Gwangju Times...

I would like to dedicate this post to Jade Fernely – on whose 23^rd birthday the 3^rd day of this epic weekend took place.

A little while back (2 weeks to be precise) I had some time to myself, so I hijacked some travelling that was being done by my friend Ashli. She had arranged to travel to Gwangju to visit our friend Soekie in the city of Gwangju. Sadly there were no trains there so it was (and I loathe even just typing this) time to take a bus trip.

To do that we had to get to Daegu 1^st and this is where yet another awesome fun weekend started.

Part 1: Deagu

Ashli and I left for Daegu on Saturday just before Lunch and moved to the Stage at downtown Daegu where we met up with Alana, a friend of Ashli’s from Orientation and subsequent friend of mine. Alana, you may remember joined me on my paragliding adventure. Lunch took place at the adequate Gorilla Burger and my world was so unrocked, I can’t even remember what I had to eat :-P BUT dessert was grand as we made our way to Holy Grill ad bought ourselves some “Sexual Chocolate” for dessert. Think Devils chocolate cake, with choc mouse pudding inside covered in Ice Cream. Hmmmmmm.... *wipes away drool from the corners of mouth*

Anywho, the excitement of going to Daegu to hang out with Alana was all about going to the baseball batting cages, which we consequently did.

The Set up...

Batting cages are like indoor cricket nets with a bowling machine, except the machine doesn’t aim for ground first, but rather your chest. The cages in question have 2 speeds – 110km/h and 130km/h. After a couple of warm up sessions so was presented...

The Bet...

1 person

3 alternating round in the cages

Which means 45 balls to hit

First 2 rounds, tipping the “pitches” counts

Last round only clean strikes count

Batter with the least amount of hits buys the 1^st round of drinks

Was I confident? Given my cricket background – just a smidge

The Outcome...

First Round Scores:         Ashli: 12/15; Alana: 4 or 5/15; Geoff: 14/15

Second Round Scores:   Ashli: 14/15; Alana 8/15; Geoff 14/15

Third Round Scores:        Ashli: 13/15; Alana 8/15; Geoff 13/15

The Winner: Geoff – Prize: Adulation of seasoned softball players and a free drink :-D

We had loads of time to kill so we decided to go and see a movie – “Unknown” starring Liam, He-should-have-been-the-next-James Bond-and-not-Daniel Craig, Neeson. 

Great action thriller along similar line to “Taken (2009)” though we not too fond of the ending. Dinner that night was Japanese which in the main was sushi with broth as a side and there were also some like deep fried pork type things, the name of which I just can’t remember. And so the drinking started...

We went to a few of the regular haunts in (for foreigners that is): Who’s Bob; Organ Bar; and of course we started drinking while we were at Holy Grill for dessert. I got the chance to play some pool which was great fun, though I lost 2 games on technicalities. I think pictures would best explain this section...

There was planning that had also begun about ending me on my birthday but I would rather choose to reflect on the things that didn’t kill me that night and not on the things that undoubtedly will come the weekend of the 24^th of March. I think at some point Alana put a hay-maker (punched) into Ashli’s gut for no apparent reason, I was given a shot of alcohol called B21 I think and Ashli had a rather vocal disagreement with a friend on the phone though I am not sure that there was anything to disagree too. With all the beer and cocktails and THE shot (which felt like fire all the way down my throat and settled warmly in my belly), needless to say I slept very well that night, only to have to get up at 7am to make sure Ash and I caught our 8am bus to Gwangju.

Part 2 – Gwangju: Day 1

The bus ride was 3 hours long with a 10min rest stop at some point about 1hr into the trip. It was a very unmemorable experience until we got to U-Square which is the main bus terminal in Gwangju.

Rough guide to the sms conversation that took place between Soekie and Ashli:

Ash: We r@the station. Where can we meet u?

Soekie: Meet outside Dunkin Donuts

10 minutes later after getting lost in this airport size BUS terminal

Ash: We r@Dunkin, waiting for you.

Soekie: So am I, wait…

Soekie calls Ash:

Soekie: Where are you guys?

Ash: Outside Dunkin, where are you?

Soekie: Same… Oh wait, are you at the BUS terminal?

