Last Tuesday, Fraser came over on my dinner break and we went out for galbi (Korean BBQ) and ice cream. The restaurant we went to is really good and I've been there many times with no trouble at all. But that day after dinner, when I went back to work, I had a really bad stomachache. Thankfully, I had no classes to teach because the middle school kids were prepping for their school tests. I sat in pain for awhile at school moaning and groaning. When I finally got home and to the privacy of my bathroom, my stomach pretty much exploded. It was horrible and messy. I was still sick on Wednesday and on Thursday I had a headache to keep my stomach troubles company. Thursday night, I felt great and I went out with Fraser to see Get Smart. I bought him ice cream because earlier in the day he had stitches removed from his leg. I couldn't resist buying some for myself, a decision I later regretted. Damn you, butter pecan!
On Saturday morning, I went to Seoul with a group of friends even though my stomach was still not 100%. I was trying to avoid dairy as much as possible. I knew it would be hard considering the wide selection of wonderfully delicious foods in Seoul that are not available in Daegu. When we got there, we found a hotel and then headed to Itaewon for some lunch. We ended up at "all-American diner" that served amazing cheeseburgers. Of course, I couldn't have any because my stomach was still on probation, so I stuck to chicken soup and some french fries. After lunch, we went to "What the book" a used bookstore with a large inventory of cheap English books. I got "A long way down" by Nick Hornby. Afterwards, my friends got Cold Stone ice cream, while I settled for a fruit smoothie. That was painful. We then headed to Hongdae, one of my favourite areas of Seoul. The area is close to Hongik University so there are a ton of great places to shop and it has a very lively, artsy atmosphere. In Hongdae, we went to Dr. Fish Cafe and Foot Care. In the cafe, you walk in and order tea, coffee or cake. Afterwards, you wash your feet at the feet washing station, which is like a sink in the wooden floor. Then you sit at a table and enjoy your coffee while your feet soak in a pool of water full of fish that eat the dead skin off your feet. There are two pools, one with small fish and one with bigger fish. It's a strange sensation. Sometimes it feels like a slight prod, other times you can really feel them nip at your feet. The worst is when they get you right between the toes. After the fish pedicure, we enjoyed some live music and dancing in a small park. It was a little rainy, but the atmosphere was great.
The fish get fed and I get a pedicure. Everybody's a winner.
Sunglasses store in Hongdae. My glasses were really good, but not worth the $415 they were selling them for.
Tap dancing in the park
The next morning, we got up at 6 am and met the Adventure Korea Tour bus that was going to take us to our rafting trip on the Hantan river. The people running the tour were organized and really fun. We arrived at our destination at about 10:30 am. Luckily, the skies were clear. We were a little worried because the previous day was cloudy and rainy. The rafting trip was a lot of fun. I wouldn't exactly call in "Whitewater" rafting though. The water was so low that we frequently go stuck on rocks and had to roll the boat back and forth to free it. It was still a great time. We got to swim in the river and jump off rocks along the shore. We had a great time playing games on the raft organized by our guide, MC Monkey. I fell in the water a couple times. Luckily, we were wearing helmets and lifejackets. The scenery was absolutely amazing. We were in this huge gorge with really cool rock formations and waterfalls along the sides. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring my camera, so all the pictures are in my head. After the rafting, we had lunch and then went to a second location where some people from the group went bungee jumping from a bridge. I didn't go. I think if I did, I'd literally crap myself. We got back to Seoul by 7pm and back to Daegu by 10pm, exhausted, sunburned and happy.
