from the above picture.
Note the swastika. Actually the second place I've been with Keith littered with that symbol (the Carlsberg Brewery has them all over the place from Pre-World War II memorabilia. In the defense of Carlsberg, the Elephant is it's distinctive symbol, and the swastika has its origins in Hinduism. They were going for this exotic Indian look). You sporadically see swastikas throughout both Korea and Japan, as it still remains a Buddhist symbol representing something.

Were growing up...

Us with the huge Buddhist structure.

Keith: If the Buddha in the background looks small, its not. The "Tongil Daegu" is a massive 33 meters in height, and an even greater force in zen presence. Constructed in 1992, its not a historic part of Palgongsan, but its impressive nonetheless.

Unlike some of the more touristy temples in Korea, (like Bulgoksa that I went to) Donghwasa is still a very active compound that houses Buddhist monks. It's a holy place and dwelling space, so not all areas are open to the public. On one path, we missed the sign that read "
들어오지 마세요," because though I could have sounded it out: "deul-eo-ngo-ji-ma-se-yo," I didn't have a clue what it meant (it translates to DO NOT ENTER of course). We strolled right into their "yard" and got chased away by a dude that was only about as upset as you would expect a zen master to be. What was strange was that we walked past an old woman weeding a garden that didn't offer the least of warning.

Brian:
Yea, that women was content to see us get a yelling. I appreciate the history lesson (no sarcasm intended). To be honest, I can't offer a lot about the temple complex besides:

1. It did not remind me a whole lot of traditional Japanese architecture (but, I do live in Hokkaido, where the architecture is a mixture of Ainu, the native people to Hokkaido, and Japanese.)

2. Everything was so steep.

Keith: Yeah, there's gotta be some sort of correlation between altitude and enlightenment.

Brian: 3. As a result, I have no desire to be a monk

Keith: I have my own reasons...

However, if Monks have feasts like this, for only $10, count me in.

Keith: The thing about eating Korean food that still strikes me is the side dish. We ordered an individual bi-bim-bap (a rice and vegetable medley with pepper sauce and an egg on top) and we still got an small army of sides. They're often pickled things or the same few vegetables dressed up with different spices and sauces; nothing extravagant, but you're certainly never bored.

III: Meeting the Boss Man -- An Impromptu Dinner with Mr. Lee and his Entourage

Brian: As promised, on Friday night, we went for authentic Korean barbecue. Before going, Keith thought it was necessary to undergo an extensive series of soju testings. Soju -- an alcohol indigenous to Korea -- is cheap, colorless and flavorless, similar to vodka. At around 20% ABV, it is a bit stronger than wine, but quite weak when compared to liquors. It is drank in Japan, however, usually with ice and water or as part of a mixed drink. In Korea, it is drank cold and downed in shot fashion in regular announced intervals (cheers sessions). I saw this in Vietnam and I also know that the Chinese enjoy drinking in this fashion; personally, I enjoying having the freedom to drink when I want, rather than having the shot & cheers overlord decided militantly when everyone must collectively drink.

Keith was excited for me to experience different soju, and it didn't disappoint. The higher-end soju was much smoother and the sting and noxious flavor of the cheaper brand. Thanks Keith.

Keith: Soju literally translates to "made of something burning." It really captures the essence.

I originally thought soju was derived from rice, but that's not true. I spent my first few months asking every Korean I could corner what its really made from. The consensus was "chemicals." At 80 cents a bottle, I wasn't expecting it to be USDA certified organic or anything, but jeez. Should I have been more troubled by the fact that Koreans don't really seem to care?

Looking into it further, it turns out that soju can, and is distilled from whatever is cheap as hell. Sweet potato is latest lucky candidate.

For the record, the "classy" soju I had was made purely from rice, but before we reserve space on the top shelf, it only costs $2.50 a bottle, soundly trumping Somerville Massachusett's Caldwell's Vodka in affordability.

I thought our tasting would be Peckrill's last experience with soju, but fate had it otherwise. On to the barbecue!

Brian: To get to the Korean barbecue place, we had to pass by Keith's work place, COOLish English Academy. While passing under the building, Keith spotted one of his Boss's friends.

Keith: The illustrious Mr. Kim! He, Mr. Lee and I have dinner together often, and I just call him "hyung" now, which means older brother. As a side note, he knows more about NBA basketball than Kenny Smith.

