Day 2

It couldn't have been better timing for the boys to come visit Korea as it was the Hi-Seoul Festival all week long. Day 2 (Sunday the 28th) there was an International Food Festival in downtown Seoul and we were gonna be there.

We got off a subway station early and had some troubles finding the food fair, but no worries, it's downtown Seoul, we were well entertained by the Korean belly dancers, the free juice and the beuatiful Cheongyecheon (a newly renovated stream running through the middle of town).

We were quite happy when we finally found the food fair as we hadn't really eaten breakfast yet and were ready to try something new. We tried some breads and spices from Sudan, some falafels from Isreal, some spring rolls from Combodia and some kind of friend rice from Kazhakstan (sorry no pics of any of the food). The german beer line was too long so we decided to go next door to the drink stand without any lineup...the Russian Vodka.

The Russian in his mid-twenties talked to us a bit and when he found out we were Canadian started giving us trouble about this past years Olympics. 'Course me and Richie didn't take that likely so we just reminded him about the past howevermany juniors, Crosby over Ovechkin, and of course the '78 Summit Series. We had a good laugh and he gave us another free shot for 'The Great One'.

Just across from the food was a big grass area and stage with dancers and performers. Korea has some of the best B-Boy dance talent in the world and I throroughly enjoyed their little routine up in the spotlight.

We met up with one of Sungku's friends 복희 (Bok-Hui) and watched the ending of the food fair with dances and songs from each country.

Night 2

After the show ended we headed for Seoul Station where we were planning on meeting the one and only Dushon (my brother) in about an hour. Just as I was met in China for the first time, we met him with an open beer and open arms.

We headed right for my most visited night stop in Korea, Konkuk University (known in Kora as KonDei). We went for again, another of my favourite meals, 닭갈비 (tack-galbi) or chicken breast with cabbage, sweet potato, onions and spicy pepper sauce all friend up in front of you.

Another of Sungku's friends met us and we started to get the night rolling with the one and only Soju and Cass (beer).

After dinner we headed to my local watering whole when there's nothing else to do. Kabooom. Yes, that's the name of the bar... it's a place that's caught in the middle of being a pub and club. There is little to no dancing, music that ranges from K-Pop, to Britney, to Green Day, to Rage and every once in a while they fill the room using a smoke machine.

Anyways, they have my favorite beer and tap and it's pretty cheap at 2.50 a pint. Well, we did'er up well. Another good thing about the place is the guy/girl ratio and there are usually tables full of girls by themselves. Well, this night proved no differerent...and for two boys from the LBC and one from Ottowa it proved to much at once.


Everything was good till near the end....I've met the manager of the place before who speaks pretty good English, and I thought he was pretty cool, but that night he wasn't enjoying the 4 white boys dancing, shouting and having a hell of a good time. He talked to Scott, Richie, and Jeff on seperate occasions about how the girls don't want to talk to them and can they please leave the other people alone.

Well, we managed to talk to pretty much every person in the place (20-30) and the boys managed to get about 4 numbers out of it all. Scott and Richie were talking to these 2 girls for near 2 hours and nobody was acting too out of line so by the end when we're gathered and talking about our stories we realize this guys told them all to pretty much F. off.

Considering our state we let him know what we thought about his 'cock-blocking' and how the girls would not have given us their numbers if they didn't want to talk to us..let alone not just tell us to leave. He tried to give his reasons, but in the end it was three white boys just tearing into this guy about how he's a prick and how he shouldn't try and control who they talk to.

In the end, me and Sungku quited them down and rounded them up and out of the bar with no problems. It was a hell of a good night, and once again, the little troubles only make for better stories in the end. As I taught my class today, all is well that ends well.

More to come. Same Red Milla, same Red Pages.

Well. It's been a while. Not because I've been keeping quiet, but more that I've been crazy busy and have had too little time to write. Well...after one of the most fun months of my life....here is part one of many more to come.

The Setting:

Who
A gathering of 4 of the best friends from Langley, BC.
Me: Colin (Red), currently working in Seoul, Korea
My girlfriend: Sungku, working and living with me in Seoul, Korea
My brother: Scott (Dushon), currently working in sunny Xiamen, China
My friend: Ryan (Skins), currently working in freezing Harbin, China
My friend: Richard (Richie), currently working in Vancouver, Canada

When and Where
Everyone was arriving the last weekend of April and staying in Korea for a week. Me, Scott, Ritchie and Sungku were heading to South China for a week in Xiamen after that. Me and Sungku had to come back but Richie stayed for one more week down South with Scott. Then Richie came back up here ( because of a round trip flight to and from Seoul) for one last week and hurrah.

The What and How....well here we go.....


Night 1:

As everywhere in Asia for a Westerner, things don't flow as easy and smooth as they do for us back home. So, Richie had a nice 30 minute wait wondering where the &*^# I was upon arrival. It was his first time on a plane even so I know he was a bit overwhelmed by everything already. Anyways...found him eventually, and made it to none other than my favourite Korean food right away...돼기갈비 (BBQ Pork Ribs).

Luckily I warned him I have my own methods to fight off jet lag...it's called going out until early the next morning, sleeping most of the day, getting up and doing it again, and then it's Monday!

And what better way to do that then the last Friday of every month in Seoul. CLUB NIGHT! This means you pay 15,000 WON (it's about $1 US to 1000 WON) and you get a drink and entry to like 15 clubs. So...we managed to hit up about 10 of them...loose Richie for a few hours in between...make some new friends, and have a very solid first night.

Day 1:

After sleeping 'till about 1ish and waking up to a most beautiful sunny day of about 26 degrees, we thought what better way to spend a Saturday afternoon that at the ballpark. Good thing for us, there are two teams home field about 15 minutes from my house. So three o'clock rolls up, and it's beer and breakfast outside the ball park.

I know many of you are thinking, a ballgame, how boring, I'd rather watch golf. Where not here in Korea, it was wicked. Chanting every single batter, singing, dirt cheap drinks and food and sitting on the winning side of the field made it by far the best baseball game I've ever seen (even beating out the Yankees vs. Red Sox in Yankee Stadium)!!!

The cheerleaders were bad dancers but mighty sexy just as I've seen at every sports contest here in Korea, but the pinnacle was the game ending just as the sun went down and our side cheering away with a song about Busan (our side was the Busan Lotte Giants.)

The other video of the game itself isn't working yet. Will be up soon.

More to come...gotta take a little at a time.