Stop & Chat: February 14 & 15

Their faces made me so happy! >w< !!!

Valentine's day was pretty relaxed for me. M had a 24 hour shift so I spent a good chunk of the day watching movies, playing video games, and basically ignoring any responsible tasks I told myself I would accomplish.



Early this morning (as in midnight-3AM) I played some World of Warcraft with my brother and Dad. They wanted to level some characters up and I just followed them around on my max level character, killing stuff and goofing off. I don't care for leveling up a character but I sure don't mind following other people around while they level. Logic: I have none. :)

M and I decided to go into Yongsan today. We had some stuff that needed to be done on post and we were just wanting to get out of the house for a while.

Guess what today is? President's Day! While the rest of Korea doesn't care (why would they? This isn't a worldwide thing), the holiday was very much observed on post. So we couldn't get anything done at the offices on post. Itaewon is right outside one of the gates so we went there and walked around. It was cold. The temperature was -12C/10F and the wind sliced the skin like daggers. I'm glad I had my gloves, otherwise I doubt I would have taken any outdoor pictures!

It was so nice walking through Itaewon before the crowds arrived. We got here as the street vendors started setting up.

What The Book?, that English bookstore that I've talked about before.

What would a trip to Itaewon be without a visit to the Lush store? Saponé was here again and it was really heartwarming seeing her face light up, watching her jump up and down and exclaim with joy, and being rushed for hugs once she saw us. I picked up some shampoo and conditioner for my hair. This will be my first experience with Lush's hair products, so we'll see how it goes!

Empty sidewalks! Normally the entire sidewalk on the street side is packed with street vendors set up back to back.

Just another view. M indulged me several instances of "let's stop and take a picture!" I don't know why I was so eager for pictures today but every time I snapped a shot I would look to him with a super goofy, childish grin.

Coffee shops. Everywhere. I tried to fit all 3 in a three building stretch in one picture but was unsuccessful. So here's just two.

Another coffee place!  Normally this section of sidewalk is packed with people and vendors. It was nice to be able to stop here and take pictures without being shuffled around by the crowds.

Taco Bell! M saw it and offered for us to go there, but today I was determined for us to try something outside of our everyday food.

Signs and shops. Some day I might stop in The Body Shop. Probably not while in Korea, though, because TBS is everywhere in the States and I've never read very good reviews on their products.

This Starbucks was in a pretty cool shaped building. It's across from a Turkish Bakery we went in to. M caught me oogling the food and made the decision for us to step in.

Yummy! I wanted a little bit of everything, but we settled for a variety pack and some "Meat Bread." That's what the sign said it was called and that's what the cashier said it was.

It's so weird, going to another country and finding so many languages. Our cashier was someone who came to Korea from Turkey and speaks Spanish, English, Turkish, and Korean. There are lots of places and people like this that came from other countries to make a living here.

M wanted some. So did I, but we figured we should probably not get some ice cream. We hadn't eaten lunch yet and didn't want to ruin our appetites.

We could buy adorable Turkish tea sets here. The detail was so intricate!

More food!

After paying for our food, we went to the same Kebab joint M, K, and I went to earlier in January. The guy who insisted I was from California was there and we had the same conversation again. I got some fries & chicken box meal and M got a sandwich. Then we headed back to the car and home.

Just another view of the street and buildings. I know it's just architecture and some 'experts' say Korean architecture isn't very pretty or well organized, but I find it exciting and pretty. 'Experts' be damned.  Now, enjoy some pictures.

A city skyline we see every time we drive home from Yongsan.

Construction and ridiculously tall cranes!

The best picture I could get of the river.

More buildings. Traffic had picked up by the time we left Itaewon/Yongsan and it took a while to get home.

Another picture, for completions' sake. :)

The spoils of war!

We got home at about five and ate. Since then M's gone to bed and I've watched a few movies. Now I'm probably going to go for a little run and take a bath. I'm feeling tired enough to go to bed early, but I'm worried that I might wake up at 2 or 3 am and be unable to go back to bed if I go to sleep now.

Did any of that Turkish food look like something you would enjoy? How many languages can you speak?