I should also mention that our school is called COOLish because it combines "cool" and "English." I once tried to explain to Mr. Lee that adding -ish to words changes the meaning to kinda, so our school would therefore be kinda cool. I don't think it fully registered.

Brian: Mr. Kim was waiting for Keith's boss, Mr. Lee, and shortly afterwards, the man, himself, emerged. With four friends, all sporting crisp and pristine-looking suits, theese guys just looked important, successful and were enjoying their youth in a way late-thirty year-old Western men often miss. Their friendship went back all the way to Junior High School and I was struck by how important camaraderie was to these individuals. Just class acts if I must say. While they were heading to an Oyster restaurant, their plans immediately changed when they saw us and we enjoyed Korean barbecue together.

Keith: Convenient as it was, I honestly didn't plan for this. We went by COOLish well after 9, so I was surprised to run into them. It worked out wonderfully, though, because you got a sense for what it's like for me hanging out with Mr. Lee and all his pals. I too admire the way he has stayed close with old friends. I really hope our crew can do the same.

Genghis Khan, at the Kiren Beer Garden...about every five minutes there was a loud cheers between the Japanese patrons and our group of English teachers.

Brian: In Japan, Korean barbecue goes by yakiniku, translating roughly to fried meat. While I have gone to yakiniku joints on many occasions, I most fondly remember Genghis Khan dining at the Kiren Beer Hall. Filled with Japanese Salarymen, Genghis Khan dining is all-you-can-eat lamb meat and cabbage, along with all-you-can-drink beer for 90 minutes. All this costs 5,000¥(~$60) and a terrible stench of greasy lamb meat smell deeply entrenched into any clothing you wear. However, the yakiniku can be more diverse, and one can often order side dishes, such as intestine, cow tongue, liver, ect., as well as vegetables. On the other hand, this authentic Korean barbecue featured significantly more side-dishes. Many of what was covered in the previous entry on Seoul was also thrown onto the barbecue. Also, in Japan, the patron places all meat (except tongue, which is immediately eaten) in a small bowl filled with a soy/garlic sauce. Over time, this bowl becomes a tantalizing mix of grease and soy sauce, which certainly wouldn't induce an immediate heart attack. In Korea, leafy greens were supplied and meat, with additional sides , were wrapped within the greens before consumption. While small and insignificant in the larger picture, it did just felt and tasted a whole lot healthier, which is a great thing.

Keith: It's all about the sides. Amen.

Real Korean Barbecue. Note all the sides mixed in with the meat. We don't believe in separate, but equal.

Keith: What's more gripping than one foreigner in Korea? Two foreigners in Korea, more so if the new one is a giant amongst dwarfs. I have to hand it to you Peck, they loved to hear your stories, especially ones that laid into Japan. There's a long history tied to the hard feelings, and these days they play out over arbitrary things like control of obscure islands and women's figure skating (see Dokdo Island and Asada Mao vs. Yu Na Kim). I just found that there's a whole Wikipedia page dedicated to why Korea and Japan f'in hate each other. Awesome.

You mentioned your dislike of group cheer sessions before, but you could not have done more to fan the flames than trashing Japan. Well done.

IV: Korean Beef

Brian: As was the original plan, we were to eat with Mr. Lee on Saturday night. Perhaps this wasn't given much thought, as by Saturday evening, both Keith and I had been run-ragged with the less-than-superlative behavior of the previous night. As 6:30 approached, Keith and I were trying our best to look 100%, and I think we succeeded.

Keith: A very generous assessment Mr. Peckrill.

Brian: Around 7, we left the apartment;

Keith: We entered when there was daylight and we emerged to darkness. Just saying.

Brian: Mr. Lee was waiting in his large, black sedan at the adjacent corner. I think, in Asia, sedans represent wealth in a way that they don't back home. I see myself desiring a sedan and also thinking those who drive one must be wealthy (a side note: I had to edit the word drive, from drink. Bizarre). As we navigate the winding streets of Keith's neighborhood, Keith asked where we will be going. 'The Korean Beef Place,' Mr. Lee responds. Keith does his best to let me know that this is a big deal, without explicitly telling me ('But Mr. Lee, the Korean Beef place is so expensive. Is this a special occasion?'), I got the picture. The first thing I noticed about the Beef place was a Jeep Grand Cherokee in the parking lot, a definite sign of high-scale dining.

