Sorry about side ways picture but blogger doesnt give me the option when I down load picture to fix this issue.
Day 1
We arrived exhausted but in good spirit to go for Korean chicken and a beer before hitting our beds.
The place was so loud as so many people were having fun.
Chicken was spicy and delicious.
We went to a grocery store to get almonds HBR and all
and went back to our room.
Some of us had problem changing money.
Bring some cash and change at your hotel better deal or the ATM machine at 7 -11.
National Bank card is useless. It than forces you to do a cash advance on your credit card...NOT GOOD
Day 2
Rise and shine at the sound of a chain saw.
FUCK Im in the middle of the city not back home in the woods. Construction across the street in the middle of the night.
My grand hotel where I stayed, send me a black coffee to apologize and some fruits.
I dont eat fruits and vegetables when I travel...beside a banana on the flight to avoid cramp.
I am awake now
shit its before sunrise
snif snif
I got up ate some organic rice cake.
Try to go back to sleep.
oh no
Im hungry I need breakfast!
Sun rise
Really
time to go and visit!
ITAEWON
and its near by flea market antic AND young artist are showing their arts the last Saturday of the month and I am here.
oh my god
Lonely Planet book
fail again to send me to a great place.
Luckily I was with a woman driver and I have travel the world before....
We went up a hilly neighboured
and no flea market to be find.
A dead end
The woman driver asked a local woman who was getting out of her house coffee in hand and cellphone in the other.
After some inquisition the lady finally decide to come with us as she is also intrigue to hear about that and as an hospitable Korean woman she wants me to reach my destination.
She came with us in the search of
the non existant flea market.
Poor Korean women they were disappointed to see that they were showing me
X mark tape house
that were probably going to be destroy at some point.
Streets and streets of
X mark houses.
We were going up the hill same thing I was wondering if they all die of covid. The driver was driving quite fast so I decided to take a few shot wondering that this journey has to stop.
I end it our search and we went down to drive the lady back to her house very disappointed that I di not reach my destination.
What an adventure.
Women at first look are so beautiful and when you take the time to stop and meet them they are very generous with their hospitality and their time.
It was like this 30 years ago and still to this day.
Will the young generation keep this tradition still?
The only time I visited Seoul 30 years ago was one saturday and I remembered going to Itaewon so I decided to check the place again.
So I walk down a few streets and arrived in ITAEWON area. It was no longer like it ilused to be.
bars and bars and bars and since its early in the morning it was
not a pretty site:
drunk young adults, dead or passed out on Soju Korean hard liquor.
It was no fun to see.
Do not drink Soju:
it kills you.
Experiment it at home in the comfort of your house if you wish too but you have been warn.
When I was teaching there I lost 2 students who die of Soju abuse.
So after grabbing a delicious soft moist pastry at a local bakery
for
2,000 I took a taxi and went to
(MYEONG-DONG )...
cool area to hang out all day all night.
I suggest you go there to buy stuff and follow the sign for
GANGWANG market where you will find the greatest food stall
this market as been established since 1914
makes it the oldest outdoor market in Seoul.
You can spend easely 3 days there iii
because when it gets pack with people you need to wait in line for their famous snack trial.
From dumpling to fried vegetable patties, octopus to (fry korean donut) with brown sugar ...you can be delighted from your visit.
Korean love their food and the Asian tourist as well.
no rain!
it started cute
go in buy every single almonds bag you can find
it so good
snack snack snack on
When you travel in the city you can see big mountains here and there. Korean like to go trekking on week end even in those fancy traditional dresses.
Lots of restaurants and Asian knick knack stuff to buy...
wait wait wait
if you are single now is the time to mingle
GWANGJANG MARKET
Second time there and now very busy.
When you see people serving you food with mask go for it try it but in the other hand when its very very hot ask yourself this question....
tasty and sick
or tasty and what the fuck
its up to you if the shit hit the fan.
Mysterious man with mask glove and hat.
Surgery or afraid of viruses
NORYANGJIN FISH MARKET
It so interesting you can have dinner on the second floor.
I went for a small diner
and since I have a small budget
I could not order fresh king crab...at 60,000 won a piece +++++
but lots of Korean in this rich area can afford it. The restaurants were fully pack.
I passed by this little place in the second floor for shrimp. I could not refuse a bucket of tempura korean style.
Beware: Your dish will be smaller as you are a foreigner...or a female either way: my basket was not full as their's..
