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Showing posts from September, 2009

The Noryangjin Fish Market

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The Trump of all Fish Markets- Noryangjin Fish Market In the western part of seoul, a step away from the Hangang River, there lies a Fish market that spans about a mile in diameter. Connected to the subway station, the subway's highest platform overlooks the market, showing off its massive size. There was no doubt which way to head after exiting the subway; the fish smell pointed you in that direction. It was the first shock of how large this market was the really took your breath away. (and your hand away from your nose.) Tanks and buckets overstuffed with every creature that swam were arranged in row after row of seller's booths. There was tanks of crab still figthing and pinching each other and buckets of clams squirting water up in the air as a last request. Octopuses of every size and shape were divided in tanks by size, with the largest ones, about 4 feet long, already lying on tables put out of there misery. Some fish were piled on ice, ready to be purchase...

Bau Haus Dog Cafe

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-For Dog Lovers Only- There exists a cafe where dogs roam freely. They are allowed to sit in the chairs, walk on the window ledges and sit in your lap. This place is called the Bau Haus Dog Cafe, and over 20 different breeds walk freely in any given time. Most dogs live there permanently, and some used to be in movies and are now retired. Whatever the dog's past career, every dog got along with the other as though they were litter mates. You were flocked by them in a barking frenzy as soon as you walked through the door. When you sat down, the little ones ran up and planted themselves in your lap. Of course I had to make friends with the cafe's golden retriever who kept trying to grab things off a table in the middle of the room and bring them to me. There was a huge dog sitting on a ottoman in the back of the cafe that looked more like a giant black wolf than a dog, and he was sitting there as though he owned the place, and I intruded in on his cafe. A graceful ...

Why Koreans Need English Teachers

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Oh, you Engrish speaker, Yah? Here are pictures of some of my favorite examples of Konglish I have seen in my travels. Throw some English words in and Bam! Authentic English couture! Don't give the Meat Puppets any angst. For the love of Humanity, fight againt the tired! Ummmm. . .This writer needs to attend one of my classes. Yes I am a Comfy Human. So its trendy, its delight, and its everyday. Any guesses? Hello ApM is a shopping mall. I know Koreans eat some interesting combinations, but heres a new one. Not to be confused with his brother, Uncle Front.

Who Needs Pedicures when you have Skin-Eating Fish?

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The Dr. Fish Treatment of Korea- Dry, dead skin on your feet that just won't come off with the old pumice stone? Tired of covering up cracked feet? Then dunk your feet in a tank of finger-size fish and endure extreme tickleling while these hungry fish eat the dead skin off your feet. Nothing like a relaxing spa treatment when dozens of fish are nipping at you at once, fighting over a share of your dead epidurmis cells. In a second-story Gangnam Cafe, you can buy a coffee, a roll, and a $2 dollar, 20-minute "Dr. Fish" treatment to rid your feet of dead skin. After washing feet in a sink in the floor, we braved a tank of dozens of fish swimming at the surface of the water, trying to eye their next meal. I apprehensively stared at these 3 inch creatures all swimming in the same direction wondering if my feet where really that dry to want to them to eaten. I slowly slid the top of my foot in the water, and like a piece of ham thrown in a cage of dogs, I was swarm...

Middle Earth Found: The Flying Bird Tea House

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Insodong- Going off the beaten trail can lead you to the unexpected. The best part about b eing abroad is expericencing things that would other wise be unheard of, if not illegal back home in the States. One of these things is drinking tea at a place called the Flying Bird Tea House, and just like the name implies, there are about 15 brightly colored canaries and tropical birds flying freely around the tea house. We drank tea off of glass tables with bowls of fish underneath while birds chirped and flew around us in a room full of plants, cushions, and asian furnishings. It was something out of the Lord of the Rings. (You knew that connection was coming!) I half expected to see Gandolf to walk in through the door and sit on a tree stump seat while one of the canaries purched itself on his shoulder. The whole room was full of things, book shelfs with old, dusty pages of Korean characters and wooden chests that could contain who knows what. There were branches stuck in corners of t...

First Few Weeks of Korean Immersion

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Insadong- Perhaps one of Korea's most intregeing places I have ever seen, this busting neighborhood, was one endless street of shops, resturants and galleries. The shopping was unbelieveable. Jewerly, tea, pottery, Korean-made mother-of-pearl items, (which are beautiful, but expensive) and pretty much everything else manufactured in Souteast Asia. The best part of this trip were the tea houses that we found off the beaten path. One was squeezed  between pottery shops that was easily missed if not for the train-themed sign that stood outside a large wooden door. I wish I could reember the exact name of this place, because it was one of those unforgettable escapes, where as soon as you step into the shop you are instantly transported to some other place and date in history. This whole shop was like being in an old fashioned train, fully equipped with real train seats, railroad signs and train tracks that one had to walk on to get to a seat. Its realness was unimaginable....