On Children's Day I got a few things from the Best Mart and got a little bit of housecleaning and work done before the baseball game started at 2:00. It was the whackiest game ever! 17-1 for Kia including two players with three chances for the cycle, (neither got it though), every player walking and/or hitting multiple times, (18 hits, 12 walks), homers, triples, a little bit of defence and to top it all off, a bench clearing brawl. On Children's Day!!!
I did a bit of updating on my computer and my resume and application materials and then received a text from David, who wanted to have a beer. I obliged. More than one beer was enjoyed by both Davids. We had a couple outside the 7-11 and then went to a pub called West Minister and had some more. I know it's supposed to be Westminster, but I don't think it is. Had a great conversation. He's a good fella, that David. A credit to the name.
A group of people came into the pub and sat at the table beside us and I was surprised to see two of my students in the group. I wished them happy Children's Day of course and asked what they'd been up to. One of the students was one of my favourite students. Don't know her Korean name but her nickname is Sandy. She has about the neatest printing I've ever seen and she just loves to write! She's just a model student! If any student's parent should buy me beer, it's not her's. It's Frank's. His parents should buy me a new car! No I really should have bought her parents' beers. But before leaving, Sandy's Dad says to me, "It's on me." I wasn't sure if he paid or if he was using the wrong idiom. David and I thanked him anyway and sure enough, when we checked if he had paid, he had. THAT was a nice Children's Day bonus!
The next day I didn't feel so hot but had a long walk to the bus station to buy my ticket to Seoul, so I dragged my arse outta bed and went. At first there was a lot of coughing and bodily reluctance, but I soon got a fast walk going and sweat out some of that free beer. I got my ticket and walked home. When I was told the bad news that I wouldn't have the entire 4-day weekend, I had asked if I should show up at 6:30 and was told I should, but it turned out I only had to teach TWO classes, from 7:30-9:30. Oh well, enjoyed my coffee for over an hour, taught my classes, went home, packed a bag and hit the hay.
Saturday was eventful! I took an early bus to Seoul and got into Dong Seoul Station just before noon. It was about 3 hours from 8:50-11:50 but only because we hit some long weekend traffic that held us up for about half an hour. I then took a subway to Itaewon and visited Heather, Mike and the family for about an hour. Then back to the subway and over to Gongdeok Station to meet Amber and DB at 2:30. We all made it there before 2:30 and hopped onto a city bus. We travelled quite a ways until we finally saw a big, silver dome and got off the bus. The location of the dome is by NO means convenient!
But it was pretty impressive from the outside!
We couldn't get into the stadium until 4:00 I think so we grabbed a couple of beers from the stadium GS Mart. I also had to eat so I got a stadium meal: Two soy-boiled eggs, some string cheese and some meat on a stick. Warshed down with a cold Max beer it was just the ticket for a guy who had been on the bus, subway or hiking up the hills of Itaewon since breakfast at 7. That doesn't sound like appetite building stuff but taking the bus involves walking, the Seoul subway is a workout in itself and if you wanna feel a good burn, muscles and lungs, hike up to Itaewon Dong! Even DOWN it's good exercise.
Here's me posing in front of a sculpture I like.
The inside of the dome was not as impressive. They had a Pizza Hut, New York Burger, New York Fries, some of the usual baseball snack substances, but nothing special. Chamshil in Seoul has a Burger King and KFC I like and Moonhak Stadium in Incheon has a good Burger King too. All the stadia I've been to here in Korea have better beer service. A BIG strike against Gocheok! Can't bring beer from outside. Can't have cans. And it was a LONG walk to buy beer between innings! The stadium looks like they didn't buy enough land for what they wanted so they just chopped a full sized dome down to fit into a smaller space. We had seats really high up behind first base. There were a few blindspots and the air was a bit thin but the view was pretty good. Before the game Amber asked me what would happen if someone hit a ball so high that it hit the roof. I remembered a ball hitting the roof at the Minnesota Metrodome one time and a ground rule double was awarded so I just told her that. I was SURE it wasn't about to happen. Ha ha. Of COURSE it did! The ball was a sure fly out but hit the roof and dropped in fair territory. Na Ji Wan, the batter was safe at first and was awarded a single. I thought it should have been a double, but looked it up online and apparently that was a Dave Kingman ball that never did come down from the Minnesota roof. So I think the Korean umps got the call right.
The game was a good one. Close all the way with the Tigers getting the lead then losing it then getting it back a few times. Their best pitcher, Yang, was looking pretty good. Not his superstar self yet this season but I though he was finally going to get his first win. A couple of bad mistakes by the fielders and a really unlucky game-winning run scored on a wild pitch or passed ball that only squirted away from the catcher a little ways but this REALLY speedy guy on third, who had burned the Tigers all day, made it home. I think the left handed batter at the time might have impeded the catcher's pursuit of the ball or his toss to the covering pitcher, but in the end it might not have mattered. There were other more avoidable mistakes. But already that is one of at least half a dozen games the Tigers should have won but didn't. It looks like it's gonna be one of those seasons...
After the game we went to Itaewon and hooked up with Mike and Heather at the Three Alley Pub. I had a Kozel beer float! I know it sounds just wrong but it was sensational!!! Cinnamon around the edge of the glass, vanilla ice cream, I ate/drank it in about 2 minutes! Had a good chinwag, then Amber and DB went home and Heather, Mike and I went to Fat Albert's to finish the evening. GREAT day!
The next day I watched the very first hockey games I have seen of the NHL playoffs this year. I enjoyed them but wasn't all that invested in them. Washington stayed alive by beating the Pens. Then the Sharks attacked the Preds in the Tank. Some good goals in that one.
After that I went to the clothing place with the big sizes I like and bought some pants and a shirt. Now at least I'm set wardrobe-wise. As the hottest day of the year so far was drawing to a close, we made our way to the Jongro/Insadong area of Seoul to catch the lantern festival. I have to admit I was hoping for the ceremony in which they light a candle in a little lantern and let it fly away, but I have thought a few times while watching that, where do those lanterns go and is it flammable? I don't think there was any way they could have held that sort of a pyromaniac's dream in Seoul without it becoming Asia's answer to Fort McMurray. How 'bout that Fort Mac? NObody dies! Awesome stories, videos and Canadian community spirit shown! I've said it many times before but I hate that it requires a tragedy like this for me to be proud of Canada. It'd be so nice if we had this kind of love for our fellow Canadians whose homes didn't burn down too! And now I am starting to see opportunistic Big Oil pushers trying their best to almost take credit for the people of Fort McMurray putting internet memes out there saying that it was a natural oil spill before companies like Nexxen showed up and cleaned it up. Somebody needs to get a high five for THAT post. In the face. With a chair.
Instead I followed the family down some blocked off streets
This was the temple where the parade started.
And just as dusk was settling over Seoul, the parade began.
But the day and the long weekend had to end. I got on an 8:50 bus outta Gangnam Terminal, (that's right, I went home Gangnam Style), and made it home to my house before midnight. There was a little bit of long weekend traffic getting out of Seoul. There was a LOT going INTO Seoul. But all in all I had far less to complain about than my usual trips. It was a great weekend away!
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