This morning I spent about an hour coughing...painful, chest scrubbing barks...tiny red dots were spraying out with everything else. I took a Tylenol which went to work about half an hour later, and knocked me out for most of the day.
After 5pm I went into Seoul with Corneli. On the bus we caught up on the latest gossip, and had quite a good laugh at all the antics going on amongst the expats here.
We started at Yongsan (it was open on a Saturday night until past 8pm). We quickly found what I was looking for; a gift for my girlfriend. I think it's a cool gift and I'm sure she's going to be thrilled with it. (Corneli bought her something else earlier in the day).
Yongsan station looks awesome. They've upgraded it magnificently, and brought the electronics market much closer to the station. It's a sensible development, and quite stylish too...its a vast improvement on the previous setup...although when you've seen one square glass space filled with cameras, you've seen them all, and there are hundreds of the same sort of shops. Of course Yongsan is more than just cameras and MP3 players.
I've been advised by my Korean friends that it is still cheaper to buy things at Yongsan than at duty free airports (in Incheon or Hong Kong). I wonder if that's true. Anyone know for sure? I can certainly believe it though.
Although the Tylenol had me feeling quite unsteady on my feet, Corneli and I went from there to a bookshop in Itaewon (CLOSED) and then grabbed an excellent dinner in La Tavola (http://www.seoulstyle.com/itae_latavola.htm)...an Italian restuarant just below Hollywood. I said I didn't want to eat at Gecko's or Outback, I wanted to try something different. Well we walked around quite a bit, found some too expensive restaurants, and other restaurants were closed, and one wasn't a restaurant at all. La Tavola was perfect for what we wanted tonight. After ordering we were served a portion of warm bread and a vinegar/oil dip; a nice touch.
Our food was just bursting with flavor; I had a salmon pasta, and Corneli had a delicious chicken and vegetable meal. We exchanged bites, and both meals were exquisite. The wine was alright, any heavier and I would have been in trouble. La Tovola is a little expensive; my bill came to W29 000. If you're after a comfortable and enjoyable dining experience, La Tovola has a lovely atmosphere, good service, excellent food. For a special occasion it's well worth it.
Sohnjoo and Minjung joined us at La Tavola, and Jo arrived just after they did. We had a good chat and then went on to The Bangalo, which is right beside 3 Alley Pub. On the way there we were luck to spot a second hand book store called Abby's Book Store (I think). I got about W18 000 for the ten books or so that I wanted to get rid of. I might go back and sell them my Harry Potter book. She said she'd give me W6 000 for it (one third it's resale price).
The Bangalow was cosy. I took off my shoes and socks and dug my feet into the soft sand, finding it surprisingly warm. I think there is a kind of underfloor heating in the sandpit area...and the waittress helped me choose a cocktail. Jo and Corneli were fussing over Jo's engagement ring, a real eye-catching gold and diamond sparkler. Jo said it's worth about R2000.
I see.
Corneli was trying it on to see how it looked...
Interesting...
Jo recognised a girl from her Salsa class, who was part of a big birthday party right beside us.
We went our separate ways shortly after 11pm, and Corneli and I managed to catch the last 0015 bus to Gwanghamun. On the bus I saw that Seoul Station's refurbishments are finished too. It's looking just as slick as Yongsan...the sort of station you'd expect when you get on and get off Korea's high speed KTX.
We had to change busses at Gwanghumun again, and we met a Kiwi guy called Jim, who has been in Korea for 5 years, and is a qualified lawyer. We had an interesting chat about rugby and life in Korea. He said he might be leaving Korea soon as well. I was feeling pretty tired so after I'd seen the 5th or more bus number 1000 zoom by us, I finally said, "I'm going to catch the next 1000 bus."
Which is what we did. The evening worked out very well, and it was a nice way to share time with Corneli, who has been a close friend for as long as I've been in Korea
When I got home I called my girlfriend. She says the OFM Classic (a bicycle race) is tomorrow. She is also excited to hear that we've been buying presents for her. She said she bought me a blue toothbrush and a hairclipper (quite a while ago). Looking forward to giving those a test drive.
But more than than that I'm looking forward to...well, I'll leave it to your imagination...
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