  I went up to Seoul yesterday, to meet up with some friends from Jecheon. The original intention was to go shopping. I ended up getting in late, and my friend got in later. So, what with one thing and another, we just decided to head straight to Itaewon, and a bar called Helios, to drink a few pina coladas and eat some nachos while waiting to meet everyone else.
(And let me just stop for a second to say that these were really horrible nachos, they didn't have real cheese on them, just some liquid cheese stuff drizzled on the top. And the salsa tasted like there was ketchup in it. They did have olives, jalepenos and ground beef on them, so I guess they weren't totally substandard.
And the staff was cute, so at least the scenery was nice. ) After everyone showed up and we finished our drinks (I now know never to suggest just leaving beer on the table) we decided to go over to Mogul, an Indian restaurant, for dinner. On our way to Mogul, we ran into a halfdozen of the only people I know from Cheongju. They were in search of a bar, Bricx. I had been there once, so I tried to give them some help. I give truly horrible directions though, so I hope they aren't still wandering around down there today...
There was a great buffet there, with long grain! rice for once, samosas, a couple of kinds of curry, desserts, mmmm.... Once we left Mogul, a couple of people decided they wanted to go to Hongdae instead of staying in Itaewon. Whereas Itaewon is packed with foreigners and GIs, with very few Koreans, Hongdae is full of mostly Koreans with a sprinkling of foreigners. They're both full of bars and people partying hard. And the drinking/bar hopping part of the night was the same as always, only in different bars with different people. People got very very drunk (though I wasn't one of them) they danced like they were crazy, (Again, not one of them.
Okay, well maybe a little. ) picked up guys (one more no here) and even made out on the dance floor (again, no). In fact, by the time we left the bar, around 6:30, and went out for dak tori tang (spicy chicken and potato soup), I was stone cold sober. And quite amused at the collection of men the girls I was with had accumulated and were trying to get rid of. And how the men just weren't paying attention at all. After we ate, and ditched the boys, we wound up back in Itaewon, where myself and two girlfriends spent a few hours sleeping in bath-house.
I've never done that before, though I knew that you could. It's pretty cool, you go in, they give you a towel, a pair of white shorts and a t-shirt, and a locker to put your stuff in. You can shower and bathe and do a bunch of other spa-ish things, then throw on your uniform and go crash in the sleeping area on the floor. Cost: 6,000 won. Now I know where I'm spending the night everytime I come to Seoul. A warm place to sleep and a place to get clean.
What more do you need? Though, a little bit of privacy would be nice, I'm not a big fan of all that public nudity. We got out of Itaewon around one this afternoon, but didn't get much shopping done. I think we were pretty burned out from the night before. Well, I was anyways. Given that my original intent was to go shopping, it would seem like the weekend was a waste. But all in all, it was really a good one. I got to see friends, ogle cute waiters, eat Indian food, dance, sleep in a bath-house, and not be stared at on the streets.
What more could I ask for? I can always go shopping again next weekend. Oh, and guess what the one thing I bought this weekend was? 
