holding my liquor

im my grandmothers favorite grandson because of our shared love for liquor. for a woman who cant speak much english, she says 'johnnie walker no rocks" just fine. koreans are drinkers and one must only stroll seouls sidewalks after dark to see salarymen limp in each others arms, or bouncing off the buildings before vomiting or peeing on a nearby tree. yesterday i saw a man near the gyodae subway station talking to a bush.

a couple of nights ago i met josh, a quirky and sincere kyopo (korean american) guy. over boolgogi and beer, he interviewed me about my days at mavin while i peppered him with questions about what it was like to move to korea and become dang near fluent in our mothers tongue. through him i also learned that i could rent a 40 sq ft 'apartment' in a decent area of town for as little as $350/mo, which includes utilities, internet, a shared bathroom and enough floor space for a single bed and dorm-style dresser.

hongdae

yesterday josh invited me to join him and his friends for a night on the town. we started by downing 2 bottles of wine at a sleek, modern wine bar. despite their cruel tests of my shoddy korean, it was fun to be among these very cute and hospitable guys. joshs friend jimmy had impeccable english that was perfected while studying at nycs parsons. his handsome boyfriend had only halting english and a reputation for undiagnosed narcolepsy. their mutual friend was a cute and quiet youngster who lived in the hip apgujeong neighborhood just east of my cousins place. it was fun to watch the three of them interact with josh. they made very korean judgmental expressions and constantly teased his korean. when we left jimmy touched a pimple on joshs face and asked in a deadpan, 'what is that?' i love my people.

drunk (but lovely) korean boys

after wine we drove to bar bliss on itaewons 'homo hill'. most of seouls 100 gay bars/clubs are near here, and despite itaewons reputation as seouls international sleeze district the bar was nice. we joined a few more friends who were seated in comfy chairs set around three cocktail tables. in short order a large bottle of absolut and two carafes of juice arrived. the games began. i was initially confused why we were playing a game called 'the grape' (po-do). it turned out its called 'the wave' (pa-do). like the activity first popularized in u.s. stadiums, u drink, then the guy next to you downs his glass and so on in rapid succession. not a vodka lover, i was relieved when 4 rounds emptied our bottle. i was horrified when it was immediately replaced. i admit that their praises and admonishments held great sway. when i kept up they slapped my back and cited my koreanness. when i groaned they said yankee go home. cultural peer pressure is the worst. with the fourth bottle in play and strange and sadistic games underway i had to get out before i, too, would start talking to trees.

i have no idea.

a couple of us snuck out of the bar and walked down the alley to a sunken club filled with smoke, red light, latino gogo boys and really drunk korean homos. after a short while i was instantly sobered up when a guys cigarette burned my arm. i returned to the bar and saw, with great horror, that the games continued tho jimmys boyfriend was fast asleep. shortly thereafter our posse left the bar and after several minutes waiting in the bitterly cold wee morning hours, we left. koreas the only place i know where its customary for drunks to call a number that sends you a guy who drives you home in your own car, hops out and then hitchhikes home. a better alternative to drunk driving or abandoning your vehicle, no? thanks to josh and his buddies, i had fun and it helped make seoul a bit more three dimensional.
more 2006 korea photos here.
more 2005 korea photos here.

content with whats next

its a crisp and stunning day in seoul. expansive, virtually smogless blue skies reveal rolling peaks clad in autumn colors. two concentric rings of mountains embrace much of what is one of the worlds largest cities (ranked anywhere from 1st to 10th depending on the source). the name 'seoul' comes from seorabeol ( 서라벌 ), an ancient word meaning 'capital', which it has been since 1394.

the view from gangnam

ive been here 4 times. i first came at age 10 for the olympics. after a 17-year hiatus, ive been back 3 times since last november. seoul feels very comfortable for some reason. given my virtually non-existent korean, that comfort is probably more about how foreign everywhere else has felt over the past several weeks than my familiarity with the place. this time around im less compelled to sightsee, preferring to hang out, stroll around gangnam, or eat yummy frozen yogurt with chopped fruit at red mango. two notable exceptions have been walking along cheonggyecheon ( 청계천 ) and visiting the insadong ( 인사동 ) neighborhood.

urban renewal

cheonggyecheon
covered by concrete and a highway for nearly 50 years, an extinct stream was restored in 2003 thanks to $1 billion and the creativity of seouls former mayor, lee myung-bak. as one of this ambitious citys very few (but growing) green spaces, the 5.8 km stretch of cheonggyecheon is flanked by sunken walkways, creating a sense of natural serenity by obstructing the frenetic city above. among the 90,000 people who visit this world-reknown urban renewal project daily are the ubiquitous groups of ahjummas sporting bright pink warmup suits and exaggerated sun visors.

ssamzie complex courtyard

insadong
this historic and artsy neighborhood extends past tapgol park in seouls gwanghwamun district. traditional restaurants and shops along small narrow alleys mix with over 50 galleries featuring provocative modern art. i was especially taken by the new multi-storied ssamzie complex. sporting an andy warhol theme, ssamzie obliterated my japanese pop art envy and reminded me how art makes me feel and that special moment back in the vancouver book store when i realized that whatevers next must be arts-related.

i enjoy seoul more each time im here. no doubt ill be back soon, maybe the next time ill call it home.
more 2006 korea photos here.
more 2005 korea photos here.

home sweet good enough home

10 weeks after leaving the states i find myself thrilled at the familiar environs of seoul. after straddling the equator for so long, koreas crisp autumn chill feels wonderful and the seasonal change is making me nostalgic. i dont know if its because im desperate for somewhere to feel like home, but my krazy cousin jeonghyes spacious flat high up in fancy gangnam-dong sure conjures up warm fuzzy sentiment. after a coupla lazy days ive decided to take a looksie at future housing options here.
more 2006 korea photos here.
more 2005 korea photos here.