Saturday in Seoul

The bus ride was a painless journey through snow covered mountains. The only problem is that both me and Tania are pretty fond of talking therefore cutting down on the chances to make up any lost sleep. We arrived at Seoul around 3 o'clock and went straight to Shinsegae department store to check out an exciting rumour I had heard in a bar recently. We scuttled up and down the aisles looking for the item in question. Then we saw it- the flash of white and purple-- yes, yes there it was- CADBURYS chocolate!

Not a lot of it but enough to make me smile and realise that I would never have to share my food packages from home again!

We stocked up on some foods from home, not just chocolate, stuffed it in a locker and headed to Itaewon. Seoul is a Korean city. More cosmopolitan than your average Korean city but still mostly populated by Korean people... until you get close to Itaewon. Change subways at Yaksu and suddenly you are surrounded by the rainbow nation. Coming from a small Korean city, it is like taking a train into an alternative universe. Actually reaching Itaewon is a surreal experience. So many people from so many places.

Some people hate Itaewon but I will always have a fondness for the place. I like the variety of people and food. The only food to really avoid in Itaewon is Korean food as it is vastly overpriced there and certainly not as good as the local restaurants elsewhere. Me and Tania met with Renee and had some lunch/dinner- it was that awkward first meal at 5 o'clock in the afternoon that is difficult to define.

Waiting for the lights to change so we could cross the road outside Burger King, we chanced across some evangelical Koreans- asking us if we believed in God, did we want to go to church, welcome to Korea etc. Nice of God to send some folk out to greet us but he is three years too late. Mind you, they might have some special inside information on God's movements, helping them to take advantage of this sale sign that I saw

After dinner, lunch, whatever, we said goodbye to Renee and went to James's house. Now, I don't want to go on about the benefits of having a real job rather than being an ESL teacher- I use the word real to mean one that earns a lot of cash- but his place is very nice indeed. Leave it there.

Back to Itaewon later to meet up with some more people in a bar almost entirely lit by candles. Surprisingly dark candles. Couldn't actually see my friends at all- had to aim the camera to roughly where I thought they were and take a photo to check that I was with the right people.

We drank, went to another bar to watch Wales beat Ireland in the rugby- my loyalties are only torn as long as it takes to see which team is winning- come on you Wales! Then to the final bar where I met a guy who had lived in Vietnam for two years, was going back at the same time that I was due to be there, offered to show me around. Nice work!

I love the 24 hour culture in Korea, it is rare that you can't find anywhere to eat and impossible to spend more than five minutes looking for food in Itaewon. We even saw a kebab stand and thought of home. But in the end we settled for our favourite Korean middle of the night, early hours of the morning snack- toasted cheese, egg and ham sandwiches- manna from heaven.

After that there was really only one thing left to do- so we got a taxi back to James's and did it- SLEEP!