I grabbed a Lipton peach ice tea and this was a perfect messy and sticky dinner for roughly
12,000 won
2,000 won
Here again Lonely planet mistake
its not open 24 hours on when I got down around 7 30 ish the merchant were closing there stall.
So arrived there around 5 ish if you want to eat at a restaurant afterwards.
he was really looking at me asking me to free him and send him.back to the ocean where he belong....
even the crab were looking at me to get out of there
oh no
Taxi hard to get when it rain be aware.
There was a sign saying subway and taxi
but only drunk Korean were down there.
I went back up. Expensive or not I took a black taxi to go back to the hotel.
Instead of starting at 4,800 won it starts at 7,100.
Big deal I didnt have far to go from my hotel and it was pouring rain.
I went to inquire about hair cut at this famous Juno hair salon in the mall adjacent to the hotel and went to buy their famous oil to put after my hair shampoo.
59,000
The guy give me a price
35000 won for hair cut
very reasonable and 159.000 for hair treatment.
aouch!
I told him I would think about it and went back to the hotel.
Perhaps I will go for a hair cut. I was a bit shy to be the only foreigner in there. so I messengered flight attendant in my group to give them the information and that I will go around
10:30 ish to the salon...
Probably for a hair cut.
I think I went to a hair salon in 20 years ounce. I stopped going in there the minute I bought my house.
The last time was in Casablanca...for hair cut and argan oil.
I Skypped my mom and my poor mom went to check on my basement disaster flood so I decided to try one more time to check for her small purse like mine that she wanted.
The next day
it wa sort of raining, I took a chance for my mom to go all the way to the open air market for the small purse They are very light and cute.
Okay
Taxi
Jeun wa gago ...
Mextile
white umbrellas
stop its there
oh I saw another vendor who had the Ball and chain bags
but they were big
I picked a few things she had beautiful silk T shirt sharp design also
ok
100,000 no credit card
too bad lady
you just lost a big sale lady!
So it was still raining lightly but I went. Turn right, turn right again and in the right he was there
I got 3 bags
the only 3 left
and he did took my credit card
this time he did the small.bag for 10,000 each
better than 13,000 each
I went back very happy
but not to say I was desparately looking for a cab when it rain forget finding a cab
I decided to asked the Marriott good looking concierge to call me a cab
lucky me
3 mins wait
I went back to the hotel.
Ok I have time for a hair cut before my departure from the hotel
at 15:00 hundred.
Ok Sunday morning the place is jam pack
oh
Surprise my friend is there ready to experiment the Korean hair treatment
ok I go for it
OMG
We did it
Wash
hair cut
under the blower
wash under the blower
for me
my friend
got a was under the blower
then she had this weird steam
I joined her
sitting in front of her
that was fun actually
chitchatting while doing this
I got another wash steamed from behind and a huge head massage
my friend got 2 person doing something to her hair
and she got a hair cut too
I moved to a chair
she started to blow my hair again this time by hand
and used a steamed iron to finish my hair
2 girls were in my head
while my friend was getting her hair cut still.
It was fun to share this experience with a friend.
It was a girly moment!
The hairdresser walked with tiny microphone talking to their helper to do this and this to us. They serve us a drink of water and a tiny cookie. It was a mix hair salon.
At the chair anywhere in the salon you can find books to read.
Actually everywhere you go in Seoul you can find a spot to read every where.
Ok time for the reveal
omg
I dont look like a beautiful Korean girl but I can feel like one
woa!
it was a special treat even if i could not afford such a spending but
omg
money well spend
and the hair softness was really like the girls hair I touch on my first visit
simply irresistable not to touch again and again....
I went back to my room packed my stuff and under the door
delay note
I gain 15 minutes more to rest...before my flight
I grabbed a bit to eat in the bus
and sleep a little.
It was fun to see the reaction of the crew touching my hair and my friends hair.
It was a hit!
Our flight back was completely full
again but this time we got our crew seat better then sitting on a metal box....
Lots of turbulence again its always like this when we go over Japan...
The crew was fun to work with as we learn more about Korean way of living.
Remember
face mask
once or twice a week.
Facial surgery
once a month.( not for me)
Hair treatment can last 1 month to 4 month
mine will last for 1 month
No wonder eating noodles at 1,000 won is popular....
being a Korean beauty queen is expensive.
Until my next visit in October in July I will go to Athen and Francfurt to stay away from temptation.
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