The Heart of Seoul

A warm welcome on a cold November night.

What do you do when you have a friend in from Seattle?

You find the nerdiest, 

greenest, 

geekiest 

place to stay in Seoul possible.

Hands down, that means 

a homestay in a hanook in Bukchon.

But if your guest is from Seattle,

that's just not enough.

Nope, you go the extra mile 

and you make sure it's organic.

http://wwoofkoreaguesthouse.com

www.wwoofkoreaguesthouse.com/

The beds were extremely comfortable with big down comforters.

 

In the morning, you have free range of the kitchen and it's free-range eggs.

The fig jam, fresh bread and eggs was perfect way to ease the sadness of goodbye.

For those of you choosing a homestay,

these are not a hotels.

There aren't TVs, closets, etc.

These are traditional Korean houses.

You are also generally unsupervised.

These places are a home away from home.

They look like homes,

they feel like homes,

they have imperfections like homes.

So just relax and love them
because they are magic
in the heart of the second largest city
in the world.

PS In my humble opinion,

these are the ONLY places to stay in Seoul

outside the jimjilbong.

Baby Gunna Knock You Out

Boxing has deep but complicated roots in South Korea.

I've been interested in it's existence since learning 

it's one of the fastest growing female sports here.

Thanks to the group Come Together Korea

I met a US teacher and boxing instructor 

and took him up on his invitation 

to watch a demo match at a gym in his area.

It wasn't girls fighting, but it was still fun.

The little guys made it look fun.

It was an interestingly violent and civil experience.

There was calmness to the room.

I had not expected.

The bigger guys made it look really painful.

Mixed with the sounds of heavy blows

and labored breathing.

A studious intensity mixed with some amusement

lived on the faces of all those who watched in near silence.

I am a little in love with his blue hair.

Hopefully next time I can visit a female boxing gym...

You can learn more about Korean boxing here:

Fighting Spirit: An Introductory History of Korean Boxing, 1926-1945

Army to lift boxing ban in South Korea

'Boom Boom' Mancini's life changed after tragedy hit the boxing ring

To Ten Worst Moments In Boxing History

Bye Bye Babbie, Goodbye

 For one brief moment,

Babbie returned.

Then she was gone.

Her smile.

Her laughter.

Her brightness.

Always,  

apologetically,

perfectly 

herself.

A Recipe for Seoul

Ingredients:

Coffee, Friends, Learning, Laughter, Food

Directions:

1. Stop for Coffee at Cafe Bene

2. Join Friends for Free Korean Classes at a University

.

3. Have Lunch with Students and Teachers.

 

5. Beer & Blogging at Craftworks in Itaewon.

6. History Lesson & River Walk with Friends.

7. Laughter and Korean Food in Insadong 

It's Christmas in My Seoul

It's the holidaze.

Time to celebrate.

It's strangely comforting to wander around the city

with drunken Santas despite my sober constitution.

Especially on a night filled with live music

and lunar eclipses.

Everyone wants to sit on a Santa's lap

Camera Shy

Big Red

My Christmas Elf NJ

Ho Bar III Is Rock'n Round the Christmas Tree

Santa Slow Dance

Feelings

It's a very Korean Punk / Grunge Christmas

(Thank you Norma Jean, Alyssa, and Landino for getting me out of the house.)

Soju Come Here Often?

Homemade soju "glasses"

 B and I believe deeply 

that one should always keep it classy.

However, sometimes drastic times call for drastic meaures.

Hari-bou hasn't talked to me in ages

and ZX is trapped in Italy.

Obviously it's time to get our Seoul on.

Drunk'n and disorderly.  I'm taking you in.

Salsa dancing, of course we don't know how.

It was the salsa clubs two year anniversary - rice cakes for everyone.

Somehow we ended up at a hooka bar in a basement.

It was epic, it was random.

It was what friendship is all about.

It Stays The Same

No matter how much one tries to prevent it, 

culture is always changing.