A word or two on the food here. I thought I wouldn't adjust well to the food here. But really the biggest obstacle has been the language barrier. If 1)you don't speak Korean (like me), 2)the menu doesn't have any English or pictures, and 3)Your waiter speaks Korean only... you're pretty much on your own or at the mercy of your phrase book. So most of the time I've been eating pretty terribly or not eating at all. What I have tried though has been great. Some dishes are too spicy, but in general the food is good. There are however a few strange things I've come across so far.
This is from a restraint named Mr. and Mrs. Potato. Everything you order is french fries with some sort of topping. Oh yeah, except not ketchup. This one is like a weird "Italian" cheese. I can't remember the name, but at the time it seemed the least repulsive choice. Not my favorite.
Wednesday I went to my first Ice Bar. Your beer comes in a mug made of ice. After you drink it you smash your mug at a target. I'm not bragging or anything... but I nailed it on my first try. I won a pair of sweet man socks.
That same night we sang some karaoke across the street. It was super fun. I sang some Journey and Queen and met these guys.
This is the guy on the left.
Today we hung out around downtown. There is a subway system in Gwangju, but I havne't had a reason to use it yet. Mostly I just use the bus. The bus can be very uncomfortable if you don't get a seat. Sometimes though it's too full and your only option is to stand like a sardine pressed against 30 other strangers. Not my thing.
This picture is from the underground shopping area that runs along the downtown area. I cound't figure out what they were doing, but when they saw me take this picture they approached me. They were from the Red Cross and were having people fill out surveys on giving blood. Since a few of them spoke English I was able to fill one out.
Some creepy manaquines....................................................................
You can find these claw grabber machines on every street corner. The difference here is that they are waist high so it's easier for the kiddies to play. Or in this case for me to have a photo opp.
Also today I went to a pet boutique... I don't know the name for them. But basically you pay 5,000 Won ($5 aprx) and you can play with kitties and dogs. Some of them had dyed cheeks, paws and ears all wearing cute little outfits. I really miss my kitty... :( so this was therapeutic for me. I think we stayed for a couple hours.
Next on the list was the sticker photo place called the Magic Castle. There were about 30 booths. It took us a few minutes to even figure out how to work the damn things, but we did it (once again the language barrier was a big problem!) After we took our photos I swear it took us 15 minutes to print them. It was really sad and funny at the same time. My goal is to have one set from each of the other 29 booths by November. Hwaiting!
And lastly for tonight, a few random photos:
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