The place was, indeed, quite nice. What may have even nicer was the beef. We all know what a nice piece of beef looks like: the marbled combination of fat and meat, the color, and finally, the texture. This meat was a slam-dunk across the board, as it should be -- Mr. Lee said one of the cows used to supply Korean beef is worth $10,000. Yikes. I haven't had the opportunity to have Kobe beef, yet, but I can say I've had Korean beef, and I bet they are actually quite similar (and that's the upmost compliment I can assign to any beef).

Keith: Mr. Lee said he only goes to this restaurant twice a year. I wasn't actually trying to tip you off as to the importance of the invitation, I was genuinely surprised, because I've already been once with him. This only begins to shed light on his generosity towards me.

We were all out of sorts going there, but some delicious grilled beef and soup fixed us up in ways I didn't think possible. We also still managed to put away a bottle of soju. When we finished the meal, Mr. Lee asked if we would be going out. I thought maybe a visit to the spa would be in order, and he called to make sure they were open. Open indeed, 24 hours. Boosh.

V: Jimjjilbang (Korean Spa)

Brian: While its been kept relatively civil to this point, we may begin to have a few disagreements here. To be honest, I was not a huge fan of the Jimjjilbang. I'm not going to bring the Japanese equilvant into this -- it's call the onsen, and there alright -- but, I have many objections with this dogmatic believe that same-sex comraderie at the public bath is both: relaxing and clean. To begin, the Jimjjilbang was a complex. A several story building with multiple conviences for each sex -- public bath, massage, ect. I think many families saw this as a perfect Saturday night. I, on the other hand, cannot relax when dirty, obnoxious, naked five year-olds are sprinting on by when I'm trying to unwind. Sorry for my limitations. Additionally, I'm not sure where this attitude that large public bodies of water are healthy. At face value, the body is most vulnerable to infections when huge communal tank of hot water.

Keith: You were stressing a bit, not at all my intention by bringing you there. I enjoy getting practically boiled alive when I'm not feeling great; I think it really gets the bad out. I won't dispute your annoyance with the kids or the risk of disease, but those things aside, it rounded out a therapeutic evening. By the time we left, I was ready to get downtown. You, on the other hand did not feel the same.

We made it downtown and you got to meet my good friend Yuriy, a Russian guy from Siberia that is a member of the US forces stationed in Daegu. Once, during a late night of drinking, I admitted to him that I thought he looked like a villain from a Bond film. You decide.
Bond villain.
Yuriy, ballin' out.

He's an interesting dude and a very kind soul, so I'm glad you got to meet him.

VI. Conclusion

Keith: I have little else to say. I did my best to give you a good sense for life in Daegu and Korea. We saw some cultural stuff and drank too much. I wasn't recovered until about Thursday, so I think we can tally our weekend as a resounding success. If I don't see you before Christmas, I'm glad we had some quality time together even if the dirty little Korean children ultimately got the best of you. You close it Peck.

Brian: I can't agree more with your description of Yuriy. Just a great guy. Obviously, Daegu is not the center of Korean culture and activity, but I hadn't that expectation. I think, in my limited time there, I got a good feel for your life in Korea. That was my goal and I couldn't ask for more. It needn't be said, but I have absolutely no regrets about this somewhat impromptu trip. I got a sample platter of Korean temples, nightlife and even got to meet some Korean guys. I had a blast because I had a great, and accommodating host. See you in December, 2010, buddy.

As a last note, I hope the joint entry is an enjoyable read and informative, as well.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Korean Baseball Weekend

A few weeks ago, I was invited by some of my students to attend their opening baseball game. They are one of my favorite classes; you may remember them from the baseball Santa picture. Because they are so crazy about the sport, I prepare an article from redsox.com or mlb.com every class to talk about. I use the Korean translator in my phone to give them the harder words. So far I've made them read and discuss the release of Jason Bay/signing of John Lackey, the rehab of Dice-K, and the star potential of young Jacoby Ellsbury.

This past Thursday, the plan for meeting up and heading to the field together was presented to me in choppy English by Boo Kwan, my favorite of the bunch. He started by drawing a diagram of a car. He labeled it a Hyundai (the national pride of Korea) and indicated that one of their parents offered to drive us all, and I would have the honor of riding shotgun while the other four crammed in the backseat. He made bullet points for the important info:

-Meet 9:40
-Eat before
-Bring a little money
-Bring a positive attitude

We met at the arranged time in front of the Lotteria below COOLish, and off we went.
Me and the boys (Right to left: Sang Hyun, Jun Hyung, and Jung Min; Boo Kwan not pictured, he took the photo).

