Once, in my first year of university, a guy hit on me. He followed me out of class, playing 20 questions. He asked the usual stuff, do you have a boyfriend, what do you do for fun, do you like to party? No, read, and a resounding no! I do not party! Oh how things have changed...
This past weekend was the Lunar New Year or the Chinese New Year, which ever you prefer. I don’t know really know how the Korean’s celebrate besides having a huge family meal (that Tasha was not looking forward to making). All I know is that I got two (TWO!) full days off of work: Monday AND Tuesday. This meant a three and half day weekend. I still had to work on Saturday morning.
After work on Saturday, Sally and I made our way to Seoul Station to see if would be possible to catch a train, any train, out to Busan to meet up with some friends. We were lucky; we got standing room on the KTX. We had a few hours to kill before our train left and all the lockers at the station were full so we hauled our crap over to the nearest coffee shop outside the train station and chilled for a few hours. It was actually really relaxing and fun. It wasn’t a very busy coffee shop.
Standing on the KTX wasn’t so bad. We managed to get a hold of a little fold out seat that the two of us shared for the trip. There were many people standing with us. Even if there had not been the fold out seat it would have been ok. The KTX only takes three hours. The friends we were meeting had decided to take the considerable cheaper but much longer bus ride. All though left many hours before us (they did not have to work Saturday morning), Sally and I arrived shortly after them.
Mike managed to reserve a hotel right by the famous Jagalchi Fish Market, the biggest fish market in Korea. We were literally right beside the fish market and across the street from the high end shopping area where the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) is held. (Sometimes Busan is spelled Pusan, I don’t know why.) It wasn’t near the beach but we were near the harbour.
Once we were all there and settled in our family run hotel. The family occupied a two room sweet and all slept on the floor together, across the hall from our rooms. We tried to not be too noisy coming in late at night. The hotel was clean, but clearly a by the night if not by the hour sort of establishment. Can you imagine growing up like that? Those kids (and there were two teenage children) must have some incredible stories. There were also two noraebangs in the building and neither of them had an English selection. We had to walk all the way across the street for English songs.
The first night we ate samgupsal, which was actually hard to find because we were in the fish market area and most of the restaurants were seafood only, which would have been awesome. The freshest of the fresh fish and seafood possible, but a few people in the group were not interested, unfortunately. After supper we found a bar called Hollywood that brewed its own sub par beer. For about 7000 won, they offered a tasting of all four varieties, which we all wanted to order but they couldn’t do it because the bar didn’t enough of the glasses. So we ordered two and shared and picked the best (worst) one for a pitcher. The pitcher was pewter jug, kind of cool. There was also a fruit platter, which arrived at the table about three seconds after I made a joke about ordering a fruit platter. Seven.
We left Hollywood for stage three, Noraebang. We stumbled into a place that looked closed and as we turned to leave the proprietor run out after us and practically begged us to come in. She set us up with some beer and soju and eventually brought around another fruit platter. Eight. On that street and on the streets around in the are, there was a noraebang about every five feet, for less, some buildings had more than one, like the hotel. I suppose business wasn’t very good. I sang Mr. Big again and some Avril Lavignie.
On Sunday I was up way before anybody and else and decided, in typical Warkentin fashion, to find some coffee and then perhaps take a walk around the area. I found my way to the nearest coffee shop, a gigantic Starbucks. There were actually five floors and it was completely empty except for the employees and me. I drank my Earl Gray tea in peace. Eventually Sally joined me. We walked around bit in the area. We took the escalator to the top o Yongdosan Park, to the base of the Busan tower: not nearly as impressive as the Seoul tower but cool nonetheless. The view was amazing. I think I some pictures. We eventually roused Sarah and made our way back to the hotel to meet her. Waiting for Sarah’s hair to dry was how I discovered Boys Before Flowers. It was on TV and it was awesome even though it was in Korean.
Sally, Sarah, and I left the hotel to find some street dukkbogi. Eventually we found a place that had a little sit down area in a storefront: not exactly street dukkbogi but delicious all the same. And there were options for spiciness, which meant a milder dukkbogi for me. After lunch we found a salon for Sally to get her hair cut. We walked into the Salon and the girl working immediately called for wonjongnim (boss). Sally showed him a drawing she made of the bangs she wanted. He gave her an awesome haircut well Sarah and I continued to watch Boys Before Flowers on a big screen TV. It just happened to on.
In the salon, there were two people for every one person getting their hair cut. There was the actually stylist or hair dress and then there was an assistant. The assistants all had to wear similar uniforms of black tights under hot pants and which button up shirts. The stylist could wear what ever they wanted and they all had great big hair. The (very good looking) man who gave Sally the hair cut was obviously the boss or the owner. They also served Sarah and I tea in the usual Dixie cups, but the Dixie cup was in a reusable holder: very classy.