Ash: Yeah, like I told you last night

Soekie: I am at the TRAIN station, like you told me last night.

Ash: No I said Bus didn’t I?

Soekie: *Laughter* No you said train – be at the BUS station in 15 min.

Downtown Gwangju in Panorama

A little while later, despite Ash’s continued support of her theory, Soekie produced proof that Ash’s (Drunken) sms sent the night before, actually did say train and not bus station. No harm done and it was a good laugh.

After dropping our stuff at Soekie’s place, which she has set up really nicely, we went in search of lunch which was going to be Shabu-Shabu but that place was closed to we went to Mummy’s House a little local place and I had a very tastey and cheap rice dish. That was followed by a trip to the 1980 Civil unrest Memorial where we hung out in 17 C sunny weather for the afternoon before heading to Soekie’s favourite hang-out spot (and subsequently my favourite place in Gwangju) – Ethnic Café. The place was set up like a bedouin cave drinking hole (even though it was just in the basement of some random building). The only thing that was missing were the hubbly pipes! 

It was great. This was where we began our drinking for the late afternoon/evening, with 2 jugs of flavoured Soju (Strawberry and Kiwi I think). I really think I could have stayed there the whole night and just slept in our little nook that we had nestled ourselves in. Ashli did actually drift off for a few minutes!

Thoroughly mellowed we went to a Shabu-Shabu place in downtown Gwangju, for dinner. Soekie’s friend Rachel – from Iowa – joined us. That was the 1^st time that I had had Shabu-Shabu and was seriously impressed. Hope to find one in Yeongcheon. 

Dinner was followed by dessert which was pastries from Paris Baguette and then more drinking – we went to German Bar where some of the greatest quotes of the night came to life – here is where they follow (having context and “being there” helps to make them funny, but we laughed ourselves silly in this empty, German themed, pub that was playing American Country music):

So tonight in Gwangju I cried at a German bar, while listening to country music (Itami, 2011)

Geoff: Im white
Soekie: No your Caucasion
Ashli: Caucasion, THINK ABOUT IT COCK.... ASIAN!

What I’ve learned so far in Gwangju, Weizen Beer gives you wisdom and after consumption it turns to knowledge, BIG BUT please handle with care. Not for the faint-hearted.

With Downtown being rather quiet and a couple of other places we tried to go to closed, we headed back to Soekie’s place where we had 2 bottles of red wine and snacks between the 4 of us. One bottle (which I had bought to thank Soekie for her hospitality) was good…

And one bottle (bought 10min before at the 7/11 shop down the road) tasted a little like vinegar.

  

It was at this point in the evening (15:00 SA time I think) I gave a great friend back home – Jade – a call to wish her a happy happy 23^rd birthday. After that I couldn’t help laugh and record Ashli being show how to say “S**t, no one understands me” in Afrikaans. This is the Video Summary of the Gwangju Visit - in it is the Afrikaans lesson. Have a Laugh – I certainly did.

Rachel left us at about 1am I think and we went to bed.

Day 2 in Gwangju was a very fun day: Trick Art exhibition and ICE SKATING! The Trick Art was basically where art installations have been made and painted in such a way that the viewer can interact and become part of the art through photography. A couple of my favourite poses are below and that will be followed by a short slideshow of the rest.

We spent about 2 hours at the exhibition and then went in search of Ice Skating which we found at the Gwangju sports council complex – right next to the Gwangju soccer stadium (FNB’s Calabash is better :-P). For the 1^st time in my ice skating career, safety was taken seriously and we were required to wear helmets and gloves. It was also the 1^st time that I had worn skates that were 75-80% comfortable. Nice one!

Unlike Ashli and Soekie, I had to be back at school on Tuesday (for what turned out to be 1.5hours of desk-warming) so that meant that I had to leave Gwangju by 17:30 to allow me to catch the last train back to Yeongcheon at 21:00. Thus after skating we headed to the Bus terminal, had lunch and ice cream and I caught my bus back to Daegu.

Thanks Soekie and Ashli for a great time in Gwanju (going back there for a soccer match this weekend I think :-D)

Coming attraction: Daejeon with Sandy, Lisa and Deb; A 6month review of my time in South Korea

Stay tuned to Geoff’s Asian Adventure Fellow Travellers!