The fields were way out in the middle of nowhere, and the grounds had more the feeling of an industrial park than a baseball venue. On one side stood an expressway, and on the other, train tracks on which every few minutes, a KTX train would fly by. It was a spectacle.
There were three separate fields with "dugouts" and "fences" (I use quotations because it all seemed to be established rather temporarily) that had games in progress when we got there and other games going on when we left. There were a lot of people of all ages playing ball. Even some older adult teams made it out.
Boo Kwan Shin at bat.

The game reminded me a lot of Jr. Babe Ruth, back in the glory days when I was still pitching and I wasn't riding the bench. My students weren't quite as lucky. Out of a team of at least 15, there were hardly any substitutions during the game. Boo Kwan was the only one of my students that started, and he played center.
My students play on the Phantoms, and they had some cool uniforms. They faced the Cardinals, who in an interesting mix of Major League franchises you see plenty of in Korea (I've seen guys wearing Yankees shirts and Red Sox hats), they had St. Louis Cardinals jerseys and Cincinatti Reds hats. Put your C's up!

The coach had an overbearing presence, probably one of the largest Korean dudes I've seen here. He may have been 6'4" pushing 300, and when he spoke, the players sure listened. I couldn't get a good picture, as I felt weird enough just hanging around his bench. He's wearing the dark pullover and if you look hard, you'll notice a cigarette in his hand. "Bad News Bears" style, he chain smoked and paced for much of the game.

The Phantoms fell behind 1-0 in the top of the first, but came back strong in the bottom 2nd to make it 6-1. At the top of the 5th, it was 8-1, but capitalizing on walks and key errors, the Cincinatti Cardinals scored 6 runs to come within one.

The game had been going on for a few hours already and the teams scheduled to use the field next had been waiting for awhile, so the ump called it after 5. Lucky for the Phantoms, but I would not have been a happy Cardinal.
At the end, the umpire said some words, and rather than shake hands, the players took a good respectful bow toward one another. My students were glad I came, I was happy they won and hopefully I'll make it out again.

I awoke Sunday feeling great. The sun was shining warmly, it was the last day of the weekend and I was without a hangover. My buddy Brady asked me if I wanted to join him and some other Daegu boys to go see the second game of the season for the beloved Samsung Lions of Daegu. I thought, why not?

It was a perfect early spring day for baseball. The Lions faced off against the LG Twins of Incheon. There are only eight teams in the Korean league and it's something of a glorified minors, but the quality of ball that I saw was pretty good.

I couldn't believe how cheap it was to go! 6,000won for admission ($5) and BYOB is encouraged. I joked you could be a season ticket holder here for the cost of a single Red Sox game. The funny thing is, it's true.

The stadium was quite small, with a capacity just under 14,000. It was totally packed by the first pitch and many ended up sitting on the stairs between sections. We chose to set up along the fence in center field. You can see Stefan and Brady soaking it up above.
The game got off to a rocky start for the Lions. The starting pitcher let up 3 runs in the top of the first. Pictured above is the center fielder breaking for one of the many hits that inning.
The Lions fought back and put up 5 in the third. It was 9-3 by the time we packed up and left in the 7th, and they went on to win 9-4.
Notice the paper visors. It was like rice farmer meets Little Bo Peep. The things people do to beat the sun. Throughout the game, I really enjoyed the crowd participation. In true Korean fashion, it was over the top, complete with mascots doing sexually seductive dances with cheerleaders, Korea-pop overloads, and obnoxious inflatable boom sticks.

Another Korean twist concerned the refreshments. By mid-game, everyone, and I mean everyone and their grandma had ramen instant noodle bowls. Forget hot dogs. Also, nix popcorn and peanuts. The next most popular snacks were grill-your-own fish cakes and dried squid. This called for some crucial changes to the "Take me out to the ballgame" lyrics.
I was a little surprised to see the American flag flying, but hey, whose pastime is this anyway?

Friday, March 12, 2010

I got Seoul, but I ain't no Soldier

I'm surprised it took as long as it did for me to make it to the great South Korean capital. I never really had a reason until the lovely Joanne turned 22 and though it would be fun to go for the weekend.

