Itaewon, Icheon and other mischief...

Turns out that Seoul has a pretty hopping night life that goes until 4am most nights. Definately deciding that this is a city of the night, much more beautiful at night too..cars, ultra glow character signs, etc.. make for a Christmas tree-esque decopage of lights. No matter what time of the night there are people walking the streets, plenty of things to cause trouble in including thrice visited Itaewon, a street packed with some stylish clubs and some not so nice pubs, and the majority of Authentic foreign dining establishments. Actually making friends, although almost all are Europeans, and either work as English teachers here too or are on business. Met a few nights ago with one tall friendly German fellow who took me to a German Christmas village here in the city where I was introduced the warm and tasty Gluwein, best way to describe it is as a lemony warm sangria wine, highly reccommended.

Christmas.. what a funny concept that will be this season, naturally the United States is the place to be for the holidays. Here I'm laughing to myself as they decorate their fake trees with cotton balls stretched over little branches as they believe it imitates snow, not a huge deal here to celebrate but the consumerism and marketing still take hold. Recalling palm trees in Central America last year strung with twinkly lights whilst baby jesus lay in a tropical manger. Here they also like to remix Christmas jingles with techno and blast it over the loud speakers in many public spots.

Had Pizza Hut last night, wow is it hard to find anything but Korean food here that hasn't been "Korean-ized" and I'm actually missing a bit of grease and salt. I enjoy their cuisines but quite often my eyelids peel back as my system is shocked by yet another red/black pepper, ginger, or garlic seasoned dish with mystery meat. So funny thing to add, I am open minded when it comes to dining but was told to watch out for.. you'll never believe it... chicken butt hole dishes.. have no further comments as they're all rather crude on the topic but wow!

Today was a unique opportunity to experience the cultural heritage of this tiny land mass. In Seoul everything is so modernized that it's only in small glimpses that you see their roots. Icheon in the countryside is home to their world famous ceramics, and in wandering about museums and markets I found exactly the piece I want to buy, it's a lovely teapot with carved out niches and classical white crane paintings, but if you look closely there's another interior pot so it's usable..... only drawback is that it would cost my year's wages. Here they manage a pale green hue of paint specific to Korea and accent with detailed and often repetitive patterns in an even paler hue.

The day became hands on when my guides took me to a do-it-yourself pottery shop, big greenhouse plastic tent more like with an ornery goat wandering about chasing a poor little dog. Here I had the chance to create my own artistic vase on a wheel after handing over a scribbly picture to a cute young sculptor helper to explain what I had in mind for design. My younger sis has been into pottery for a while now and I can see the draw, recalling romantic scenes from the movie "Ghost". My piece will also sport that lovely greenish paint job when delivered next month after kiln burning and glazing work. Kilns are an interesting thing too as they generally still do their work in old style with a long pea pod shaped earthen kiln built on an upward slope so as when a fire is lit at the bottom the flames travel upward cooking the clays.

Had an authentic Joseon Dynasty dining experience today too, am slowly getting used to my feet going numb after sitting cross legged on thin seat pillows eating at 12inch high tables. I would hate to be a dishwasher at any restaurant here as generally there are many side dishes but our lunch plates today numbered near 80. Pretty little wood carved sliding doors and yet another shoe-free room, on and off of shoes hard still as I'm tall and not blocking an entryway is rather difficult when I'm attached to my lace up purple Pumas and rarely wear slip-ons.

Korean hospitality is very demanding and quite exhausting for a Western guest but a highly enjoyable experience as many are eager to learn about us. Certain friends reading this will identify when I say that entering a Korean home is like going to Grandma's house. A short visit generally lasts no less than an hour and they don't understand the term "I have somewhere to be", whether or not you've already eaten prepare to eat more, and sometimes even more after that especially if your guests wish to practice English with you.

On Korean fashion: Naturally one must at all times wear socks, major rule: never enter a home without socks, and street vendors display long tables of colorful and often odd choices for purchase. Here image perception is vital and you'll never be able to tell a knock-off Louis Vuitton bag from the real thing. Women here, outside of nightclubs, are dressed clear to the neck, but a funny thing, their skirts are so short that a small gust of wind would provide a full show, have been told that the difference is primarily that American women tend to be bustier so in having something to flaunt we do. Everywhere you go you'll see the school girl uniforms with plaid skirts. Plaid, everybody here owns plaid.. and leather.. and apparently this season wearing both with faux fur topped snow boots is the rage.. and don't leave home without your fake handbag. My wardrobe is so far behind that I give up most days and go out in jeans with the holey knee and crazy color layers to stay warm with my Payless Shoesource bag from home.