Weekend in Seoul (many more to come)

(Kyle Speaking) So I posted these pictures a little bit ago and have been waiting for some time to throw down some commentary. Here it goes:

Our first real weekend in Korea, that wasn't plagued with jet-lag, happened to be for a three day span. On the third of October there is a national holiday for the creation of Korea. Creation does not refer to independence, but rather an extremely mythical (far-fetched) story about a man turning into a bear and then turning into a country or something along those lines. And I don't feel bad about not knowing the origins of this holiday because I did make the effort and asked around about it but everyone either told me that they didn't know or it was too hard to explain.
Carillo and I were pretty anxious to stretch out our legs and see some of the country, so immediately after work on Thursday, we took off for the immense city that is Seoul. Within walking distance from both our homes in Suwon, there is Hwaseo (Hwa-so) Station which connects to the Korea rail system or KoRail. It must be said that Korail is AWESOME! It connects nearly all of Korea in some form. It's fast, cheap, on-time, reliable, and extremely clean. The last trains run pretty late too (up to 1am). For anybody that knows me and my relationship with the San Diego Coaster, you know that I was pretty pumped on this train system. After just around an hour journey and a few slightly confusing transfers, we had arrived at Omokygo Station in the Mok-Dong district of Seoul. There we met up with our good USF/Washingtonian friend, Nick Agnew.

This picture was snapped as soon as we got off the train and reunited. Needless to say we were pretty stoked. The most surreal thing about us hanging out once again was that we had all recently been together in San Francisco less than two weeks before. It's amazing how big the world can seem at certain times and how small the world can feel at others.
Much like the states, Korea loves their convenience stores. 7/11, Buy the Way, and GS25 are just a few of the small convenience stores that can be found on nearly every corner. These stores are pretty clutch when it comes to food and drink at odd hours. I have yet to see one with a Slurpee machine though.....so they still need to step their game up. The green and red lit store behind us is a GS25 mart.

Here we are all sitting on Agnews porch/rooftop/laundry room/whatever you want to call it. Agnew got hooked up with a sweet little studio on the third floor of an older looking building. He is right next to a subway station and some pretty good food, however the porch area in front of his door is the major highlight. It is perfect for hang-out sessions and hanging wet sheets.
The two other folks in the photo are Charlie and Carolyn. They are couple from Agnew's home state of Washington and they are way laid back. They have been here for a month so-far, so they were perfect for firing questions at.

Carillo was noticeably on his way once throwing on the UPF (Ultimate Party Face).

The first night was pretty uneventful. The discourse and Agnew's porch area were just too good to leave so we laid pretty low. The next day, Carillo Agnew, and I headed accross town to Olympic Park which turned out to be a good call. The weather was amazing and the holiday meant that everyone was out and about. Some pretty lady snapped this photo of us in front of the entrance to the park. The large monument behind was built for the 1988 summer games.

We had to snap a long view pic because I'm pretty tall. I hate having to take multiple pictures all the time but it's my life, what can I say.

Agnew and I didn't mean to look this unhappy.
Behind us, you can see an example of one of the many open grass areas that can be found throughout the park. For some reason everyone was afraid to walk on the grass.

This is a blurry picture of a pagoda thing in the park. Carillo apparently needs to start carrying a tri-pod around with him.

After munching some extremely dank Bibimbap (rice, veggies, egg, and hot sauce) we took off for this insanely large mall that had a unique way of selling electronics. Each floor of the mall sold something different....cameras, TVs, computers, etc. On each floor there would be nearly 20 to 25 different vendors all selling the same thing. It was cool because there was competitive pricing going on right in front of you, however it was extremely overwhelming. I tried to buy a camera and my head almost exploded.
Agnew and Carillo had to indulge in the video game section right outside this giant movie theater within the mall. Agnew was ridiculously excited about the video game thing but had to play it cool around Carillo and I.

Popeyes is like a warm blanket. Wherever you go with it, you feel safe. Corner of Divisadero and Grove -- Crazy mall in South Korea.........same thing.


So while we were at the mall, Carillo spotted these two local kids with an American football in hand. Needless to say, we had to talk to them. It turns out that they were going to a small university in Korea that had an American football team and they were on it. The taller of the two played tight end while the smaller dude played lineman. They were only able to play for their freshman year and then had to quit. They said that their practice and game schedule was creeping in the way of their studies..... By the way, South Koreans take studying as no joke. Grade school curriculum and work-load is extremely strenuous from what I have seen. We shot the shit with them for awhile and soon parted ways but not without exchanging numbers. We hadn't even left the mall yet without them calling us and wanting to hang out. So we told them to follow us for a good kick-it session on Agnew's one-of-a-kind porch. Both guys couldn't speak English very well but it didn't matter because they were extremely nice and open to try and communicate. By the end of our time with them, they were saying some pretty funny things especially in reference to American culture. Both guys were interested in marijuana because it had "looked so fun in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle."

After wrapping things up with the locals we decided to go to the Hongik Universtiy area because of all the good things we had heard about its culture and nightlife. Once arriving there, I instantly became content. I have to day that Korea had me worried a slight bit. I hadn't explored much of Suwon yet but the overall feeling of the area was pretty conservative and family-focused. Not that there is anything wrong with either of those virtues, however it does tend to make for a pretty dull environment for a young man of 22. Hongik was just the opposite of what I had seen so far of Korea and just what you would expect from an institute of higher learning. The area was flooded with young people and creativity. There were punks, skaters, suits, scenesters, Koreans, Japanese, Americans, Australians, Indians, servicemen, servicemen's kids, you name it. And I must say that it was very refreshing.

Here is a picture of Agnew scoping the scene
Carillo was pretty pumped on Hongik too

Here is a photo of one of the many cars that is far too large to be driving down such a small street with so many people on it.
Not sure if you can make out this photo but there is a crazy/sweet dude selling these dancing figurines on the street. He was wearing a wig that he would take on and off (probably because the wig looked a lot like his normal hair. Every 15 minutes or so, this guy would stand in front of his table and stare at the figurines almost as if he was in utter disbelief that these things weren't actually selling. Then he would blow this large plastic horn.

So the jam in Korea , at least we think , is to post up in front of one of those convenience stores I was talking about and do your drinking and socializing there. The liquor laws in Korea permit for an open container so this is the best and most affordable way to consume adult beverages. Here is a photo of us boys outside of a GS25 mart in Hongik. The soju was so cheap and there was just too much happening in front of us for us to leave. Good times for sure.


While stooping it, Agnew had to get a picture with this one girl for some odd reason. For those who know Agnew, you need not ask any questions. The picture apparently turned out to be a true test to Carillo's steady hand. Don't worry, I will be getting a camera very soon....just as soon as I muster up the courage, patience, and energy to handle that electronics mall.