We caught the rocket-ship attached to rails known as the KTX (4 hour journey in less than 2!) on a pleasantly sunny Saturday morning. As it can sell out, I bought my ticket along with everyone else in advance to assure a seat. However, I made a staggering miscalculation of how long it really takes to get from my door to the train station and after sprinting a gagillion steps up from the depths of the subway, I made it to the platform with only 2 minutes to spare. Phew...

In a repeat of the Daejon Christmas crew, it was Diana, Joanne, Handsome James and I kickin' it. The gals booked a hostel in a district called Hongdae. Near Hongik University, it had a fun/young/university/faux-hipster feel to it. Since Koreans tend to take the 'hipster' look in different directions than we're used to (the innocently ridiculous can soften the pretentious) I was feeling it. Our hostel, Beebop House, turned out to be a really nice place. Only having opened 6 months ago, everything was pretty new, the staff was helpful and energetic, and breakfast complete with eggs was included (a rarity considering that I expected no more than burnt toast).

After dropping the bags, we made a trip to Subway for my second "real" sandwich in three months or so. Complete with obnoxious pictures plastered everywhere of evil Jared Fogel, it was just like home. James and I split from the gals afterward, as Joanne was itching for some shopping and we wanted nothing more than to wander. We saw hats:
BOSTON EST. 1600? FALSE!!!! I would later learn that credit should be given for getting the century right. It was 1630 for those keeping score at home.

Wandering eventually turned into a search for silly things to wear out that night.
James fashions some, as he calls them, "novelty glasses." I wish you could hear him say novelty in his handsome British accent.

There were quality goods abound, but the highlight was definitely:
LEGALIZE GAY

James thought we had a show stopper. I mean what a thrill, to drop your pants on the dance floor to reveal neon colored "legalize gay" undies...

The price tag (33,000won/$30 or so) was discouraging. We settled for the less expensive, more dignified, but sadly not-neon colored headbands and wrist bands. Aviators were thrown into the mix as well.James's response the practicality of sunglasses in dark bars: "the sun never sets on a badass." Ha...

Added Joanne's birthday hat...

As Uncle G would say, we were feeling pretty nicked up the next day, so rather than strain ourselves with maps and walking, we sought out a bus tour.
The square where it left from. Also nearby:
The American Embassy! God Bless

The bus trip was my first, and hopefully my last. It was truly awful. The weather was lousy, there was heavy traffic wherever we went and most of the headsets with English translation of the sites were broken.
My large Starbucks was hardly taking the edge off. Nicked may be understating it.
Some famous shopping street.
Stefan, acting pretty much how we all felt. Note Burger King in the background.
There was a really cute baby in front of me though!
A fortress thing. After sitting in traffic staring at shitty buildings, we sped past this. Sweet.

Afterward, we tried to meet up with some friends on the other side of the city, but we didn't really know where we were going and the taxi dropped us in a place that was clearly not right. Unfortunately, when Korean cabbies ask you for clarifying information, the only thing you can really do is say "nay" (yes).

Standing on a random street corner, a elderly Korean man approached Stefan and started to strike up conversation. The next thing we know, we're following this guy to a Japanese restaurant bar at his insistence that he buy us a round. These arms, per usual, needed no twisting.

His name was Lou (at least that's what he told us to call him). His English was excellent as he had served in the air force and was stationed with US troops in Saigon during the latter part of the Vietnam War. He also lived in the US for 3 years while working as a consultant for the Boeing Company. He was 73, but boy was he sharp. I swear Koreans have some sort of anti-aging thing going for them. And I was under the impression that downing soju bottle after soju bottle would be the anti-fountain of youth...
A toast to Lou!

He seemed really enthusiastic to use his English and talk about his life to a bunch of young carefree dudes like ourselves. I'm not sure what to make of it, but he singled me out as a "playboy" and repeatedly expressed his "concern" for me. Maybe it was the head band.

We especially enjoyed his story about a Hooters t-shirt he brought back from the States that he handed down to his son. Of course, his son immediately consulted his Korean-English dictionary and was puzzled to find no entry for "hooter." We gathered that this led to a special "talk" between him and his son. After we had our laughs and jokes over this, Lou mentioned there was in fact a Hooters less than five minutes from the place we were sitting in. For old time's sake, we went.
Seriously. The people we were supposed to meet up with hours before texted us:

"Where'd you guys disappear to?"

Response:

"At Hooters with a 73-year-old Korean guy we met on the street. Explain later."