We finally meet up with the rest of the peeps and headed back to Yongdosan Park and up the tower, which was an even better view of Busan and the ocean around. I could see ships for miles out, dotting the water around the city. I have a prairie girl’s love for the ocean. It is so exotic, but the big open space is so similar, being by the ocean feels almost like home.
After the tower we went to the Jagalchi Fish Market. The market was almost better than the aquarium, maybe better because it was free. The building is very modern and new; it has a similar design to the airport and Seoul Station. The building is kind of shaped like a wave. The entire first floor is the fresh (as in still living) portion of the fish market. Rows of tanks containing all types of fish, claims, crabs, squids, and octopus. There were fish shaped like penises and fish shaped like vaginae. There were tiny fish and there were huge fish. There was everything and everything was still living. The second floor was all restaurants and we also saw a bunch of dried fish. We didn’t eat in any of the restaurants, which was stupid. I had to keep telling myself that I would be back and I would eat nothing by fish.
There were a number of other floors but that was as high as we went, I’m sure the rest would have been either offices or shops.
We went for supper in the University area, it was Dave’s birthday so he got to choose and he chose samgupsal again. Then we went to bar that apparently had Moosehead but they were sold out (FUCK!) so I just had a couple of rye & cokes. There were two really cool things about this bar. First, the tables were like giant beer chests, you just reached into the middle and picked the beverage of your choice. It was all out in front of you. Second, regulars have high plastic vases with their names on them and whenever they drink there, they can put their bottle caps in the vase and when the vase is full, they get free drinks. It was cool.
After the bar we wanted to go a club that we had heard about from one of Sarah’s co-workers: The Vinyl Underground. We asked the first white person we saw if he knew the way. He seemed rather put out at having to give us directions but he complied and we very quickly found the place. We all tumbled into a silent room full of people. Apparently we had interrupted what appeared to be a very serious trivia game. Sarah yelled out the answer and was quickly shushed. Then one the people in game asked how specific the answer needed to be; it was that serious. We stood there in silence for a moment dumbfounded and uncertain and then we laughed hard and herded ourselves out.
We picked up a chocolate birthday cake for Dave at Paris Baguette and headed back to our area for a hof with taaaaaaaaaaaaal beers. So tall they were very awkward to drink. After a couple of those, Sarah played a drinking game with the table next to us and caught the eye an adorable boy who followed her out. She shooed him away and we grabbed some street dukkbogi and some fried mandu. As the lady packed them up (in plastic bags I love Korea), I decided that Sarah should go for it and we took off with the food around the corner towards the subway and cute buy was still there smoking with his friend. He was delighted to see her again. Alas, he had to get his little sister home and goodbye was necessary. Although the boy did not go down without a fight, he definitely leaned in for the kiss, but dear Sarah just couldn’t do it. Oh well, it was fun and Dave caught much of it on video.
Then we played drinking games in the hotel (I hate games even drinking games and especially Ass Hole and especially Ass Hole as a drinking game). We had the cake and then headed out to the same noraebang and ate another fruit platter. Nine. A Korean style good time.
Basically we did the exact same thing on Monday except we ended with the drinking games. Although on Monday we did get to the beach, we took the half hour or more subway ride to that side of the city, looked at the water for a couple of minuets and then found a place that had tacos and then went back to area around our hotel for more tall beers. I got my shrimp on my taco.
We left at noon on Tuesday, standing back to Seoul on the KTX. This time I stood the whole way with Sarah, cuddled up in the luggage area. We listened to my iPod and talked about music. It was fun.
We arrived back in Seoul and a few people decided to meet in Itaewon at the Canadian pub for their wing night. A couple of friends who couldn’t come on the weekend wanted to go. I was down. It ended up just being Sarah and I. The wings were great and the establishment was not sold out of Moosehead (Woo!) although, I must admit, I’m not actually that big a fan of Moosehead and quickly switched to Cass, a much cheaper alternative, but for a moment I felt an alcoholic connection to Bryan. The wings were sub par and tiny, but it was an enjoyable experience, even if it was in Itaewon, my least favourite place in Seoul.
In all, the trip was a perfect blend of good times with good people and alone time in the mornings, just me, my Earl Grey, and my good friend George Orwell. It was a very relaxing and super fun weekend. I hope that a trip of similar quality can be repeated soon.
Three nights, three mornings, three hangovers. None too bad, but neither are they fun. Sally and I went out for supper this evening and we tried to share a bottle of soju. We were defeated half way through the first. It was too soon. Maybe in a week or two.
And as for the boy, he followed me all the way to the third floor buffeteira in Centennial Hall and actually sat down with me as I chowed down on a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich. (This is actually what I was eating, I remember because he commented on it.) I finally got him to leave by telling him that I needed to do some reading before my next class. He gave me his phone number and made me promise to call him, which I did not do. This was in early October. It was a six credit hour class that we had together, making the rest of the year rather uncomfortable.
Dee
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1 comment:
HA, boys are so funny.
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