Buddha Got a Birthday

I realize that I'm totally slacking, and this 2 1/2 month belated post is my timid amends. If you're reading, for god's sake, leave a comment! :)

Alright, despite just returning from two trips, I feel like I should document my little Busan adventure this past May, with Wujin, Carolina, Chad, and Evan. P/Busan is on the south coast and glamorously referred to on Wikipedia as the "San Francisco of Korea". I totally bought into it and almost took a job there, so I've been curious to refute/affirm the internet claims. Verdict: I can't even take my own question seriously. It's a nice change of pace from the bustle of Seoul, but I think I'm happy where the action is. We visited some shrines, took a boat ride in a rainstorm (actually, did a lot of things in rainstorms), and ate some tasty food. Our first meal was handpicked by some bedazzled lady fishmongers who sent it up the elevator to be prepared. Gargoyle-snake creatures and fish that will haunt my dreams flapped around in buckets just beggin' to be dinner. This last picture is from the boat ride...here's Evan, no stranger to the double dog dare:

고 레드 데빌! Go Red Devil

Korea just smashed Greece in the World Cup and they're sparring against Argentina (good freaking luck) right now in South Africa. I've gotten into the spirit of things because I can handle soccer hooligans a lot better than their football cousins. Also, there's a catchy song, a dance [see video], and I really like my t-shirt. I rolled into my neighborhood with 30 minutes remaining in the game. It's the week or so before monsoon season and the air is brutally humid. Not in any real hurry to watch the Red Devils get reamed, I decided to wind through some unfamiliar streets in search of ice cream. Every corner that I turned was filled with "The Shouts of Reds" coming out of apartment buildings and corner stores. "What the hell?" and "How did that freaking happen [loose translation] followed by "Goal!!! Ohh wait...". I spot a cozy looking plastic-covered hovel with an outside freezer and hear two little old men energetically cheering inside. They see my Devils shirt and give me a jolly loud, "De Han Min Guk!!" to which I give a fist pump and echo. After a few minutes of mutual TV bitching, I'm given the deal of the century on my ice cream and a resounding "De Han Min Guk! Chuca Ham Ne Da!". And I De Han, Chuca, and skip back home, past the unexplainably surly grocer next door.

Japan continued...

s




Here we have a random assortment of stellar trip moments. This thing will only let me upload 5 photos at a time, which breaks my heart. First is Tokyo Tower, followed by maxin' and relaxin' in our ryokan. Third is a cute little tapas bar close to our ryokan where we drank the blood of the bull alongside some seriously decadent cheeses.

After that, you can see our tiny hostess at Kawase Hotel and her TINY DOOR! After asking us to sit down for tea (and subsequently coffee and tissues, which she specifically went out to buy for us, as some adorably strange little gift), she shocked us by opening what we thought was a decorative door below the counter and stepping through.

One final shot of the the best traveling team ever.

Fuji at Warp Speed

With a mid-afternoon flight, we had to make a slap-dash trip up to Fuji. Our plan: drag ourselves out of our luxurious ryokan at 5:00 AM to hop aboard an express bus bound for Hakone. Surprisingly, we pulled it off without a hitch. I'm sure we could've spent several days in Fuji/Yoshida, which is famous for hot springs, a The Little Prince museum, pirate boats, and a surely ridiculous theme park. But we were in such a happy-go-lucky Japan haze that none of us minded the quick trip at all. Especially considering we brought snacks from the Tokyo Food Show to share on the bus. We bid farewell to our dear traveling partner, Ben, and hope that he comes back to Asia real soon.

Do Not Touch Doubtful Things: Adventures in Tokyo

Tokyo has stolen my heart. The adorable uniforms (with white gloves!), the sincere friendliness, and an attention to detail that even finds a way to mask unwelcome bathroom sounds (how about installing a bubble machine in the wall? And while you’re at it, make the seat self-warming!). The biggest city in the world, yet it felt nowhere near as cramped as Seoul. The Japanese know what they’re doing. From street food and bunk beds to private dining and ryokan luxury. Laughter and awe for four days straight with the best traveling companions I could ever imagine.

Years 28-30

Today Korea would have you believe I'm 29 or 30, but that is a terrible, vicious lie. I will firmly dig my heels at 28 until someone proffers two more birthday cakes for those lost years. Here is the cake with which I set my hair on fire today. I was trying to capture the cuteness that delivered it and leaned in a little too close. My camera didn't even save the photo, so the joke is doubly on me. Here is one half of the cuteness (William), mid sugar-coma.

Kimchibilly Surprise

Boy am I glad my naughty friends harassed me into getting out of my sick bed and making it to the latest Green Drinks event. Over 600 people turned out and we bought Haiti a new pair of shoes or two. Two very important discoveries: a stand-alone Vince Camuto store in Hongdae (I actually paused in front of oncoming traffic at the glorious, glorious sight) and Rock Tigers. I found a music video but believe me, it doesn't do them justice. They're all sporting much sassier 'dos (even the stand-up bass got a leopard print makeover) these days and their onstage presence is a lot grittier. With that, I give you my new favorite band in Seoul:

Oh and there's this: