Its never a question of having fun. I clearly had a lot of fun last night. But..when you wake up….have you ever knew a charleyhorse was coming, before it did?
Usually I wake up with a charleyhorse. That is bad enough. But this morning, I went to stretch my leg which was fine. And then I felt the first cramp, tried to move my leg and whoaaaaaaaaaaaa. Full on charleyhorse.
Next time I dance as crazy as i did last night, I think i should warm up first.
After a week of rejection, a new discovery for the love of blogging and bad news from home, I need to escape. So my friend Joyce and I went to Jinju. I had been to Jinju before as I visited the Lantern festival in October. I fell in love with it then at night. Now I needed to see it during the day.
To some it may not be much. But to myself, who loves to walk along a beautiful pathway everyday, the paths along the river in Jinju are so long…I want to live there just to walk them every day. The views are spectacular, but thats my opinion. On top of that, Jinju’s main attraction, Jinju fortress has great paths to walk through as well. I love walking over the bridges. At times, it didn’t feel like I was in Korea.
I finally ate at Zio Ricco`s. I had read about the place. It is an Italian restaurant in Jinju. The ambiance is amazing. The outside looks quaint. On the inside, as soon as I walked in, an aroma of spices went through my nose and made me instantly hungry. I had an italian cherry soda (which was good) and meat lasagna (which was very good). There is a bar on top but it was closed. My friend Joyce and I have decided to come back sometime and spend the night in Jinju just so we can see the bar at night. Plus, I have heard it is a foreigner hangout and I am all for meeting new foreigners.
That last statement is funny because for the last 8 months I have been avoiding them. Now I want to meet them all. Maybe I am like a bear coming out of hibernation.
Definitely go to Jinju, the cherry blossom festival is next week, and the Jinju Lantern festival is in October.
After a long trip to Jinju, made longer by the fact that I got on the wrong subway going in the wrong direction, I decided to head out for a night of fun and fantasy.
I’m pretty conservative so I don’t generally let loose. But the last few weeks, I have gone the way of the average foreigner and imbibed my share of alcohol. But tonight was exceptional. The dj played music i loved and so i danced for what seemed like days. I felt all the stress leave me. The stress of foolish mistakes and missed chances…is now gone. In its place is again hope for the future and fun 
I am smiling, my loneliness put into its little box once again.
I definitely suggest you frequent ole ‘55 if you are a. from the 80s generation, b. not into hip hop music c. generally prefer music from past decades. The live band was great and so was the music and company. Thank you Bill for making me laugh and smile again.
Busan, city of over 3 million people. Big city right? Or is it?
Yes there are many subway stops and suburbs and lots of people. Yes, there are hundreds of apartment buildings, shops, restaurants and countless cars. Yes there are numerous noraebangs, bars and movie theatres.
But…
there is also a small town aspect to Busan if you are daring.
I walk Gwangali beach every morning. It is very popular with some Koreans for exercise. To me, the views are breathtaking. I can’t get enough. I remember one morning, one of the two times we had any resemblance of snow here, and the snow was falling in big clumps, the bridge disappeared. It was so awe-inspiring when as the snow slowed, the bridge appeared like a mirage in a desert. Anyways..I digress.
Every morning, and some nights i walk the beach. Now my presence is a bit awkward for some because of course, I am a foreigner. Some Koreans pretend I don’t exist, some just stare, some try to speak english. I smile. I bow my head to them in respect for their culture. And you know what happens? Most of the time they will smile and nod back or even say hello or anneyo haseyo. This is not something you read in Lonely Planet. This is something I have discovered on my own. It brings me such joy to be acknowledged in a country dominated by Koreans. So many people have written about being ignored. You’re only ignored if you ignore back.
On the subway, nod and smile at any Korean that looks at you, instead of saying some snide english remark or just staring back.
In big city North America, we have become accustomed to not acknowledging each other. But in small towns, where everyone knows your name, its expected for you to acknowledge each other. It is not such a bad thing. Try it, and see how it feels.
